[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA., OHIO, IND., KY.
June 15 TEXAS: Ex-Doctor Charged In Rape, Murder Of Woman Who Died 30 Years Later Prosecutors in Dallas say an ex-physician was charged in the death of a woman left incapacitated after being sexually assaulted and strangled in 1988. Dallas County jail records show 56-year-old George Guo was being held Thursday on a capital murder charge with a $5 million bond. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office says Guo was arrested Wednesday in Houston for the June 1988 attack on Dr. Katherine Bascone in Highland Park. The attack left the 28-year-old unable to control her extremities, confined to bed, in need of rehabilitation and needing lifetime assistive/nursing care. She died in earlier this year. Authorities say DNA testing was part of the investigation. Guo, a registered sex offender, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole and is eligible for the death penalty. He was convicted in 1991 for a home burglary in Highland Park where he broke into apartment of a 19-year-old SMU student and began to sexually assault her when the police were able to break down the door of the apartment and catch Guo in the act. A licensed medical doctor at the time, police found Guo is possession of a ski mask, military tear gas (mace), screwdrivers, a glass cutter, condoms, and multiple syringes filled with hospital grade sedatives. In 1999, in Meadows Place, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Guo was caught breaking into the home where a juvenile female lived with the intent to commit sexual assault. He was convicted of burglary with intent to commit sexual assault and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released from prison in 2013. (source: CBS News) * Guilty until proven innocent: 'The Last Defense' explores the story behind Darlie Routier's death penalty conviction In 2008, Darlie Routier was granted the right to new DNA tests and there is still a chance, no matter how small, that she may escape the death row 'The Last Defense' premiered on ABC Television Network this past Tuesday with the investigative docu-series exploring the controversial death penalty cases of 2 of the country's most infamous criminals: Darlie Routier and Julius Jones. Executive produced by Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, and Andrew Wang, the series will 'explore and expose flaws in America's justice system' by delving into the cases and personal lives of the 2 inmates who, to this day, maintain their innocence. Davis' rich voice introduces us to the cases explored in the show, stating that close to 3,000 prisoners are waiting on death row in the country. Out of these 3,000, 5 are exonerated on the basis of new DNA evidence and other developments in investigative techniques. So, the question remains, how many more are wrongfully executed for crimes they did not commit? Is there a possibility that Routier and Jones are innocent? Episode 1 of the docu-series looks at the Routier case. The murders: June 6, 1996 - 2:31 am: A near-delirious 26-year-old Routier calls 911 from her home in 5801 Eagle Driver, Rowlett, Texas, and tells the operators that an intruder broke into her home, stabbed her and her 2 children - 6-year-old Devon and 5-year-old Damon - and made his escape. Despite the early hours of the morning, police were at the scene within 3 minutes of the call and, after a cursory search of the house and the grounds, they did not manage to locate an intruder. She was sleeping in the den with the 2 boys while her husband, Darin Routier, was reportedly sleeping upstairs with the couple's 7-month-old son, Drake. Devon was pronounced dead on the spot, with Routier and Damon sustaining significant wounds. The mother had been cut in the neck, shoulder, and arms while Damon had been stabbed through the chest. They were rushed to the Baylor Hospital, with Damon declared dead in the ambulance and Routier rushed into surgery. She was discharged from the hospital just 2 days later. Lt David Nabors has worked for the Rowlett Police Department for over 30 years and was the head of the department's Criminal Investigations Divisions at the time. As such, he was put in charge of the murder case and was tasked with apprehending the assailant who Routier only described as 'a white man wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap.' Talking about the night, Nabors said: "Initially, when I got there, Darlie met the police officer with a towel around her neck putting pressure on her neck. When he walked to the back, he saw the 6-year-old laying there face up, already deceased." The hunt lasted a total of 13 days, at the end of which, the department came to the conclusion that the murders were an inside job. Darin was ruled out as a possible suspect and Routier was arrested in connection with the deaths of her 2 children, much to the shock of her husband who proclaimed that she was innocent. Because the horrific murders had taken place in a small,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA., OHIO, WASH., USA
