[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., GA., PENN., OHIO
Sept. 11 FLORIDA: Murderer Asked for Death Penalty, Not Life in Prison A man who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering a teenager told a Florida judge he knows "something bad is going to happen" if he is not sentenced to death. Instead of convincing a judge to spare his life, William Davis III, 34, used his final moment on the stand to present evidence as to why the judge should take his life. "I cannot sit here in good conscience and knowing what I've done ... ask you, with a straight face, to give me life in prison. I can't and I won't," Davis said. Davis, who was convicted in May of the 2009 kidnapping, rape and murder of Fabiana Malave, 19, told 18th Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Galluzzo that he was bipolar, and that sending him to prison for the rest of his life would be a dangerous error. "I know how I am when I am off my medication. I have always known how I am when I am off my medication," Davis said. "When I quit taking it, bad things happen. ... At some point something's going to happen, and I'm going to go completely off the handle." Last month, a jury recommended by a vote of seven to five that Davis be sentenced to death. The final decision rests with Galluzzo, who will hand down Davis' sentence Dec. 3. Throughout Davis' trial, his attorneys tried to build a case that their client was incompetent. Davis said he was manic depressive and bipolar, and hadn't taken his medication in months when he abducted Malave from a used car lot where she worked in October 2009. Davis abducted Malave at knifepoint and drove her to his home in Orlando, where he raped and then strangled her, according to his confession to a Seminole County deputy. Davis was arrested when deputies spotted his SUV near the area where Malave had been abducted. Inside the car, authorities found Malave's body covered with a garbage bag and blanket, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Although Davis is asking for the death penalty, his public defender, Tim Caudill, has argued for life in prison for his client. A message left for Caudill was not immediately returned. The young vicitm's sister told ABC affiliate WFTV that no matter what sentence Davis receives, it will never bring Fabiana Malave back. "He's a predator. He didn't go after someone who could defend himself or herself, but he went after my sister who weighed 95 pounds," she said. (source: ABC News) GEORGIA: Tracen Franklin death penalty trial moves to next phase The death penalty trial for Tracen Franklin is continuing in a Douglas County court. Franklin is 1 of 4 suspects in the beating death of Bobby Tillman at a house party in November 2010. Prosecutors said Franklin delivered the fatal blow to Tillman, causing a tear in his heart. Prosecutors rested their case Tuesday without calling Bobby Tillman's mother to the stand. Prosecutors had wanted to call Tillman's mother to the stand to identify the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death - likely to allow the jury to see her raw emotion over the death of her son. But at the last minute, prosecutors thought better of it - after both the defense and the judge warned that her testimony could be more prejudicial than probative, meaning it could lead to a reversal of the case down the road. The defense says they plan to call witnesses Wednesday and only plan their questions to take one day. (source: 11Alive News) PENNSYLVANIAimpending execution Phila. man, 46, could be executed Oct. 3 Judge wants more evidence, won't stay execution Judge calls for more evidence in bid to block execution BEFORE RULING on whether to stay the Oct. 3 execution of Terrance Williams, a Philadelphia judge on Monday asked Williams' attorneys to give her more information about evidence allegedly kept from the jury that convicted him. Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina gave the defense team until Thursday to turn over the information. Williams, 46, of Philadelphia, is in line to become the 1st person executed in Pennsylvania since 1999 for murdering Amos Norwood, 56, in 1984. He lured the man to a cemetery, beat him to death with a tire iron and set his body on fire with gasoline. Williams stole his victim's cash, credit cards, a calling card and his car and drove with friends to Atlantic City to gamble, Deputy District Attorney Ron Eisenberg told Sarmina. Eisenberg said that the case had been litigated all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and that it is time to carry out the sentence. Defense attorney Billy Nolas argued that Williams had been sexually abused by Norwood since the age of 13 and that he killed him in response to the abuse at age 18. Mark Draper, Williams' accomplice in the murder who is serving a life sentence, knew of the abuse but was told by homicide detectives and city prosecutors not to testify about it at trial, Nolas said. Instead, they told Draper to testify that Williams' mot
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., OHIO, ORE., IDAHO, CALIF.
