Nov. 30
WASHINGTON:
New efforts under way to abolish death penalty in Washington
An effort to eliminate the death penalty in Washington has support from
lawmakers and the families of local murder victims.
Our state has only put to death 5 people since capital punishment was
reinstated in the mid-1970s -- Westley Allan Dodd, Charles Campbell, Jeremy
Sagastegui, James Elledge and Cal Brown.
"I've come to believe that no one has the right to take another person's life
for whatever reason," said Karil Klingbeil, whose sister Candy Hamming was
murdered along with her bank teller partner Twila Kapron by Mitchell Rupe.
And Klingbeil has been a longtime advocate of the death penalty.
Rupe's trials and appeals stretched for 20 years.
"It's horrendous and it piles emotion on emotion each time that we had to hear
how Candy died," she said.
After 30 years of supporting the death penalty, Klingbeil now sides with
opponents, including the sponsor of a bill to abolish the death penalty, State
Sen. Debbie Regala.
"I too had a family member that was murdered," Regala said.
Even thought the death penalty issue has been heard several years at the state
legislature, it has never come out on the full floor for a vote. In fact, it's
never been voted on in committee. But that could change.
"I think it has a chance," said State Sen. Adam Kline, who chairs the powerful
judiciary committee.
But supporters of the death penalty say it's a deterrent to crime, and is
useful as a bargaining tool like with Gary Ridgway and Terapon Adhahn who
showed police where their victims were after the death penalty was taken off
the table.
The Legislature opens its new session on Jan. 14.
(source: KOMO News)
OKLAHOMA:
Death penalty weighed for Okla. bus station attack
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they are weighing whether to seek the death
penalty against a man charged with fatally stabbing a 19-year-old woman in a
crowded Oklahoma City bus station.
Isaiah Tryon, 22, is charged with 1st-degree murder in the March 16 death of
Tia Bloomer, the mother of his 2-year-old child. Tyron appeared in court
Wednesday and waives his right to a preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors allege Bloomer was repeatedly stabbed inside the Metro Transit bus
station in downtown Oklahoma City in full view of horrified commuters. Bloomer
was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Lavenue said the attack was recorded by a
security surveillance system at the station, which serves as a transfer hub for
riders of the metro area's public transportation system.
Dressed in an orange jail-issued jumpsuit and shackled at the wrists and
ankles, Tryon stood before Special Judge Fred Doak and waived a preliminary
hearing in which prosecutors would have been required to present evidence to
show there probable cause that a crime was committed and that Tryon committed
it. Tryon has pleaded not guilty, but Doak scheduled formal arraignment for
Dec. 21.
Lavenue said she has not decided whether to seek the death penalty on the
first-degree murder charge, which is punishable by death or life in prison with
or without parole.
During the hearing, Tryon's attorney, Mitch Solomon of the Oklahoma County
Public Defender's Office, handed Lavenue about 200 pages of documents about
Tryon's life prior to the attack that the defense maintains weigh against the
death penalty.
The hearing was attended by members of the victim's family, who indicated they
support seeking the death penalty for Tryon.
"He needs to have the death penalty," Bloomer's sister, Eboney Littleton, told
Lavenue following the hearing. As she spoke, Littleton clutched a color
portrait of her sister and her young daughter that she brought to the hearing.
"I want her to have justice," Littleton said. "He deserves the death penalty."
"Not only did he turn our lives upside down, but he turned his life upside
down," said an aunt, Sharon Poole.
Littleton said the relationship between her sister and Tryon had become
increasingly violent and that Tryon was abusive and threatening in the days
before Bloomer was killed.
"He's been violent with her ever since she had the baby," Littleton said.
Bloomer was travelling to the Oklahoma County Courthouse to apply for a
victim's protective order against Tryon when she was stabbed to death,
Littleton said.
"She's not here anymore. He don't need to be here," she said.
Officers say a security guard took Tryon into custody before police arrived
following the stabbing and detectives questioned several witnesses inside the
bus station.
(source: Associated Press)
PENNSYLVANIA:
Suspect in baby, grandma deaths had casino losses
A young man mired in gambling debts told police he killed a 10-month-old girl
and her grandmother during a botched kidnapping after losing at least $15,000
at a casino near his office.
Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, knew the family from his apartment complex. Like
him, the baby's parents were young technology professionals from India. He had
gone to the wife's birthday party, met the visiting grandmother and - tellingly
- used family nicknames in a ransom note demanding $50,000.
"They both are working, so I thought maybe they have some money," Yandamuri
told police in a videotaped statement played at his preliminary hearing
Wednesday, during which a suburban Philadelphia judge ordered him to stand
trial on murder, kidnapping and other charges.
"My intention was not to kill anyone or not to harm anyone," he said. "I only
tried to kidnap the baby."