Feb. 24 TEXAS: Guilty: Kountze man faces death penalty at sentencing in child's deathThe members of the jury found Jason Wade Delacerda, 40, of Kountze, guilty of capital murder. A week of heart-wrenching testimony came to a close Friday morning and a jury of 9 women and 5 men began deliberations in the trial of a man accused of ending the life of his girlfriend's 4-year-old child. By 3 p.m. the jury made its decision. The jury foreman read the verdict Friday afternoon. The members of the jury found Jason Wade Delacerda, 40, of Kountze, guilty of capital murder. Delacerda faces the death penalty when jury members decide his punishment. The punishment phase of the trial will begin at 8 a.m. Monday. If he is sentenced to death, he would be the 1st person to receive the death penalty in Hardin County since the 1980's when Robert Streetman was sent to death row. He was convicted of shooting and killing Christine Baker, 44, whom he shot through a window as she sat watching TV in her Kountze home in 1982. (source: deathpenalty.org). The young victim, Breonna Nichol Loftin, died at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth in 2011. Doctors said she had burns, bruises and broken bones. It's taken nearly 7 years for the case to be placed before a jury. An attorney for Jason Wade Delacerda did not offer opening statements Tuesday morning. Ryan Getz said he would rely on the jury to find evidence presented by the prosecution as too weak for a conviction. He asked the judge to "limit the scope" of questioning during the trial saying questions about the condition of the child at the hospital have nothing to do with how the child's injuries contributed to her death. Judge Steven Thomas denied Gertz's request to restrict the evidence. One of the first witnesses called by the prosecution is Jefferson County Medical examiner Tommy Brown. He said under oath that the young victim's death was caused by a severe head injury, known as "Subdural Hematoma." He said forensic evidence disputes Delacerda's claim that the injury was caused by a trampoline accident. Emergency room physician Dr. Charles Owen also took the stand on the 1st day of the trial. He testified that the child had multiple bruises, scabs and broken bones. He said there were signs of pushpins pressed into the victim's forehead. The defense objected to the prosecution's presentation of this evidence, saying it was not related to the child's death. Judge Thomas overruled the objection. Hardin County Sheriff's Office Captain Gary Spears testified about seeing the child's injuries while at the hospital. While Capt. Spears was on the stand, prosecutors played an audio recording of an interview with the defendant that was made as part of the investigation. Delacerda is heard on the tape saying that the burns could have been caused by a cigarette, but denied knowing how it could have happened. Delacerda's voice on the tape is also heard saying that Breonna's leg and head injuries were caused by a trampoline accident. Delacerda said her burns were caused by hot coffee. Jury members Wednesday continued watching video of Delecerda as he was questioned by 2 Hardin County investigators. Delecerda is heard explaining Breonna's injuries. An investigator is heard in the video telling the defendant that Amanda, the victim's mother, gave investigators a very different story than his. The video ends as Delecerda and one of the investigators began shouting at each other. The Jury had a short day on Thursday. Testimony was cut short because of an issue with one of the jury members, and the prosecution and the defense raised concerns they wanted worked out before testimony resumed Friday. Prosecutor Bruce Hoffer expressed concern of, "extreme risk of corroboration" between Delacerda's 2 sons. He asked that the sons be brought in separately when they testify. Defense attorney Ryan Gertz said he had an issue as to how recorded interviews with Delacerda???s sons were carried out. Both sides met with the Judge after the jury left Thursday morning. (source: 12newsnow.com) * Texas Dad Speaks Out After Saving Son Who Plotted Murders of Mom and Brother From Death Sentence The father of the man whose execution was commuted just before he was scheduled to be put to death said on Megyn Kelly TODAY that he is grateful his son's life was spared - even after the son's conviction for plotting the murder of his family members and the attempted murder of the dad himself. "I feel a great sense of relief and hope," Kent Whitaker told Kelly, adding, "He's been given a 2nd chance at life." In an attempt to gain hold of the family's $1 million estate, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, plotted the murders of younger brother and mother in a brutal 2003 attack he masterminded that left Kent severely injured. While Kent was in the hospital recovering from his near fatal wounds, he vowed to forgive
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA., NEB., CALIF.
