May 19
TEXAS----book review
"The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts: Murder and Memory in an American City"
It is not often that I find a book about Brownsville included on a list of
books being talked about as the most anticipated titles being released by the
major New York publishing houses.
So I was surprised and interested when I found, "The Long Shadow of Small
Ghosts' by Laura Tillman listed among those books being talked about at Winter
Institute and included in an anthology of early releases which I receive as a
bookseller.
On March 11, 2003, in Brownsville, John Allen Rubio and Angela Camacho brutally
murdered their 3 young children. The apartment building where this horrific
crime took place was already run-down, and in the years following the murders,
a consensus developed in the community that the building should be destroyed.
It was a place, some felt, that was haunted and spiritually bereft.
In 2008, Tillman commenced her successful journalism career with a stint at The
Brownsville Herald. New to the valley, moving here from Connecticut, Tillman
started by covering local interest stories and was assigned to cover a debate
over what should happen to this building, a debate which continues to this day.
What started as a special interest feature became a 6-year inquiry into the
toll of this crime on the city of Brownsville as well as the larger
significance of such acts, ones so difficult to explain that their perpetrators
are often written off as monsters.
Tillman over a period of years has researched the case file, interviewed the
friends, neighbors and family surrounding the crime, talked with those involved
in prosecuting and defending Camacho and Rubio.
While ambivalent about the value to her investigation Tillman also contacted
John Allen Rubio himself, and corresponded with him for years and ultimately
met him on death row where he currently resides.
Her correspondence and meetings with Rubio are at once heartbreaking and
disturbing, and Tillman's explanation of her own feelings as she engages with
him deepens the narrative rather than distracts. How does one reconcile the
image of a monster, capable of such inhumane and grotesque actions with the man
who claims to have loved his children beyond all else, and who could be any of
thousands of young men who have been left behind after suffering from neglect
or abuse?
As mass shootings or other horrific acts of violence become more frequently
reported in our daily lives the questions of how those closest to these events
are affected becomes more widespread. Can a building itself be evil?
What affect does it have to be continually reminded of some indescribable
violence by the mere presence of the building where it occurred? Tillman
questions our complicity in cases where mental illness, poverty, drug use, and
despair go unaddressed and ultimately lead to some unbearable or indescribable
act of horror. How does a community where an awful crime has been committed
work toward healing after the cameras have been packed up and the reporters'
notepads put away?
How much compassion does a mentally ill person who has murdered deserve?
"The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts" is a brilliant exploration of some of our
age's most important social issues, from poverty to mental illness to the death
penalty, and a beautiful, profound meditation on the truly human forces that
drive them. It is disturbing, insightful, and mesmerizing in equal measure.
"The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts" by Laura Tillman
Scribner, 256 pages, ISBN 9781501104251
(source: Valley Morning Star)
OHIO:
Jury to Consider If Ohioan Should Be Executed for Killing 3
A jury in Cleveland is expected to hear final arguments Thursday and could
begin deciding whether to recommend that a man be sentenced to death for
killing 3 women and wrapping their bodies in garbage bags.
Prosecutors told jurors on Wednesday that 38-year-old Michael Madison deserves
execution because of the circumstances surrounding the killings.
Defense attorneys argue Madison's life should be spared because of
psychological damage caused by child abuse.
The jury convicted Madison of aggravated murder earlier this month for killing
38-year-old Angela Deskins, 28-year-old Shetisha Sheeley and 18-year-old
Shirellda Terry. Their bodies were found near Madison's East Cleveland
apartment in 2013.
If the jury recommends the death penalty, a judge will decide if Madison should
die by lethal injection or spend the rest of his life in prison.
(source: Associated Press)
NEBRASKA:
Former Death Row Inmate Dies in Prison
A man who was adopted by a central Nebraska family and was nearly executed for
murder has died in prison.
Randolph Reeves, 60, died at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.
He was serving a life sentence for 2 murders committed in 1980 at a meeting
house of the Quaker religious community.
Reeves, who was Native American, was raised by a Quaker family from Central
City who adopted him.
