August 24
TEXAS:
Families watch execution of woman's killer
Robert Alan Shields Jr. kept his silence until the end, and the mother of
the woman he killed noticed.
"He looks pretty calm," Jan Ross said on the other side of a 2-way mirror.
Shields, 30, was strapped onto a gurney, right arm extended. Paula Stiners
mother, father and husband wore purple, Stiners favorite color.
In another viewing room, on the opposite side of Shields, his parents and
sister watched. Both families cried for much of Shields' last 10 minutes
of life.
Shields did not testify on his own behalf during his 1995 capital murder
trial. He declined an interview request from The Daily News 2 months ago.
Tuesday evening, he declined to make a final statement before the release
of the chemicals that would stop his bodily functions.
At 6:07 p.m., officials at Huntsvilles Walls prison unit administered the
lethal injection, carrying out the death sentence a Galveston County jury
called for nine years and 10 months ago. 8 minutes after it started, a
doctor pronounced Shields dead.
Shields was 19 on Sept. 21, 1994, when he broke into the Friendswood home
of neighbors Tracey and Paula Stiner in the 400 block of Castle Harbor.
Both Stiners were at work, but Shields was willing to wait. Paula Stiner
got off work early that day and came home from a hair appointment shortly
after 4:30 p.m.
More than an hour later, Tracey Stiner came home from work to find his
wifes bloody body lying on the laundry room floor.
Former Precinct 8 Constable Daniel Cooper arrested Shields three days
later in The Woodlands, 45 miles north of Houston. Shields was driving
Stiners car and wearing bloody clothes at the time of his capture.
In a way, Shields will have the last word on the subject. Septembers issue
of the monthly magazine Christian Network Journal features the only
interview to which Shields would consent before his death. The magazines
editor said Shields said he did not kill Stiner, although he admitted to
being in the house when she died. The story also reportedly contains an
account of Shields Christian conversion.
Shields words also survived him in the form of a Web site that showed a
copy of a letter Shields had sent to Gov. Rick Perry, inviting him to
attend the execution.
"I think it is important that you see with your own eyes that this is
lives and devastation, not just another political stepping stone," Shields
wrote.
The entire letter and other Shields writings are online at
www1prison.com/shields .html.
Gov. Perry did not attend the execution.
First Assistant District Attorney Mo Ibrahim, who prosecuted the case with
then-District Attorney Michael J. Guarino, did not attend the execution,
but said he hoped it would allow the family to take the next step in
healing their heartache.
"This has been an unimaginable 11 years for them," Ibrahim said.
Paula Stiners father, John A. Ross, entered the viewing area in a
wheelchair, but stood up and leaned against the glass to watch Shields
die.
After the execution, Ross read a prepared statement, which asserted that
the process that took Shields from death sentence to death was "offensive"
to Stiners loved ones.
"As the offender is entitled to a speedy trial, the victim and the
victim's family should be entitled to see a speedy administration of
justice."
Shields' father appeared to see only injustice Tuesday night, however.
Seconds after the younger Shields stopped gurgling and became totally
still, his father said, "Murdered by the state," while the dying mans
mother and sister prayed and sobbed quietly.
Seconds of silence followed, after which, the elder Shields added,
"Bastards."
When the gurgling stopped, Shields lay on the gurney, with his eyes barely
open and his mouth just open enough for his upper teeth to show.
He did not move again.
(source: Galveston County Daily News)
********************
Houston man executed Tuesday
With his parents and sister watching in one room, and his victim's
parents, husband and siblings watching from another, a 30-year-old Houston
area man was executed Tuesday evening inside the Huntsville "Walls" Unit.
Robert Alan Shields was convicted for the Sept. 21, 1994 stabbing death of
Paula Stiner, 27, who was killed inside her Friendswood home.
Shields did not make a final statement. He never acknowledged Stiner's
family, and only briefly looked over at his own parents and sister as they
entered the execution chamber. He stared at the ceiling as the lethal does
of chemicals entered his body. He then coughed, sputtered and slowly
exhaled.
Shields' father, Robert Shields Sr., pointed toward prison officials and
said, "Murder," following his son's final breath. "Murdered by the state."
he said shortly before he son was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m.
Stiner's husband, Tracey, joined hands with Paula's parents, John and Jan
Ross, and brothers Steve Ross and Christopher Ross, to watch the
execution.
"As the offender is entitled to a speedy trial, the victim and the
victim's family should be entitled to see a speedy administration of
justice," John Ross said, reading a handwritten statement after the
execution. "Waiting 10 years to see justice is further offensive to the
family."
