[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----N.C., N.Y.

[Rick Halperin]

April 7


NORTH CAROLINA:

Death-row inmate to governor: Order test----DNA exam wanted in deaths of
woman, girl


A death row inmate scheduled for execution has asked the governor to order
a DNA test to support his claim that he didn't kill a Gates County woman
and her daughter.

Jerry Conner, 40, is scheduled to die May 12 for the 1990 murder and rape
of Minh Rogers and her 16-year-old daughter, Linda.

A Superior Court judge has denied Conner's request for DNA testing of
semen found on the daughter.

Conner's attorneys and prosecutors are scheduled for a clemency meeting
May 2 with the governor and his staff.

Testing of the DNA in 1991 wasn't conclusive and Conner's lawyers said
better techniques are now available.

"What is the harm in allowing a DNA test?" lawyers Ken Rose and Mark
Kleinschmidt said in a letter to Gov. Mike Easley.

Conner told police that he committed rape, but the lawyers said he is
borderline mentally retarded and is unreliable. The rape conviction was
used during Conner's 1995 trial to help justify the death sentence.

Judge Richard Parker denied the request after ruling that the earlier test
supported the prosecutors' contention that Conner committed rape.

District Attorney Frank Parrish argued in court filings that Conner's
shoeprint was found in the girl's blood and that what Conner told police
was consistent with crime scene details.

Another execution has also been scheduled this month.

Willie Brown Jr., 61, is scheduled to be executed April 21 for the slaying
of Vallerie Ann Roberson Dixon.

(source: Charlotte Observer)

*****************

Attorneys In Britt Case Reveal New Details


Myron Britt is accused of killing his wife, a Wake County teacher. All
along, prosecutors publicly shared evidence to support their death penalty
case against him. Now Britt's attorneys are finally showing some of their
hand.

With Britt's trial coming up in a month, defense lawyers filed a brief
asking the judge to issue a gag order to prevent investigators from
speaking publicly about the case. The judge denied the request. However,
the brief is still very telling about the defense's case.

First, prosecutors say the State Bureau of Investigation linked a bullet
from the crime scene to Britt. However, the defense says 2 "former FBI"
instructors couldn't find enough "markings" to make an identification."

Second, prosecutors say investigators found "divorce papers" involving
Britt and his wife, Nancy. Defense lawyers content that those papers do
not exist. They say detectives did not find "any documents" at either the
Britt's home or the crime scene that confirm divorce plans. They also say
"Nancy Britt's emails" and a family member's "diary" never mention
"marital difficulties."

Moreover, prosecutors say the Britts were having "financial" problems.
Defense lawyers say the only debt was their home and a "speculation house"
for Britt's company. They also say the couple had "good to excellent"
credit.

Finally, prosecutors believe Britt killed his wife for the money from
Nancy's life insurance policy. The defense says that although he did have
insurance on her, she also had an "identical policy" on him, as do many
couples.

The defense says these are "merely a few examples" to be used in the
upcoming trial. They plan to show more, in hopes of saving Britt's life.
Prosecutors told WRAL that the district attorney is the only person
allowed to discuss the details of the case, but he was not available for a
response.

(source: WRAL.com)






NEW YORK:

Death Penalty Rap for Kenneth (Supreme) McGriff Remains


As many rap and hip-hop sites have reported, prosecuting attorney Roslynn
R. Mauskopf has filed a death penalty request for Kenneth (Supreme)
McGriff and 4 other suspected members of McGriffs Queens drug gang.

McGriff who is rumored to secretly own the hip-hop and rap label The Inc.
Records, home to such hip-hop artists as rapper Ja Rule and Ashanti.
During last year's federal government case against The Inc. and its
founders Irv and Chris Gotti, federal prosecutors attempted to link
Kenneth (Supreme) McGriff. to the label, alleging that he used the Gotti
brothers to launder more than $1 million in drug money.

Now U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has suddenly decided against
seeking the death penalty for 4 suspected members of Kenneth (Supreme)
McGriffs Queens drug gang - except for Kenneth (Supreme) McGriff.

David Ruhnke, Supremes attorney said the switch, coming just 13 days after
Gonzales declared the death penalty justified for all 5 defendants, proves
the original notices were "shams." Ruhnke said they were designed to
obtain an adjournment of the racketeering trial, slated to start April 17
in Brooklyn, to give prosecutors more time.

"It is highly likely - virtually indisputable - that final decisions had
not been reached as to any of the 5 defendants when these false notices
were served," Ruhnke wrote in a letter to the judge.

Those given a reprieve include Nicole Brown, a 43-year-old woman who
allegedly served as a lookout in the 2001 murder of aspiring rap artist
Eric (E Money Bags) Smith. Brown is the mother of nine children.

Brooklyn Federal Judge Frederic Block is weighing a motion to throw out
the death penalty notices because they were filed so late. McGriff is
charged with ordering 2 murders.

(source: ThugLifeArmy.com)