Sept. 11 PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia judge calls for more evidence in bid for execution stay Terrance "Terry" Williams was back in Philadelphia on Monday, sitting quietly, hands and feet shackled, as lawyers tried to persuade a Philadelphia judge to block his Oct. 3 execution. Sounding skeptical, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina listened to two hours of vigorous argument by Williams' lawyers and prosecutors. Sarmina then gave Williams' team until Friday to supplement their claim of newly discovered evidence that Williams killed Amos Norwood in 1984 after years of sexual abuse - not to rob him. Sarmina told defense attorneys Billy Nolas and Shawn Nolan she considered their new evidence - a 2012 statement by Marc Draper, Williams' confessed accomplice - too vague for a late plea to stay the execution. "What's the basis of Draper's knowledge?" asked Sarmina. "That doesn't make it so just because someone says it." Deputy District Attorney Ronald Eisenberg told Sarmina that nothing in Williams' petition was new and that his claims of sexual abuse had been rejected by state and federal appeals courts. Eisenberg called the petition a "massive public relations campaign" to fuel Williams' effort to persuade the pardons board and Gov. Corbett to grant clemency. In a separate proceeding, Williams' attorneys on Thursday filed a clemency petition with the pardons board asking it to commute the death sentence to life in prison without chance of parole. The clemency petition was signed by more than 160 supporters, including former judges and prosecutors, child advocates, and sexual-abuse experts - and Norwood's widow, Mamie Norwood, 75. On Monday, Philadelphia's Roman Catholic archbishop, Charles J. Chaput, reiterated his support for clemency, writing: "Terrance Williams deserves punishment. No one disputes that. But he doesn't need to die to satisfy justice." The pardons board will privately interview Williams on Thursday and hold a public hearing Monday in Harrisburg. The five-member board must unanimously recommend clemency for Corbett to consider the nonbinding recommendation. Corbett signed Williams' death warrant Aug. 9 in what would be the state's 1st execution since 1999. At issue before Sarmina is a sworn Jan. 9 statement by Draper, 46, who pleaded guilty to participating in Norwood's killing and became the key prosecution witness against Williams at his 1986 trial. Draper, serving life for Norwood's killing, testified that Norwood was killed in a robbery, and authorities said Williams used Norwood's credit cards to gamble at an Atlantic City casino. Williams had just turned 18 and was a Cheyney University freshman when he was arrested. Norwood was last seen leaving his Mount Airy home June 11, 1984, to work at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Germantown. Four days later, a boy walking his dog found Norwood's charred body propped against a gravestone in Ivy Hill Cemetery in West Oak Lane. He had been beaten to death with a tire iron. A month later, police charged Draper, 18, the son of a police Civil Affairs Unit officer, who implicated Williams. In his recantation, Draper said he told homicide detectives in 1984 that Williams and Norwood had a sexual relationship and Williams killed Norwood in a rage over the abuse. Nolas said Draper now says detectives "didn't want to hear about the homosexuality. They wanted it to be a robbery." Draper also told detectives Williams admitted to him that on Jan. 26, 1984, he had stabbed to death Herbert Hamilton, 50, after Hamilton had made sexual advances. Nolas told Sarmina that had the jury that condemned Williams known of Draper's original statement to detectives, it would have returned the same verdict as the jury in the Hamilton case. Williams was found guilty of 3rd-degree murder in Hamilton's killing. Draper was also a key witness in that case and told of Williams' self-defense claim. (source: Philadelphia Inquirer) OHIO: Man Facing Death Penalty Pleads Not Guilty A Browning Avenue man facing the death penalty pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that allege he an 8-year-old boy when he sprayed an apartment building with assault rifle bullets. Shawn Wilson, 21, entered the plea Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Bond was set at $5 million and his case was assigned to Judge R. Scott Krichbaum. Wilson was indicted on aggravated murder charges with death penalty specifications for allegedly killing Bryce Linebaugh. The indictment alleges he planned to kill someone prior to the shooting and that he killed a child less than 13 years old. Wilson is also facing 2 counts of improperly firing a gun into a home, 1 count of felonious assault with an automatic sentencing enhancement for using a gun, and tampering with evidence. Police said Wilson argued with a woman Aug. 19, the night before the shooting. Wilson, according to pol