He was sentenced to death, but courts later overturned his sentence. He was
scheduled to be executed in 1999.
Some of the family members of the 2 murdered victims had argued against the
death penalty. Quakers oppose the death penalty.
When Reeves appeared to be headed to the electric chair, Quaker leaders said in
a press release about "the extraordinary level of forgiveness by the families
of both victims."
While cause of death has not been determined, initial reports indicate natural
causes. As is the case whenever an inmate dies in the custody of the Department
of Correctional Services, a grand jury will conduct an investigation.
(source: nebraska.tv)
KANSAS:
Death penalty fills courtroom with emotion
While victims' families wept, Kyle Trevor Flack smiled and giggled.
The 30-year-old Ottawa man was sentenced to death by a Franklin County district
judge Wednesday morning in Franklin County District Court, 301 S. Main St.,
Ottawa, almost exactly 3 years after the bodies of a mother, her 18-month-old
daughter and 2 men were discovered May 2013 at a farmstead west of Ottawa.
In the eastern courtroom, District Judge Eric Godderz said Flack committed the
crimes without justification in a cowardly, senseless fashion.
"The 1 thing though, Mr. Flack, is that no one will forget what harm you have
done," Godderz said addressing Flack. "You'll never get another chance to do it
again."
The victims' families - filling the seats on the right side of the room -
clapped. Flack, clad in an orange jumpsuit with his wrists handcuffed, smiled
as he swayed back and forth in his chair.
"The court believes he knew the difference between right and wrong," Godderz
said. "He knew what he was doing. He could've done something different, but he
didn't."
The judge's sentencing comes after the jury's recommendation March 31 of the
death penalty for the 2013 capital murder of Kaylie Bailey, 21, and her
18-month-old daughter, Lana, for which Flack was convicted March 23.
Flack also was found guilty of 2nd degree murder for the killing of Andrew
Stout, 30; 1st degree murder for the killing of Steven White, 31; and criminal
possession of a firearm.
Godderz also sentenced Flack to 267 months (about 22 years) on the 2nd degree
murder charge; and to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25
years in the 1st degree count and to 9 months for criminal possession of a
firearm.
Flack's sentences will run consecutively, served at the El Dorado Correctional
Facility. His case will automatically be reviewed by the Kansas Supreme Court.
Victims' family members - all weeping and some trembling - stepped up to the
podium or submitted letters to tell Flack and the judge the thoughts they have
been carrying for the last 3 years.
Jackson Anderson, the older brother of Andrew Stout, submitted a letter for
Franklin County Attorney Stephen Hunting to read in his absence.
"I can count on one hand how many I can trust and my brother was one of them,"
Jackson said. "Not just my best friend, the one guy I could count on for
anything. Like all siblings we all argue, but the best thing about us was
everything was over at midnight no matter what."
Karon Anderson, Andrew Stout's mother, whose letter also was read, said she has
become more cautious of meeting new people since Flack "abused and tortured"
her son. She said a piece of her heart is gone.
"Yes, he was 30, but he will always by my baby," she said. "I wonder what
really happened but we'll probably never know. That is a torture in itself. I
lay awake a lot of nights and tears just roll down my face and there is an
emptiness in my heart that hurts constantly. My heart feels like it wrenches
and sometimes I can't breathe...I wish I could hear his voice one last time and
to see his smile."
Neil Stout, Andrew Stout's father, said to the judge he couldn't understand how
somebody could kill his son.
"I really don't know what to say other than I lost my best friend," he said. "I
don't understand how something like this happens. I hope nobody ever has to go
through. He tried to help anybody he could. He was a good person."
Randi White, Steven White's wife, said the last 3 years in court have taken a
toll on friends and family. She read letters from her children, Austin and
Ashlynn, who were just 3 and 6 respectively when they lost their father.
"My son could have 3 or 4 nightmares a night, nightmares where he screams out
for his daddy," she said. "His daddy should be able to protect him from these
dreams, but he's gone."
Ashlynn wrote she felt a pain that she had never felt before when she found out
he died. Austin wrote he felt sadness deep in his heart.