According to evidence at the trial, Shields' fingerprints and bloody
shoeprints were in the laundry room where Stiner's body was found. About
90 minutes after Stiner was killed, Shields used her credit card to buy
some clothes. And when he was arrested 3 days later about 50 miles away,
he had her car.
Testimony at his trial showed he probably broke in to the Stiners' home
using a screwdriver taken from the garage at his parents' home, where
unknown to them he spent the night before the slaying in their garage.
Shields had moved out earlier, saying he couldn't live under his father's
rules after a 1992 theft and burglary arrest resulted in probation, which
he ignored. Police arrested him in The Woodlands in Montgomery County,
where Shields had friends and was living in empty houses.
He had previous arrests for burglary and auto theft, including an auto
theft arrest in Florida where he and some friends were accused of driving
a stolen car and leaving a trail of shoplifting from there to Texas.
His mother testified at his trial that she and his father had changed the
locks on their home at least twice to keep him from stealing from them. A
social worker testified Shields drank alcohol continuously since he was 14
and focused much of his time since the age of 17 on drugs and alcohol.
(source: Hunstville Item)
*****************************
Trial opens in lovers lane slaying
Tommy Garcia Jr. was fatally shot for a flashy gold and diamond medallion
and necklace and for a wad of cash he refused to give up, a prosecutor
told jurors Tuesday in the capital murder trial of Juan Edwardo Castillo.
Castillo, 24, is accused of being the triggerman in a plot to lure Garcia
to a dark South Side street and rob him at gunpoint early on Dec. 3, 2003.
The 19-year-old victim, known as J.R. to his family and friends, refused
to cooperate and attempted to flee after he and his would-be lover were
jerked from his car by two masked assailants.
He was then shot twice in the back. And when he got up to run again, he
was shot four more times. His attackers then fled on foot.
That is what the testimony will show, lead prosecutor David Lunan, told
jurors, adding that the plot was hatched by Garcia's would-be lover and
her boyfriend, along with another couple.
"J.R. - Tommy Garcia Jr. - was executed by the defendant in the course of
committing a robbery, and that is why we will ask you to find him guilty
of capital murder," Lunan told the jury in his opening statements.
Defense attorneys Bill White and Denny Callahan said jurors would have
difficulties with the credibility of many of the prosecution's witnesses,
including 2 of the plotters, who have pleaded guilty to lesser charges in
exchange for their testimony.
"When it comes to light, there will be reasonable doubt about their
credibility. When all is said and done, there will be absolutely no
believable evidence to indicate Juan Edwardo Castillo was involved in this
crime," White told jurors.
Lunan told jurors the evidence would show that Debra Espinosa, now 28, was
Castillo's girlfriend at the time of the attack. Together, they planned to
rob someone with Francisco Martinez Gonzales, 35, and his girlfriend, who
was not charged.
Lunan said the plot was to have Espinosa lure a victim to a stretch of
Clamp Avenue known locally as "make-out street," and then Castillo and
Gonzales would attack the victim and rob him.
On May 3, Gonzales pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a 40-year
prison term. The earliest he would be eligible for parole is 20 years.
On Aug. 8, Espinosa pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery in exchange for a
40-year term. The earliest she would be eligible for parole is 20 years.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Castillo is found guilty, but
jurors also could recommend a life sentence.
Testifying first for prosecutors was the victim's mother, Mary Lou Garcia,
who told jurors her son was wearing a gold medallion about the size of a
silver dollar on a gold rope chain. Her son also was wearing a gold
earring when he left their home in his 1994 black Chevrolet Camaro at
about 11:30 a.m. Dec. 2.
Testimony resumes today before 186th District Judge Maria Teresa Herr.
(source: San Antonio Express-News)
****************************
Jurors see autopsy photos in Edinburg massacre trial
Graciela Delgado slightly grimaced Tuesday, struggling to remain silent,
as jurors saw graphic autopsy photos of her 2 sons during arguments in
Rodolfo "Kreeper" Medranos capital murder trial.
Delgado's sons - Juan Delgado Jr., 32, and Juan Delgado III, 20, - were
shot dead several times in January 2003 during a pseudo-cop raid in and
around 2 small homes in Edinburg. The other men slain were Jimmy Edward
Almendariz, 22; brothers Jerry Eugene Hidalgo, 24, and Ray Hidalgo, 30;
and Ruben Rolando Castillo, 32.
Medrano is accused of providing the weapons subordinate Tri-City Bomber
gang members used in the shooting, on a property where they believed a
large amount of marijuana was stored. If found guilty, Medrano, 26, could
be the 3rd man sentenced to death in the case.
Dr. Fulgencio "Frank" Salinas, who conducted the autopsies, described the
mens injuries while jurors viewed photos Edinburg police took of the
bodies during the autopsies. He testified that all the men died of several
gun shot wounds. The photos showed where the multiple bullets entered and
exited the bodies of each victim. One of the victims, Jerry Eugene
Hidalgo, was shot 10 times.