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Sept. 12 INDIA: Kasab gets copy of Supreme Court's death sentence verdict Mumbai terror attack convict Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, lodged in a high security jail here, has been given certified copy of the last month's Supreme Court verdict confirming death sentence on him, while he remained silent on filing a mercy petition. "Kasab was given certified copy of his death sentence confirmation verdict 3 days ago on which he had signed. One copy was given to him and the other was sent to the Supreme Court," an official of Arthur Road Jail said today. Asked if the Pakistani gunman had been explained about options before him, including moving a mercy plea, the official replied, "Kasab was told about all procedures and rights he has as a convict, including moving a mercy petition before the President, but he did not react." When the terrorist, lodged in bomb-proof "anda cell" (egg shaped cell), was first informed about the apex court upholding his death penalty, Kasab did not appear shocked, the official added. On August 29, the Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty awarded to the LeT operative by the trial court and later upheld by the Bombay High Court. A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad dismissed the 25-year-old's plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the 26/11 case. Kasab and 9 other Pakistani terrorists had landed in south Mumbai on November 26, 2008 after traveling from Karachi by sea and had gone on a shooting spree at various landmarks, killing 166 people, including foreigners. While Kasab was captured alive, the other terrorists were killed by security forces. The SC also upheld the acquittal of 2 Indians who were alleged to be co-conspirators in the case. (source: The Economic Times) IRAQ: Iraq's Sunni VP: Shi???ite PM is Behind My Death Sentence Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president has denounced an Iraqi court's death sentence against him as an act of political retribution by the country's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Speaking from exile in the Turkish capital, Ankara, Monday, Tariq al-Hashemi accused the Iraqi prime minister of manipulating the court to oppress him. In a ruling Sunday, the court convicted Hashemi in absentia of murdering a Shi'ite security official and a lawyer, and it handed him the death penalty. Hashemi said the rulings were politically motivated and said he will not return to Iraq to challenge them under what he called a "corrupt" judiciary. Mr. Maliki's aides have denied that he influenced the trial. Hashemi appealed to his supporters to respond to the verdict in a calm and civilized manner. Suspected Sunni insurgents carried out a series of deadly car bombings in Baghdad late Sunday, hours after the court's announcement. The attacks came at the end of a deadly 24-hour period in which at least 100 people were killed in bombings and shootings across the country. It was one of Iraq's deadliest days of the year. In another attack Monday, a car bomb exploded near a restaurant in southern Baghdad, killing at least 3 people. Iraq's Kurdish President Jalal Talabani Monday said the timing of the Hashemi verdict is "regrettable" because the vice president remains in office. He warned that the court's move may complicate Iraq's efforts to achieve national reconciliation. Sunni leaders who support Hashemi accuse Mr. Maliki's government of trying to sideline them from a power-sharing arrangement meant to guard against the sectarian violence that continues to plague Iraq. (source: Voice of America) IRANexecutions 1 man hanged in public in Tehran today- His last words before death: "I'm Innocent" 1 man was hanged in public in Tehran early this morning. According to the state-run Iranian news agency Fars, the man was 27 years old and identified as Sadegh Moradi, also known by the media as Black Scorpion. He was convicted of raping four women and kidnapping and stealing from 14 other women, said the report. Sadegh Moradi had previously been exonerated from the rape charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But, the decision was met with protests and the case was sent to the Supreme Court where the death sentence was reinstated. Prior to the execution, Sadegh Moradi???s brother told reporters that the family had been unable to meet with Sadegh in more than a month , and despite waiting outside Evin Prison until 2:00am last night, they were not permitted to meet with him for the last time. According to eye witnesses and various other reports, before he was executed Sadegh Moradi said: "I am innocent." He was hanged at 6:06am at Sabalan Square in Tehran. Another man was hanged in public in Shahroud, northern Iran, yesterday. In a previous statement Iran Human Rights (IHR) had condemned public executions. The spokesperson for IHR, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, called public hangings "barbaric punishments meant to spread fear among the peopl
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., OHIO, ORE., IDAHO, CALIF.
