Jan. 4 GEORGIA: Man in murder, kidnapping case may face death penalty A man accused of killing four members of his former girlfriend's family and abducting three of her children is expected to find out later this month whether he will face the death penalty. A preliminary hearing for Jerry William Jones has been scheduled for Jan. 24 in Gordon County Superior Court, District Attorney Joseph Campbell said. At that hearing, Campbell said he will announce whether he will seek the death penalty against Jones. A grand jury indicted Jones in September in the killings and kidnappings, which happened about a year ago. Jones has been charged with malice murder and kidnapping. Tom and Nola Blaylock were shot to death, and their daughter, Georgia Mae Bradley, and Jones' 10-month-old daughter, Jerri Georgia Jones, were strangled Jan. 7, 2004 at their homes in the Ranger community in northwest Georgia. Another of the Blaylocks' daughters, Jones' ex-girlfriend Melissa Peeler, said Jones called her that day in Oregon, where she was visiting, and told her he had killed her mother and had taken her daughters, age 3, 4 and 10. She notified authorities in Georgia, which eventually set off a manhunt that ended with Jones being captured the next day just over the Tennessee border after he wrecked his car and shot himself in the face. The three girls were unharmed. Jones was treated at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., before being moved to a state prison hospital in Augusta. (source: Associated Press) CALIFORNIA: Frey's Book Focuses on Peterson Affair Amber Frey's new book sheds little new light on the case against convicted double murderer Scott Peterson but does offer a deeper look at a single mother desperate for love and how she was charmed by a smooth-talker. Frey, 29, the Fresno massage therapist who became Peterson's girlfriend and later the star prosecution witness at his 6-month trial for the deaths of his wife and her fetus, wrote the 210-page book herself. In "Witness For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson," which is dedicated to the victims of violence and their families, Frey tells the story of meeting Peterson: How her best friend set up the couple after meeting Peterson at a conference, how Peterson coaxed Frey to his hotel room moments after their 1st meeting to shower and change clothes, then pulled out a bottle of champagne and a box of strawberries from his brown duffel bag. Later, after dinner, they got drunk and sang "Islands in the Stream" at a karaoke lounge. Frey said she spent that night with Peterson. The Associated Press received a copy of the book from the publisher, Regan Books, on Monday, a day before it went on sale. "As the evening progressed, Scott said that he was looking forward to settling down, but that he hadn't yet found the right person," Frey wrote, according to a news release issued by the publisher. "The way he looked at me when he said that made me feel he might be wondering whether I was that person." The $25.95 book features dozens of photographs of Frey, including a glamour shot taken when she was 18 and two dozen black-and-white frames from a modeling shoot in 2000 that show a short-haired Frey in a see-through negligee. Frey also describes a nightmare she had about a month after meeting Peterson when she began to suspect he was lying to her. She said a man with brown hair tickled her daughter. As he got increasingly rough, she begged him to stop because he was suffocating her. Frey then wrote she saw the face of an unknown woman with a bright smile and curly, brown hair who was laughing. Weeks later, Frey said, she realized the woman in her dream was Laci Peterson. Frey spends much time outlining how she found a lawyer, how she worked with police and how she handled the media. She also recounts meeting Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, who called Frey shortly after her initial news conference. She went to the family's home and met Laci's sister, aunt and stepfather. "It took a huge weight off my shoulders, just knowing that they knew that I wasn't the enemy," she wrote. Frey spends dozens of pages rehashing recorded phone calls between her and Peterson that were replayed during the trial. Frey stops short of saying she believes Peterson is guilty. But when the verdicts came on Nov. 12, she said she felt relief and that justice was served. The 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman was convicted of 1st-degree murder in his wife's death, and 2nd-degree murder in the death of her 8-month-old fetus. Last month, the jury recommended a death sentence. (source: Associated Press) OKLAHOMA: Nichols Costs Taxpayers More Than $4M Oklahoma taxpayers spent almost $4.2 million to provide a defense for bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, paying for such things as books, seminars, lawn care, coffee sweetener and an alarm system. Expenses filed by court-appointed defense attorney Brian Hermanson included $28.05 so Nichols could read the book, "The American Terrorist," an account of the life of Oklahoma City bombing mastermind Timothy McVeigh. A $300 claim was filed for lawn care costs for one of the defense attorneys, whose $750-a-month rental house in McAlester was paid for by taxpayers during Nichols' trial before a Pittsburg County judge. Court officials questioned the lawn care expenses and Hermanson's $59.95-a-month cable bill in McAlester, but approved the expenses anyway. Coffee sweetener that cost $3.99 was among the other claims filed. The fund was tapped for $11.46 to pay for hemorrhoid medicine for an ailing juror and $427,392.24 for security provided by Pittsburg County officials. Details of the expenditures had been previously sealed by court order, but were opened Monday at the request of The Oklahoman, The Tulsa World and The Associated Press. Hermanson did not return telephone calls seeking comment. Nichols was convicted of 161 first-degree murder counts, but the jury could not agree on a sentence. A judge gave Nichols 161 life prison terms for his role in the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people. McVeigh was executed in 2001 after his conviction on federal murder charges by a Denver jury. Nichols also was convicted on federal charges and sentenced to life in prison. The bulk of the $4.2 million spent on Nichols' defense went to a team of attorneys headed by Hermanson, who was paid $185 an hour. He received a total of almost $1.9 million, out of which he paid office expenses. That included thousands of dollars for computers and other equipment, much of which Hermanson agreed to return to Oklahoma County officials. The defense expenses were in addition to the cost to the state of prosecuting the case against Nichols, who has been returned to federal prison in Colorado. One claim filed by Hermanson in 2002 was for $2,742 to install an alarm system in his Ponca City law office. Other claims were for cleaning Nichols' clothing, buying him shoes, a shirt and paying for his stamps. The state paid $50.19 for a law dictionary for Nichols. Hermanson also filed a claim for the best-selling book, "The Secret Life of Bees." Other claims went for such things as cell phones for lawyers and investigators, cab fare, legal seminars, newspaper subscriptions, renting a storage unit, buying a vacuum cleaner and business cards. The expenditures were over a 6-year period and paid incrementally from the Oklahoma County court fund, which is funded by court costs, fines and fees. (source: Associated Press) LOUISIANA: Judge refuses to remove death penalty from consideration In Benton, a judge has refused to remove the death penalty from consideration in the 1st-degree murder retrial of a Texas man in connection with the 1989 slaying of a Bossier City man. State District Judge Parker Self on Monday denied James Crandell's motion to quash the state's notice to seek the death penalty. Crandell has 30 days to appeal the ruling to the Louisiana Supreme Court. "I am very pleased with the judge's ruling," said Bossier-Webster District Attorney Schuyler Marvin, who said he will defend his intent to seek the death penalty through any appeals. Crandell has been serving a life sentence since his conviction in 1991 for the beating death of Charles Parr, 48. A federal court overturned his conviction in August after Crandell successfully challenged the manner in which grand jury foremen once were selected. After Crandell was re-indicted in September, Marvin said he would seek the death penalty for a second time. The original jury was unable to agree unanimously on punishment and a life prison sentence was automatically imposed. Marvin said he will test a long-standing Supreme Court decision prohibiting prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the retrial of cases that originally resulted in a prison sentence. Crandell was convicted of killing Parr in a motel room in August 1989. Authorities said Parr was struck in the head with a frying pan. (source: Associated Press) ARIZONA: Deadline for decision on death penalty extended in doctor's slaying case In Tucson, prosecutors now have until February 2nd to decide whether to seek the death penalty against 2 suspects in a doctor's slaying. The suspects - Doctor Bradley Schwartz and Ronald Bruce Bigger - made a brief appearance during yesterday's hearing in Pima County Superior Court when the deadline was extended. Schwartz was arrested October 15th along with Bigger. Investigators contend Schwartz hired Bigger as a hit man to kill Schwartz's former medical associate, Doctor Brian Stidham. Stidham was found stabbed to death outside his Tucson office on October 5th. Schwartz and Bigger both face 1st-degree-murder charges in the case. Pinal County has handled the prosecution of Bigger and Schwartz since November 9th when Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall cited a potential conflict of interest for her office. (source: Associated Press)