Yandamuri told investigators he panicked after the grandmother, who had opened
the apartment door to him on Oct. 22, was killed in a struggle over a kitchen
knife he had brought.
He accidentally dropped the baby, put a handkerchief over her mouth to quiet
her and tied a towel around her head, he told police. He then left the infant -
with her dark hair, huge dark eyes and white dress - in a trash-strewn, unused
sauna in a basement fitness center, he said.
He said he returned hours later with milk for her, but found her "unconscious."
Yandamuri was arrested days later as police, given the nicknames in the ransom
note, zeroed in on people who knew the couple.
Venkata Venna, and his wife, Chenchu Latha Punuruss, did not know of anyone
with a grudge against them. They are both software engineers who came to the
U.S. in 2007.
They had left for work about 8 a.m. that Monday, leaving their only child with
Venna's mother, 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna, who was visiting from India.
Venna raced home at 12:30 p.m. when his mother didn't answer the phone. He
found her in a pool of blood, and discovered his daughter was missing.
Yandamuri worked in information technology for GSI Commerce Inc., a unit of
eBay Inc. that builds e-commerce sites for other businesses. Its office in King
of Prussia, Pa., is less than a mile from the Valley Forge Casino Resort.
When asked by police if he had a gambling problem, he replied "a bit."
"Last week I lost $15,000 to $20,000, but last month I won $20,000," he said on
the videotape.
He said he had cleared most of his debts through a March bankruptcy filing in
California.
Those records show that Yandamuri had amassed $26,000 in credit card debts
since 2008, most of it on 6 accounts he opened in 2011. He was making $6,500 a
month at the time, and netting $4,500 after taxes and deductions, he said. He
reported sending $600 a month to his parents in India.
Yandamuri moved to the Philadelphia area from San Jose in the spring, about the
same time his wife was expected to come to the U.S., the bankruptcy filings
show. She has since returned to India, defense lawyer Stephen Heckman said
Wednesday.
He worked for GSI from March to Oct. 26, when he was dismissed, the company
said.
Yandamuri told police that he drafted the ransom note on his computer at work
and left 10 copies at the apartment. After the slayings, he showered and
returned to work, he said. Later that week, he made and distributed fliers to
help in the search for the missing baby.
The victims' relatives moaned as they watched him re-enact the crime with a
detective during the taped interview. Venkata Venna was among them, but his
wife chose to wait in a nearby room.
Heckman tried to have the 1st-degree murder charges dismissed, arguing that his
client lacked the intent to kill required for a conviction. However, a district
judge said there was enough evidence to send the 1st-degree murder, felony
murder and the other counts to trial.
Heckman hopes to help his client avoid the death penalty, which is under
consideration by prosecutors.
"I'll have to talk to my client and see what he wants to do," Heckman said. "He
was very sorry for what happened."
Kevin Steele, 1st assistant district attorney of Montgomery County, called the
murders "vicious."
"This is one of those cases that haunts you," Steele said.
(source: Associated Press)
NEVADA:
Jury to decide whether to give death sentence to hit man in Las Vegas karaoke
bar killing
A Nevada jury is due to hear closing arguments Thursday and begin deciding
whether to sentence a 25-year-old Chinese immigrant to death for the hit-man
stabbing death of a man in a crowded Las Vegas karaoke bar.
Xiao Ye Bai on Wednesday spoke to the jury for the 1st time, holding his hand
over his heart and apologizing for stabbing Wen Jun "James" Li to death and
slashing 2 other people in July 2009.
"I just want to say I am so sorry - very, very sorry," he said. "That's not
from my mouth. That is from my heart."
The jury on Monday found Bai guilty of multiple felonies - including 1st-degree
murder, extortion, kidnapping, conspiracy and burglary - in the death of Wen
Jun "James" Li and the wounding of 2 other people at the Forbes KTV bar and
restaurant several blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Bai, who trained in martial arts in China before
moving to the U.S. in 2005, was acting to collect a $10,000 gambling debt on
behalf of a gang called United Bamboo.
Bai was convicted of stabbing and slashing Li 32 times, cutting a man on the
arm after Li tried to use the man as a shield, and wounding a woman who tried
to intervene.
Clark County District Court Judge Michael Villani talks with members of the
prosecution during arguments in the sentencing of Xiao Ye Bai, Wednesday, Nov.
28, 2012, in Las Vegas. The jury found Bai guilty on Monday of multiple
felonies, including first-degree murder, extortion, kidnapping, conspiracy and
burglary in the July 2009 death of Wen Jun "James" Li. (AP Photo/Julie
Jacobson) Jurors have been told Bai also faces trial in California in a
December 2008 shooting in Los Angeles County that left one person dead and
another wounded. DiGiacomo said that attack also came over a $10,000 gambling
debt.