Nov. 4 TEXAS: Fort Worth man guilty of capital murder in deaths of boy, 2 women A Fort Worth man was found guilty of capital murder Thursday for shooting his pregnant girlfriend, her 10-year-old brother and their 39-year-old mother. Amos Joseph Wells III elected to not to have anyone testify on his behalf in the guilt/innocence phase of his case, paving the way for the Tarrant County jury to begin deliberations. Wells, 26, was accused of killing his estranged 22-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Chanice Reed; her mother, Annette Reed, 39; and Chanice's 10-year-old brother, Eddie McCuin Jr., inside the family's east Fort Worth house on July 1, 2013. Wells just shook his head as one of his relatives stormed out of the courtroom crying and shouting: "You all are just murderers. No DNA. Just murderers." Tarrant County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. A defense motion asking the court to set aside the death penalty was denied July 13. The jury was released for the remainder of Thursday and instructed to return to the courtroom Friday to begin hearing evidence in the punishment phase. In his closing arguments, Tarrant County Prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told jurors there should be no doubt in their minds that Wells was guilty of killing Annette and Chanice Reed. Rousseau projected the evidence of the defendant's guilt on a screen under the label "Amos Wells is Guilty" and showed it to the jury. Among the evidence was the fact that 12 shells were missing from a box of ammunition found in Wells' room - the exact number of shells used at the residence where first responders found the 3 mortally wounded victims. Prosecutors also showed the jury that all the bullets came from the same type of handgun authorities believe were used in the slayings. Wells surrendered to Forest Hill police, asking to be shot and killed, prosecutors said. (source: Fort Worth Star Telegram) PENNSYLVANIA: Kevin Murphy execution date for 3 murders set, quickly stayed State Corrections Secretary John Wetzel signed a notice of execution Wednesday for an Indiana County man convicted in 2013 of 1st-degree murder for shooting his mother, sister and aunt just seven months after the state Supreme Court upheld his death sentence. However, department of corrections documents indicate the death warrant setting Kevin Murphy's execution for Dec. 19 was almost immediately stayed this morning, allowing the 55-year-old a chance to appeal. The state Supreme Court upheld Murphy's death sentence in March. A Westmoreland County jury convicted him of shooting Doris Murphy, 69; Kris Murphy, 43; and Edith Tietge, 81, at Ferguson Glass in Loyalhanna Township on April 23, 2009. The 3 women worked at the family business, which Kevin Murphy owned. Murphy used a .22-caliber revolver to shoot the women in the head because they disapproved of his romantic relationship with a married woman and didn't want her live at the family home near Saltsburg, police said. The jury imposed the death penalty for Doris Murphy's killing and imposed life sentences in the deaths of Kris Murphy and Tietge. In prior appeals, Murphy has argued prosecutors failed to prove he was the killer and the verdicts were against the weight of the evidence. In a 14-page last spring, 5 Supreme Court justices disagreed. "Viewed in its totality, we find the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence to enable a reasonable jury to find all elements of the crimes of 1st-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt," they said in an opinion authored by Chief Justice Thomas Saylor. Jurors imposed the death penalty based on evidence Murphy "deliberately and maliciously" killed his relatives, according to the opinion, and prosecutors "plainly established ... aggravating circumstances found by the jury, given the multiple killings involved." Justices Max Baer, Debra Todd, Christine Donohue and Kevin M. Dougherty joined in the opinion. Justice David N. Wecht did not participate in the proceedings. Gary Heidnik was the last person to be executed in Pennsylvania in 1999 for murdering 2 women he had imprisoned and tortured in the basement of his Philadelphia home. Murphy is incarcerated at SCI Greene in Waynesburg. (source: triblive.com) NORTH CAROLINA: Black juror's dismissal, death penalty revisited in double homicide A black man facing execution for a pair of South Asheville murders could come off death row, brought on by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding racial bias in jury selection and a woman who arrived at the Buncombe County courthouse wearing a cross earring and Tweety Bird shirt. That woman, Wanda Jeter, was called as a prospective juror in the 1997 sentencing of Phillip Antwan Davis, who had already pleaded guilty to 2 counts of 1st-degree murder, the 1st for fatally shooting his 17-year-old cousin, and then shooting and attacking her mother with a meat cleaver. The only
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA.