Sept. 12 TEXAS---death penalty-related: business and human rights Perry Spreads the Word About Texas in Northern Italy Gov. Rick Perry, wrapping up a weeklong trip to picturesque northern Italy, said he is trying to talk European businesses into moving some of their operations to Texas and has been forging closer ties with the promoters of Formula One racing. Perry gave a rundown of his European visit Monday. He told Texas reporters on a trans-Atlantic conference call that he caught an F1 race in Milan on Sunday and had attended an international conference on the shores of Lake Como, the posh Alpine resort area known for its famous homeowners like George Clooney. "I think it's been a valuable opportunity for us to spread the word about Texas to a substantial number of key decision-makers and numerous industries across Europe," Perry said. "If anyone in Italy is looking to relocate, to expand, especially in the United States, their opportunity to succeed is better in Texas than any other state." On the sidelines of the Ambrosetti conference, Perry spoke to various business and government leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Then he took in an F1 race in Milan and met with Bobby Epstein, a partner in the Formula One race track being built in Austin. The inaugural race is scheduled for mid-November. In Italy Perry also toured what he called the "Ferrari compound," and met with the head of the Ferrari F1 racing team, Stefano Domenicale, and various business leaders. "It was an opportunity for us just to relay to the them the state of Texas' excitement about hosting this race," Perry said. Perry supports using tax dollars to lure business to Texas, through the use of the Texas Enterprise Fund, the Emerging Technology Fund and the Major Events Trust Fund, among others. In the case of the Formula One events in Austin, the incentives issue has been contentious, and some $30 million in incentive money for the first year still hangs in the balance. "I'm a proponent of those types of competitive funds that we have," Perry said. He said the Major Events Trust Fund in particular is working as the Legislature intended. "And that is to be an incentive for the private sector to come in and spend extraordinary amounts of money," Perry said. But Perry's advocacy of giving tax dollars to private companies has stirred complaints from many conservatives and Tea Party activists who say the incentives amount to little more than corporate welfare. Apple Computer, on track to become the most profitable public company ever, recently got a $21 million deal-closing sweetener from the Enterprise Fund to expand its operations in Austin, for example. "The average Joe and Jane on the street don't think it's a good idea. It's central planning and tinkering with the economy by the state," said JoAnn Fleming, who chairs the advisory committee of the Texas Legislature's Tea Party Caucus. "The free market will take care of itself. These companies don't need money. They'll take tax dollars as long as you have elected officials who dole it out." Fleming said Tea Party activists will be pushing lawmakers, meeting in session early next year, to eliminate government funding going to private companies and event promoters who promise to bring economic development to Texas. TexasOne, a public-private partnership that gets funding from cities and private companies, is sponsoring Perry's Italy trip. The Ambrosetti Forum, which hosts the conference Perry attended, also picked up part of the cost, the governor's office said. Press releases issued by Perry's office have said that no tax dollars are being used to pay for accommodations or travel for the governor or first lady Anita Perry. However, taxpayers are picking up the cost for Perry's security. If the past is any guide, thousands will be spent on air travel, lodging and meals. The full price tag won't be known until the security team returns and the bills begin rolling in. "We live in a world where security is an issue," Perry said. "They've got a long-standing policy of providing security for sitting governors and their families and those policies always have been and I suspect will be in the future determined by the Department of Public Safety." (source: Texas Tribune) CONNECTICUT: Death Row Inmates Continue Fight To Overturn Sentences The trial challenging the death sentences of 5 of Connecticut's death-row inmates will shift Tuesday morning to competing experts' analysis of whether race and geography played a role in prosecutors' decisions to seek executions. The testimony is expected to be complex as attorneys attempt to sort through the methodology, underlying assumptions and statistical theories - key evidence Superior Court Judge Samuel J. Sferrazza will use to decide whether the condemned inmates' death sentences should be overturned.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, CONN., FLA., ALA.