The Clark County District Court jury can send Bai to death row or choose from a
range of sentences including life in prison without parole, 20 years to life in
prison, or 20 to 50 years in prison.
Defense attorneys Robert Langford and Robert Draskovich have vowed to appeal
the guilty verdict.
Bai didn't testify during his trial, which began Nov. 5 and featured testimony
from his ex-girlfriend, Pei "Nikki" Pei. She had faced the same charges as Bai
but pleaded guilty before trial to reduced felony charges of accessory to
murder. She could face 6 to 17 years in prison at sentencing Jan. 10.
Jury deliberations were halted briefly Monday after people identifying
themselves as Bai's family members unfurled a large banner outside the
courtroom pleading for "fair minded" judgment from the jury.
Several jurors saw the display, and Judge Michael Villani asked each juror
separately whether seeing it or hearing about it from other jurors would
influence their deliberations. Each said no.
Villani decided the jury hadn't been tainted and allowed deliberations to
resume. The jury reached a verdict a little more than an hour later.
(source: Associated Press)
OHIO:
Ohio prosecutor says obese death row inmate has raised new innocence claim
A condemned killer trying to delay his execution because he is obese is now
raising an innocence claim, a prosecutor said in a filing with the Ohio Parole
Board.
Death row inmate Ronald Post, who weighs more than 400 pounds, is asking the
courts to stop his January execution on the grounds his weight could cause him
to suffer severe pain during the procedure.
Post has also attempted to delay his execution to try to prove that claims he
made a full confession to several people have been falsely exaggerated.
Post told the parole board on Nov. 20 that another man shot hotel desk clerk
Helen Vantz in Elyria in 1983, Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will said in a
board filing Wednesday obtained by The Associated Press through a records
request.
Post said he was "complicit in the robbery" but didn't enter the hotel
personally, Will said in the filing.
Will called the allegation a "brand new claim" that isn't backed up by the
facts. He said Post took responsibility when he pleaded no contest in 1984.
The board "should consider Post's written admission, made in open court almost
30 years ago, that he, and he alone, was responsible for the crimes against
Helen Vantz," Will wrote.
Post's lawyer denied there was anything new about his client's comments to the
board. Post, without explaining his role in the crime, apologized for his
involvement in Vantz' death during a sentencing hearing, defense attorney
Rachel Troutman said Thursday.
Post entered a no contest plea and was not tried.
A December 1984 report filed ahead of Post's sentencing quoted him as saying he
was with 2 men he knew when they talked about robbing the motel but he didn't
take them seriously.
Post "stated that it wasn't until the next day when he read in the papers about
the murder, did he realize that they had been serious," the report said.
In the parole board interview, Post identified one of those men, Ralph Hall, as
the shooter.
Will, the prosecutor, said Post told seven people after the shooting that he
was responsible, including Hall. He also said two independent witnesses at the
hotel saw a man fitting Post's description in the lobby around the time of the
shooting.
Their testimony "provides a compelling showing that Post was alone with Helen
Vantz shortly before the crime," Will said in his parole board filing.
Messages could not be left at an Elyria phone listing for Hall.
Post's parole hearing is Dec. 6. A federal judge in Cleveland has rejected his
obesity claim, while a federal judge in Columbus plans a hearing next month on
the claim as part of an unrelated lawsuit challenging Ohio's lethal injection
procedures.
(source: Associated Press)
*************************
Lorain murder suspect indicted; Albert Fine may face death penalty in killing
of his girlfriend
Albert Fine, 30, was indicted on 2 counts of aggravated murder in the death of
his girlfriend, Catherine "Kat" Hoholski, and may face the death penalty if
convicted.
The Lorain County grand jury on Thursday returned the 17-count indictment
against Fine. He also is charged with 2 counts of murder; 3 counts of
kidnaping; aggravated robbery; felonious assault; 2 counts of tampering with
evidence; 3 counts of theft; misuse of credit cards; and 2 counts of abuse of a
corpse, according to the bill of indictment.
The aggravated murder charges include specifications that make Fine subject to
the death penalty if he is convicted, said attorney, Daniel Wightman of Avon
Lake, who has represented Fine in Lorain Municipal Court.
"What is a concern to me and what is the major thing that I'm focused on is
that it is now charged as a death penalty case," Wightman said.
The indictment stated Fine committed aggravated murder "for the purpose of
escaping detection, apprehension, trial or punishment for another offense
committed by the offender."
Fine also "committed the offense while the offender was committing or
attempting to commit" other crimes including kidnaping and aggravated robbery,
according to the indictment.
Wightman said, "The aggravating circumstances are the specific specifications
that make him eligible for the death penalty. Basically a murder in the course
of certain other crimes can be elevated to a death penalty case."