March 16 TEXASimpending execution Death Watch: A Question of PremeditationAdam Kelly Ward set to die March 22 Shortly after 10am on June 13, 2005, 22-year-old Adam Kelly Ward was out front of his parents' home in Commerce, Texas, washing a car, when he started arguing with Michael Walker, a code compliance officer sent to take photographs of the home after the Wards had grown noncompliant on an unsheltered storage violation. Ward's father, Ralph, came outside to try to diffuse the situation, but in talking with Walker, realized his son had disappeared. Worried about the gun his bipolar and oft-agitated son kept in his bedroom, Ralph ran off to look for Ward, advising Walker to leave the property. Walker retreated to his truck and called for law enforcement's assistance. Moments later, however, before Ralph could find his son, Ward ran up to Walker's truck and shot the code compliance officer - 9 times in all. In his confession, Ward told authorities that he believed the "city" was perpetually after his family, and that he feared for his own life after he and Walker started arguing. That worked against him, however, as prosecutors were able to point to the initial argument - plus a history of run-ins between the Ward and Walker families and the fact that Walker was unarmed - and charged Ward with shooting the officer in retaliation. Ward's trial attorneys attempted to argue that their client's mental state was too inept to conceive any prepared retaliation, but he was convicted of capital murder in June 2007 and sentenced to death. Habeas efforts filed at the state and federal levels have focused on Ward's lifelong troubles with mental illness, beginning with a bipolar diagnosis at age 4. Ward couldn't stay in school, couldn't keep a job, and in turn could not move out of his parents' deteriorating and often violent house. His habeas attorneys also pointed to a number of problems with the trial in general - like the fact that a friend and collaborator of the prosecution, Dr. Paul Zelhart, was seen having lunch and talking with jurors during the trial. Ward's efforts for relief failed in federal court in March 2014. His appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals was denied in Jan. 2015. He got word that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his case 9 months later, and on Nov. 6, he received his execution date. He's currently set for execution at 6pm on Tuesday, March 22. He'll be the fifth Texan executed this year, and the 536th since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976. (source: Austin Chronicle) *** Ward execution date nearing Last minute appeals continue to be filed, although an execution date is set in less than 2 weeks for a Commerce man, convicted of capital murder for the killing of one of the city's code enforcement officers almost 11 years ago. Adam Kelly Ward is set to die on the evening of March 22. Last fall, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of Ward's 2007 conviction and sentence to death by lethal injection for the 2005 death of Michael "Pee Wee" Walker. In January 2015 the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected Ward's formal appeal. Ward's attorneys had argued Ward's trial counsel was deficient. The court also denied a writ of habeas corpus filed in Ward's behalf in 2014. In the writ, Ward contended his conviction and death penalty sentence were unconstitutional because he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel, was not tried by an impartial jury, and is severely mentally ill. The court reviewed the case and in a 63-page opinion denied the writ in a unanimous ruling, also noting Ward failed to make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. Ward's defense counsel then filed the formal appeal with the court. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in a February 2010 ruling, also denied an appeal raised by Ward. Walker was working as a code enforcement officer for the City of Commerce and shortly after 10 a.m. on June 13, 2005 he was taking photos of alleged code violations at the home where Ward lived on Caddo Street. The 3 engaged in a verbal altercation, which ended when Ward shot Walker as many as nine times with a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. In order to have been convicted of capital murder, the prosecution had to show Ward knowingly and intentionally either obstructed Walker's ability to do his job or retaliated against Walker for doing his job as a public servant, while in the course of committing the murder. Defense attorneys attempted to show Ward may have been psychotic and suffering from paranoid delusions at the time of the shooting. Ward was found mentally competent to stand trial in a separate hearing which occurred even as a jury was being impaneled to consider guilt or innocence on the capital murder charge. (source: Herald-Banner) My Regrets as a Juror Who Sent a Man to Death Row
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA., CALIF., USA