Sept. 12 TEXAS---death penalty-related: business and human rights Perry Spreads the Word About Texas in Northern Italy Gov. Rick Perry, wrapping up a weeklong trip to picturesque northern Italy, said he is trying to talk European businesses into moving some of their operations to Texas and has been forging closer ties with the promoters of Formula One racing. Perry gave a rundown of his European visit Monday. He told Texas reporters on a trans-Atlantic conference call that he caught an F1 race in Milan on Sunday and had attended an international conference on the shores of Lake Como, the posh Alpine resort area known for its famous homeowners like George Clooney. "I think it's been a valuable opportunity for us to spread the word about Texas to a substantial number of key decision-makers and numerous industries across Europe," Perry said. "If anyone in Italy is looking to relocate, to expand, especially in the United States, their opportunity to succeed is better in Texas than any other state." On the sidelines of the Ambrosetti conference, Perry spoke to various business and government leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Then he took in an F1 race in Milan and met with Bobby Epstein, a partner in the Formula One race track being built in Austin. The inaugural race is scheduled for mid-November. In Italy Perry also toured what he called the "Ferrari compound," and met with the head of the Ferrari F1 racing team, Stefano Domenicale, and various business leaders. "It was an opportunity for us just to relay to the them the state of Texas' excitement about hosting this race," Perry said. Perry supports using tax dollars to lure business to Texas, through the use of the Texas Enterprise Fund, the Emerging Technology Fund and the Major Events Trust Fund, among others. In the case of the Formula One events in Austin, the incentives issue has been contentious, and some $30 million in incentive money for the first year still hangs in the balance. "I'm a proponent of those types of competitive funds that we have," Perry said. He said the Major Events Trust Fund in particular is working as the Legislature intended. "And that is to be an incentive for the private sector to come in and spend extraordinary amounts of money," Perry said. But Perry's advocacy of giving tax dollars to private companies has stirred complaints from many conservatives and Tea Party activists who say the incentives amount to little more than corporate welfare. Apple Computer, on track to become the most profitable public company ever, recently got a $21 million deal-closing sweetener from the Enterprise Fund to expand its operations in Austin, for example. "The average Joe and Jane on the street don't think it's a good idea. It's central planning and tinkering with the economy by the state," said JoAnn Fleming, who chairs the advisory committee of the Texas Legislature's Tea Party Caucus. "The free market will take care of itself. These companies don't need money. They'll take tax dollars as long as you have elected officials who dole it out." Fleming said Tea Party activists will be pushing lawmakers, meeting in session early next year, to eliminate government funding going to private companies and event promoters who promise to bring economic development to Texas. TexasOne, a public-private partnership that gets funding from cities and private companies, is sponsoring Perry's Italy trip. The Ambrosetti Forum, which hosts the conference Perry attended, also picked up part of the cost, the governor's office said. Press releases issued by Perry's office have said that no tax dollars are being used to pay for accommodations or travel for the governor or first lady Anita Perry. However, taxpayers are picking up the cost for Perry's security. If the past is any guide, thousands will be spent on air travel, lodging and meals. The full price tag won't be known until the security team returns and the bills begin rolling in. "We live in a world where security is an issue," Perry said. "They've got a long-standing policy of providing security for sitting governors and their families and those policies always have been and I suspect will be in the future determined by the Department of Public Safety." (source: Texas Tribune) CONNECTICUT: Death Row Inmates Continue Fight To Overturn Sentences The trial challenging the death sentences of 5 of Connecticut's death-row inmates will shift Tuesday morning to competing experts' analysis of whether race and geography played a role in prosecutors' decisions to seek executions. The testimony is expected to be complex as attorneys attempt to sort through the methodology, underlying assumptions and statistical theories - key evidence Superior Court Judge Samuel J. Sferrazza will use to decide whether the condemned inmates' death sentences should be overturned