"In 3 days, it will be 3 years since we buried my husband and we're just now
being able to heal," she said.
Carla Fisher, Steven White's mother, said there is not a day that goes by that
she doesn't think of her son. She said she has trouble sleeping at night.
"I just lay awake wondering why this could happen," she said. "My son wasn't
perfect, but he didn't deserve to die the way he died."
Shawn Bailey, Lana Bailey's father and Kaylie Bailey's former husband, said he
cannot forgive Flack for killing his loved ones and stealing future memories
with them. He said Flack is a "baby killer."
"You stole from me future memories," he said. "I will never have my little girl
run into my arms, give me a hug and tell me she loves her daddy. I will never
get to play dress up with Lana or see her start school. Never get to scare the
boys trying to date her or see her walk across the graduation stage. And never
hear her laugh again or hold her while she naps. Never will I be able to
apologize to my wife for not being good enough."
James Smith, Kailey Bailey's father, who did not wish to be part of court
proceedings, expressed thoughts in a letter dated October 2013.
"What would I want done? What type of punishment would I see fit?" he said.
"Would rather not see a punishment. I would rather not need to write this
letter. I'd like them to be alive sitting here with me."
Rachel Helms Bailey, Lana Bailey's grandmother, said she has tried to write her
thoughts down, but evilness has destroyed her.
"I laugh no more, I smile no more," she said. "When he took that baby and did
... the things he did, my heart's gone. It's gone."
And finally, Lisa Smith, Kaylie Bailey's mother, spoke about her youngest
daughter and only grandchild.
"They were beautiful, they were precious, they were adored," she said, pausing.
"They were mine. They are dead."
"...Every morning entire families part ways for the day and nobody knows that
it will be the last time they ever see each other. But on May 1, 2013, someone
knew. Someone knew that Kaylie and Lane had left home and left me for the last
time."
After the prosecution's arguments for each sentence, Flack declined to speak
when Godderz gave him the opportunity. At one point, he laughed.
Tammy McCoy, Flack's mother, sat in the row of chairs directly behind her son.
"I'm not going to talk to nobody, honey," McCoy said after the hearing.
Jurors' agreement followed a nearly 3-week jury trial that began March 7 and
delved into the events that led to the discovery of 3 adult bodies at a rural
Ottawa home at 3197 Georgia Road in May 2013. The body of the 4th victim, Lana
Bailey, was found days later tucked in a suitcase in an Osage County creek.
During the penalty phase of the trial, Flack's defense team presented 3 days of
testimony on mitigating factors - such as testimony about his unstable
upbringing and extensive mental health history - in an effort to win a life
sentence rather than the death penalty.
If the prosecution had not sought the death penalty on the capital murder
charge in the killings of the Baileys, life imprisonment would have been the
presumed sentence by law, the defense said previously.
The prosecution's threefold grounds for the death penalty included Flack's 2005
conviction in a previous violent crime, knowingly or purposely killing the
Baileys, and killing Kaylie Bailey in a "wicked, shockingly evil and vile
manner." Jurors agreed 2 of 3 aggravating factors - killing mother and child
and killing heinously - outweighed Flack's broken past.
Godderz denied the defense team's motions for judgment and a new trial. 12
errors cited in their motion could become basis for appeal.
Prosecutors - Hunting and Victor Braden, deputy Kansas attorney general -
delivered a statement at Ottawa's courthouse steps Wednesday.
Hunting thanked his office, the Kansas Attorney General's office, the Major
Case Squad, all law enforcement who assisted, families for patience and
community support. Hunting said the prosecution's side has cost the county
hundreds of thousands of dollars for investigation, court proceedings and
litigation.
"As I've said before, whether we had chosen to do death penalty pursuit or just
life without the possibility of parole pursuit, either one was going to be
enormously expensive due to the nature of the case and the complexity of the
case," Hunting said.
Hunting said the case is the worst in Franklin County history. Braden said the
case is one of the most complex in Kansas.
(source: Ottawa Herald)
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