Nov. 20 TEXAS: Man charged with 6 counts of capital murder in East Texas campsite killings A man was charged with 6 counts of capital murder Thursday in the killing of a family at an East Texas campsite. William Mitchell Hudson, who remained jailed on a $2.5 million bond, is accused of shooting 2 of the victims at a travel camper and dumping the other 4 bodies in a pond near his property. The warrants were issued by the Anderson County district attorney's office after preliminary autopsy results showed all 6 victims died by homicide. The autopsies identified the dead as Carl Johnson, 76; Hannah Johnson, 40; Kade Johnson, 6; Thomas Kamp, 46; Nathan Kamp, 23; and Austin Kamp, 21. No other details from the autopsies would be released, Sheriff Greg Taylor said. According to a previous warrant, the 33-year-old suspect was drinking with the group Saturday when he accompanied four of them into surrounding woods. The warrant says the lone survivor, Cynthia Johnson, heard gunshots before Hudson returned alone to the campsite, chased her husband and daughter into a travel camper and shot them. No motive has been released. "There are no adequate words to truly describe this horrific and senseless act. 6 members of 2 different yet joined families are gone," District Attorney Allyson Mitchell said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. "Our hearts grieve for the Johnson and Kamp families and we will use all our resources to prosecute Hudson to the fullest extent of the law." Capital murder in Texas is punishable by either death by lethal injection or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. No decision has been made on whether the death penalty will be sought. Hudson's attorney, Stephen Evans of Palestine, declined to comment. After-hours messages seeking more information from the district attorney's office were not returned Thursday. (source: Associated Press) PENNSYLVANIA: Death penalty can be sought for Ross murder retrial The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has cleared the way to seek the death penalty against Paul Aaron Ross of the Hollidaysburg area, who is awaiting a new trial in the death of a 26-year-old woman at Canoe Creek State Park more than 11 years ago. (source: Altoona Mirror) NORTH CAROLINA: Racial discrimination remains plague on criminal justice system One of the fundamental promises of the American criminal justice system is that ordinary citizens have the power to help decide how justice is handed down. But the truth is, we have never fully extended this power to African Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court underscored that truth this month, when it heard arguments in Foster v. Chatman, a Georgia case in which jury selection notes reveal that prosecutors purposely excluded every potential black juror and that they ranked the African Americans in case "it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors." If the court rules for the defendant in Foster, its decision will force courts across the country to stop ignoring clear evidence that African Americans have been systematically denied the right to serve on juries across the country. Here in North Carolina, we should watch this case closely. In the investigation of cases tried under N.C. Racial Justice Act, we found evidence even stronger than that which drew the Supreme Court's attention this month. The prosecutor's handwritten notes in a Cumberland County capital case labeled jurors with terms like "blk wino" and "blk, high drug neighborhood." Another juror was deemed "ok" because she was from a "respectable blk family." RJA defendants also discovered that their prosecutors attended a training seminar, sponsored by the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, where they were given a cheat sheet of "race-neutral" excuses they could use to justify excluding African-American citizens from jury service. To top it off, a comprehensive statewide study of more than 150 capital cases from 1990-2010 found that prosecutors dismissed qualified African-American jurors at more than double the rate of white jurors. The disparity was even more pronounced when the defendant was African American. Despite this clear evidence, North Carolina has hardly begun to remedy the problem. The courts' record In the 30 years since it became illegal to strike a juror based on race, the North Carolina appellate courts have heard more than 100 cases where prosecutors were accused of intentionally excluding jurors of color. These courts ruled there was evidence of discrimination against African-American jurors in only 1, a case where the prosecutor failed to provide any explanation for his strikes." The courts' record was so troubling that the General Assembly enacted the Racial Justice Act, a law that forced the courts to consider statistical evidence of racial disparities in jury selection and charging and sentencing. The hope was that RJA would finally
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA.