Fine is due to appear for arraignment Tuesday morning before Judge James L.
Miraldi in Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
For court proceedings, Wightman said the judge may confirm his appointment as
legal counsel; Wightman was appointed as defense attorney through Lorain
Municipal Court.
Fine also will get another attorney to serve as co-counsel, and Ohio law also
requires attorneys to be certified to defend death penalty cases, Wightman
said.
As of Thursday afternoon Wightman said he had not yet seen the bill of
indictment or consulted with Fine about the charges. He added he likely will
talk to Fine about the case today at the Lorain County Jail.
"There's a lot that goes into the preparation for these cases," Wightman said.
The murder charges are dated on or about June 28, according to the indictment.
The other charges span from June 29 to July 13.
Hoholski"s body was found on Aug. 8 by Lorain police in a storage locker at the
Tower Boulevard apartment building where she lived with Fine. Police searched
after residents complained of a foul odor. Hoholski's parents reported her
missing on July 12.
The coroner's office determined choking to be the cause of her death on June
28.
Fine was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on Aug. 9. He fought extradition and was
brought back to Ohio on Oct. 19.
Hoholski's parents have since gained custody of Hoholski's infant daughter,
Jasmine Rose.
Fine admitted to killing Hoholski, during an interview with Detective
Christopher Kovach, according to an affidavit by Kovach filed with the
governor's warrant to return Fine from Kentucky to Ohio.
Fine confronted her in their apartment about an alleged affair. He admitting to
choking her until she was "sleeping." He bound her hands with sex toy
handcuffs, bound her ankles with a belt and placed a bandana around her mouth.
She broke free but he choked and slapped her until she died. He admitted to
hiding her body in their storage locker, according to the affidavit.
Fine admitted to sending text messages to various people, posing as Hoholski
and using her phone. The affidavit also indicates that Fine made a total of 5
withdrawals from Hoholski's bank account.
(source: Morning Journal)
*********************
Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Lorain woman's killing
Albert Fine will face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder and
other charges in the June 28 slaying of his girlfriend, Catherine "Kat"
Hoholski, inside the Lorain apartment the couple shared.
Fine, 30, has been indicted on 2 counts each of aggravated murder and murder, 2
counts of abuse of a corpse, 3 counts of kidnapping, 2 counts of tampering with
evidence, 3 counts of theft and 1 count each of aggravated robbery, felonious
assault and misuse of a credit card.
Hoholski's decomposed body was discovered Aug. 8 in a bin in a storage area of
the Villas of Beau Monde apartment complex after residents' complained about an
odor. Fine was arrested the next day in a Lowe's parking lot in Lexington, Ky.,
and unsuccessfully fought his extradition back to Ohio.
Police and Lorain County Coroner Dr. Steven Evans declined to discuss what Fine
allegedly did to Hoholski's body to warrant the abuse of a corpse charges.
Evans said prosecutors have asked him not to reveal that information because of
the ongoing investigation. County Prosecutor Dennis Will did not return calls
seeking comment Thursday.
Lorain police Lt. Roger Watkins said what Fine did violated the law, which bars
treatment of bodies that would "outrage reasonable community sensibilities,"
but he would not elaborate.
During an Aug. 11 interview with Lorain police in a Kentucky jail, Fine
confessed to killing Hoholski inside their apartment because he suspected she
was cheating on him.
According to court documents, Fine told police that he was hiding in a closet
waiting for Hoholski when she returned to the apartment and choked her until
she was "sleeping" before binding her wrists with sex toy handcuffs. He also
bound her legs with a belt and gagged her with a bandanna.
Fine told police that Hoholski broke free of the cuffs and began struggling
with him. Fine said he struck her in the face and choked her. He told police
that he left the room to clean blood off of himself.
When police searched the apartment, they reported it smelled of decomposition
and that liquid appeared to have pooled on the pantry carpet. They also found
blood stains on the bottom of the dishwasher and a blue trash can.
They also noted that both the bathtub and kitchen sink had been "extensively
cleaned."
Fine told police he hid the body in the couple's padlocked storage unit and
then took steps to make it appear as if Hoholski were still alive by using her
cell phone to send messages. He also withdrew money from her bank account.
Hoholski's mother, Jane Hoholski, reported her daughter missing July 12. She
told police she had last seen her daughter June 28, when she had dropped her
off after a visit to Catherine Hoholski's daughter, Jasmine, who was
hospitalized after being born premature in March.
When questioned by Lorain police in July, Fine told officers that Hoholski had
broken up with him the day before she was last seen.
Dan Wightman, Fine's attorney, said Thursday he hadn't seen the indictment or
reviewed the evidence gathered by police during their investigation.
Fine will be arraigned next week, he said.
(source: Chronicle-Telegram)
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