As standard procedure to certify a witnesss expertise, Assistant District
Attorney Judith Cantu asked Salinas to state his occupation and schooling.
Salinas told the jury he was a physician, "a pathologist working out of
McAllen Medical Center." He then stated his medical school education and
residency in pathology.
Though the issue did not arise at the trial, Salinas is accused of
misrepresenting himself as a board-certified pathologist in complaints
filed with the Texas Board of Medical Examiners.
Medranos defense attorney Hector Villarreal interrupted Salinas and told
the judge, "Ive known Dr. Salinas for many years and I'm prepared to
accept his expertise in pathology."
Villarreal did not cross-examine Salinas.
Earlier in the day, jurors also heard from Edinburg Police Detective
Robert Alvarez, who investigated the murders and is the department's gang
expert. Alvarez explained the steps it takes to join the Tri-City Bombers,
the military style chain of command it followsand how gang members gain
promotions through seniority and illegal activities. He told jurors gang
members use nicknames and code words to conceal their activities.
Association with other gang members is one way police identify if someone
is in a gang, Alvarez said. He identified the names of several gang
members in a list police found in Medranos wallet and showed Medrano in
photos taken with other gang members. Medrano also admitted to police he
belonged to the Tri-City Bombers and told them he was in charge of keeping
the gangs money and weapons, Alvarez said.
Members of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood had once been part of the
Tri-City Bombers, but split off and the two are now enemies. The Tri-City
Bombers have a "green light" to fight members of the rival gang Texas
Chicano Brotherhood, without asking permission from a higher-ranking gang
member, Alvarez said.
The Hidalgo brothers were known Texas Chicano Brotherhood members, he
said.
Medrano told police he was at home watching movies with his wife when the
raid occurred, shortly after midnight on Jan. 5, 2003. Still, Medrano is
tried under the law of parties, which allows prosecutors to seek the death
penalty against Medrano for conspiring and aiding other gang members to
commit capital murder.
His trial began Aug. 15 in the state District Judge Mario Ramirez's 332nd
courtroom and prosecutors are expected to end their case today. Medrano's
attorneys are expected to immediately begin presenting their defense.
(source: The Monitor)
******************************
Company aiding crime lab probe loses Illinois job----Harris County is
reviewing deal after errors cost the Virginia firm a $7 million project
The company that Harris County prosecutors hired to review DNA retests on
evidence from the Houston crime lab has lost a $7.7 million contract in
Illinois because of errors in its work, prompting officials here to review
their agreement.
The District Attorney's Office hired Bode Technology Group, a
Virginia-based forensic lab, to help evaluate new tests on more than 400
cases with DNA evidence originally processed by the Houston Police
Department's troubled crime lab. Bode has been paid about $50,000 since
June 2004 for its work.
Prosecutors sought Bode's assistance after launching a massive effort to
retest evidence first analyzed by the HPD crime lab, where sloppy
scientific technique, poorly trained analysts and inadequate facilities
have been uncovered during the past 2 1/2 years.
Although the company is not performing tests on any samples, it is helping
prosecutors interpret the results of retests conducted by 3 other private
labs and suggesting how to proceed in cases with discrepancies.
Bode is also supposed to conduct a full-scale technical review of a
sampling of the more than 400 retested cases, Assistant District Attorney
Marie Munier said Tuesday.
"That has not begun and we have not made a decision yet on whether they
will do that," she said. She added that the District Attorney's Office
will reconsider Bode's qualifications in light of the problems in
Illinois.
Prosecutors have continued using Bode to review reports, Munier said,
"because we are so far into this one project."
A Bode spokesman confirmed that the company had talked with the District
Attorney's Office, but he declined to say what was discussed.
Bode has contracts with at least 10 other states and the U.S. Justice
Department, said Lt. Lincoln Hampton of the Illinois police. The company
maintains that Illinois police approved the methods it was using.
The Illinois State Police last year hired Bode to perform DNA tests on
thousands of samples, most of which were from rape kits. Bode had tested
about 2,000 samples when state analysts discovered the company had failed
to identify semen on nearly 22 % of the samples the analysts reviewed,
police said.
"We canceled the contract when our people found inaccuracies," Hampton
said.
Bode officials have said they regret the contract's cancellation, but they
have maintained that the police approved the testing protocols and
procedures.
"The ISP and Bode had worked together through June to revise and improve
the ... testing protocol in response to the ISP's concerns," Bode said in
a statement posted online. "The new methodology was approved by the ISP."
(source: Houston Chronicle)