Oct. 6 TEXASimpending execution Texas inmate set for execution for $8 robbery, slaying No late appeals have been filed on behalf of a Texas inmate who says he shouldn't die for fatally shooting a Mexican man who was robbed of $8. Juan Martin Garcia's execution is scheduled for Tuesday. He was convicted of capital murder for the September 1998 killing and robbery of Hugh Solano in Houston, where Solano had moved with his family weeks earlier. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review Garcia's case in March. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, in a 5-2 vote, refused a clemency request from Garcia last week. Garcia acknowledges shooting Solano outside Solano's apartment complex, but insists it's not a capital case and that jurors penalized him unfairly because he didn't take the witness stand in his own defense at trial. "If it's God's will, it's his will," Garcia, 35, told The Associated Press last month in a prison interview near Livingston. His lethal injection to be held in Huntsville would be the 11th this year in Texas, which carries out capital punishment more than any other state. Three more executions are scheduled in upcoming weeks. "At least I'm going home and I won't have to suffer this pain anymore, because I know that as the Bible says there is an afterlife with no problems and no sorrow," said Garcia, who spoke to the AP on a phone inside a caged-in visitors' area outside the state's death row. "And that's all I look forward to." Evidence at his 2000 trial and testimony from a companion identified him as the ringleader of four men involved in the shooting and robbery. The slaying and a string of other violent crimes tied to Garcia, who was 18 at the time of the killing, convinced a jury he should be put to death. Garcia, his two cousins and another man had already carried out a carjacking when they spotted Solano during the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 1998, getting into his van to go to work, according to the evidence. Solano's relatives said the 36-year-old, who did Christian missionary work in Guadalajara, Mexico, had moved with his wife to Houston weeks earlier so their children could be educated in the U.S. Eleazar Mendoza, who pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, testified that Garcia approached Solano and pointed a gun. Mendoza said Garcia gave Solano orders in Spanish to surrender any money he had and then shot him when he refused. Garcia, from prison, said it was Mendoza who came up with the idea to rob Solano and that Solano escalated the confrontation by resisting. "He punches me," Garcia said. "First thing that came through my mind is that the dude is going to try to kill me. He grabbed the gun with both of his hands and it discharged." Solano was shot 4 times in the head and neck. Garcia was arrested more than a week later when he dropped a gun while getting out of a car that police had pulled over for a broken headlight. He was released but arrested again when the gun was matched to Solano's slaying. Evidence and testimony tied him to at least 8 aggravated robberies and 2 attempted capital murders in the weeks before and after Solano's death. Another defendant, Raymond McBen, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was paroled a year ago. The fourth man charged, Gabriel Morales, went to trial and was sentenced to life on a capital murder conviction. (source: Associated Press) Faculty members from Capital Punishment Center review capital punishment cases in the Supreme Court Even though the death penalty is less used within the U.S. judicial system now in comparison to previous decades, it still commands a large portion of the Supreme Court???s time and resources, according to UT law professor Jordan Steiker. Faculty members belonging to the Capital Punishment Center at UT reviewed Supreme Court capital punishment cases that occurred during the past year at a case review Monday. While the death penalty aims to act as a deterrent and a method of retribution, a large number of Americans have begun to turn their back on it, Steiker, director of the Capital Punishment Center, said. Ashley Alcantara, Plan II and government junior and communications director for University Democrats, said capital punishment should be outlawed. "Capital punishment is not a good deterrent," Alcantara said. "There is always a risk of killing an innocent person." Madison Yandell, government junior and president of College Republicans, said capital punishment should be reserved for cases that involve heinous crimes. "People value life, so if they know the punishment is going to be life, it deters crime," Yandell said. "Capital punishment serves the family of victims because it is a small way of achieving justice for them." The faculty panel discussed Glossip v. Gross, a 2015 Supreme Court case
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA.
May 19 TEXAS: Texas Prison System Running Out of Execution Drug The nation's most active death penalty state is running out of its execution drug. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Thursday that its remaining supply of pentobarbital expires in September and that no alternatives have been found. It wasn't immediately clear whether 2 executions scheduled for next month would be delayed. The state has already executed 11 death-row inmates this year, and at least 7 more have execution dates in coming months. We will be unable to use our current supply of pentobarbital after it expires, agency spokesman Jason Clark said. We are exploring all options at this time. Texas switched to the lethal, single-dose sedative last year after 1 of the drugs used in its 3-drug execution process became difficult to obtain and the state's supply expired. Other death-penalty states have encountered similar problems after some drug suppliers barred the drugs' use for executions or have refused, under pressure from death-penalty opponents, to sell or manufacture drugs for use in executions. No executions in Texas were delayed because of that shortfall. When Texas raises a flag that's it having a problem, obviously numerically it's significant around in the country because like they're doing half the executions in the country right now, Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, an anti-death penalty organization, said Thursday. The states really scramble to go all over to get drugs, he said. Some went overseas, some got from each other. But these manufacturers, a number them are based in Europe, don't want to participate in our executions. So they've clamped down as much as they can, Dieter said. Some death penalty states, most recently Georgia, have announced they're turning to compounding pharmacies, which make customized drugs that are not scrutinized by the Federal Drug Administration, to obtain a lethal drug for execution use. Missouri wants to use propofol, the anesthetic blamed for pop star Michael Jackson's 2009 death - even though the drug hasn't been used to execute prisoners in the U.S. Its potential for lethal injection is under scrutiny by the courts and its 1st use isn't likely anytime soon. The Missouri Supreme Court has declined to allow execution dates to be set in that state until the legal issues are resolved. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster recently suggested that if a suitable execution drug can't be found, the state should consider the gas chamber. State law still allows for execution by lethal gas, though Missouri no longer even has a gas chamber. A return to the gas chamber or electric chair anywhere would be difficult, Dieter suggested. Those things just raise the spectacle level and I don't think it's where states want to go, he said. Pentobarbital, which has been used alone or in concert with other drugs in all executions in the U.S. the past two years, was more readily available because it was commonly used as a sedative. But I guess restrictions have been put on its distribution, Dieter said. It's uncertain where all of this goes because it's inherently a medical kind of procedure involving some health professionals who are largely focused on keeping people alive. It runs into contradictions with executions - people strapped to a table. Executions aren't exactly what the medical model is. Texas has by far executed more inmates than any other state in the U.S. since the Supreme Court allowed executions to resume. Since 1982, 6 years after the high court's order, Texas has executed 503 inmates. Virginia and Oklahoma are a distant 2nd at 110. As of May 2012, Texas had 46 of the 2.5-gram vials of pentobarbital, presumably enough to execute as many as 23 prisoners since each execution requires a 5-gram dose. The execution Wednesday of an inmate convicted in 2 road-rage killings was the 20th lethal injection since that disclosure. (source: Associated Press) PENNSYLVANIAfemale to face death penalty Judge: Miranda Barbour will face the death penalty A Northumberland County judge today denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table for murder suspect Miranda Barbour. Judge Charles Saylor ruled this morning that the jury will be permitted to consider torture and robbery as aggravating factors that could justify the death penalty in the Nov. 11 stabbing death of Troy LaaFerrara of Port Trevorton. Barbour, 19, and her husband, Elytte Barbour, 22, are both charged in the case. Elytte Barbour also faces the death penalty. Court-appointed defense attorney Edward Greco argued in mid-April that an autopsy report does not support Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini's assertion that the homicide was committed by means of torture. Greco asked the court to allow testimony on the matter and quash the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., N.C., GA., FLA., ALA.
Feb. 8 TEXAS: Murder defendant to Act as Own Attorney A Tyler man facing the death penalty for the murder of his ex-wife will act as his own attorney in his upcoming trial. James Calvert is accused of killing his wife and kidnapping his son in October 2012. Smith County District attorney Matt Bingham says Calvert has a constitutional right to represent himself. District Judge Jack Skeen made a decision after questioning Calvert for some time Thursday. Another pre-trial hearing is set for next week. (source: KYTX news) PENNSYLVANIA: DA to seek death penalty in homicide Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against accused killer Carlos Anthony Thompson. District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa said he plans to file a notice of aggravating circumstances against Thompson, 37, of 928 West Washington St., New Castle, who was accused Tuesday in the Jan. 30 murder of Robert Quincy Brown, 35, of New Castle. Police said Brown, whose body was found early that morning in an alley behind Lutton's Auto Repair, 1119 Moravia St., New Castle. He died from a single gunshot to the head. Lamancusa said any homicide must fall into 1 of 3 categories to be considered for a capital murder case, and the murder of Brown meets at least 2 of the 3 criteria. Thompson is a previously convicted felon - he pleaded guilty in 2001 to voluntary manslaughter - and is accused of committing 2 additional felonies when Brown was killed. According to a criminal complaint filed with District Judge Melissa Amodie, Brown was robbed of approximately $3,000 when he was killed, and Thompson was illegally carrying a handgun as a convicted felon. The 3rd criteria, that the murder be premeditated, might apply as well, Lamancusa said. There's a couple more pieces that might present themselves. Police apprehended Thompson with the help of a surveillance video provided by Lutton's Auto Repair, which captured images of Brown's killing. The video showed Brown and another men parking in an alley near the shop. They talked for a few minutes before Brown appeared to attempt hugging Thompson and then collapsing to the ground just after 1:20 a.m. Jan. 30. Further investigation established that Thompson had gotten into an argument with Brown over accusations that Thompson had killed a relative of Browns. In an interview with police, Thompson said he thought Brown - who was unarmed - was going to shoot him, so he shot Brown first. Thompson is charged with criminal homicide, 1st-degree murder, robbery and illegal firearm possession. He is being held in Lawrence County without bail. (source: Ellwood City Ledger) NORTH CAROLINA: Death penalty hearing for man accused of killing former Staten Island woman postponed until March A hearing to determine whether the state will seek the death penalty against a man accused in the December slayings of his ex-girlfriend -- a former Staten Islander who fled for her safety -- and her new boyfriend has been postponed until March. The hearing for Michael Teon Brown of Hartsville, S.C., was postponed in Dunham County Superior Court after2 of the victim's children requested that Brown not be eligible for the death penalty. Brown is charged with 2 counts of 1st-degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Liriano, 33, and Jerron McGirt, 34. Police said Ms. Liriano and McGirt were shot outside their home in the 2200 block of Cheek Road on the morning of Dec. 16, moments after putting 2 of her 3 children on a school bus, according to WRAL.com. Brown was taken into custody 2 days later in Darlington County, S.C., after exchanging gunfire with deputies. He was treated for non-life-threatening wounds, the website added. Brown is the father of Liriano's youngest child, Dylan, a 3-year-old boy, who was born prematurely and now lives with medical and other special needs. Her 2 older children, Khianti (Kiki), 15, and Andrew, 18, asked that Brown not face the death penalty. I'm weighing their concerns, said prosecutor Jennifer Bedford in court before asking for a continuance, according to the site. Ms. Liriano fled from West Brighton to protect herself and her children after the 2006 arrest of former friend and co-worker, Shonelle Melvelle-Grant. Ms. Melvelle-Grant used to babysit Kiki, but she became fixated on the girl, according to authorities. At one point, years earlier, Ms. Melvelle-Grant, kidnapped the child for 3 days. Kiki, was returned home unharmed and Ms. Melvelle-Grant's subsequent plea bargain was sealed, authorities said. Ms. Liriano moved to Elm Street in West Brighton, but police warned her to be on her guard, and with good reason. Ms. Melvelle-Grant, who was living in Orange County, tried to hire a hit man in 2006 to kill Ms. Liriano, so she could steal Kiki, who was then 8, authorities said. The assassin, however, turned out to be an undercover police officer. Ms. Melvelle-Grant took a plea deal in Orange
