Feb. 13
TEXAS:
Rodney Reed deserves justice
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the state's death toll. It is
well-known that Texas has executed hundreds more than any other state, and
openly executes the mentally ill. Advocacy groups have documented the many
cases of wrongful executions in Texas, as well as wrongful convictions that
have been proven through exonerating DNA testing (though typically only after
the exoneree has been waiting for a decade on death row). Relevant for the
Black Lives Matter movement is that the Texas death penalty regime is
incredibly racist - while black people are only 12 % of the state's population,
they are over 40 % of the executed. This will come to a head on March 5, when
Texas plans to execute an innocent black man named Rodney Reed.
In 1998, Reed was convicted by an all-white Bastrop jury for the murder of
Stacey Stites. Following DNA testing which found Reed's semen inside Stites,
the prosecution argued that Reed had raped and murdered her. Reed (as well as
many eyewitnesses) maintained that they were having a consensual affair, which
was kept secret because Stites' then-fiance was police officer Jimmy Fennell -
he also maintained that a black man was dating a white woman who was engaged to
a white officer would be incredibly scandalous and dangerous if revealed. In
2012, the medical examiner who originally testified about the DNA came forward
and challenged this link, saying that the decaying state of the semen implied
it had been deposited well before the time that the prosecution alleges the
crime was committed, fitting the defense's version of events. The prosecution
has not offered any other evidence to link Reed to the crime.
There is, however, ample evidence to link Fennell to the crime. Fennell was
found to be deceptive on 2 polygraph tests when asked if he had murdered Stites
and could not prove his whereabouts at the time of the crime. Stites had been
found on the side of a road, dumped from a truck that belonged to Fennell. Beer
cans found near Stites' body contained the DNA of Fennell's neighbor and close
friend. In the medical examiner's 2012 declaration, he also stated that it
appeared Stites had been sodomized by "a rod-like instrument, such as a police
baton."
In 1995, Fennell was quoted by another officer as saying that if he caught
Stites cheating, he would strangle her with a belt to avoid leaving
fingerprints - this is how Stites was killed. As detailed by The Intercept,
Fennell has a history of misogynistic violence, having harassed and stalked
multiple ex-girlfriends and innocent women. He is currently serving a prison
sentence for raping a woman while on duty and threatening to kill her if she
reported him. This woman and nearly a dozen of Stites' relatives have spoken up
in defense of Reed and implicated Fennell as the real killer.
There is also ample evidence of New Jim Crow racism by the state: a police
cover-up, inadequate defense and prosecutorial misconduct.
First, the cover-up. The polygraphs that Fennell failed were in late 1996,
while Reed wasn't charged due to the DNA match until April 1997. In the
intervening time, Fennell was not and still has not been treated as a real
suspect - his apartment (the last place Stites was seen alive) was not
searched; his truck (which Stites was dumped out of) was released to and
promptly sold by Fennell, meaning a third party (such as Reed's defense) could
never confirm its contents or test any DNA; the crime scene and important
evidence were purposefully contaminated by police investigators; the friend of
Fennell's, whose DNA was found near Stites' body, was also a police officer;
and the police decided to officially dismiss Fennell as a suspect, stating that
it would be logistically impossible for Fennell to have committed the crime,
even though this depended on the baseless assumption that Fennell acted alone.
Next, Reed's defense was clearly inadequate - the court-appointed lawyers only
called 2 of Reed's many willing witnesses and did not counter the prosecution's
original medical testimony (from the examiner who later recanted his
incrimination of Reed) with its own medical examiner.
Finally, the immense prosecutorial misconduct amounts to a cover-up in its own
right. The prosecution withheld the crime scene DNA evidence from the defense,
suppressed witness testimony that Fennell and Stites were arguing loudly the
day before her death, suppressed Fennell's 1995 statement about strangling
Stites if she was found cheating and used racist smears against Reed to sway
the all-white jury, portraying him as a criminal for whom "it was inevitable
that we would be here at some point."
Reed???s mother, Sandra Reed, has bravely fought for her son while enduring
this injustice - the courts, meanwhile, continue to reject potentially
exonerating DNA testing. She reflected with The New Abolitionist about her
experience, anticipating the Black Lives Matter movement: "This proved to me
that the United States has defrauded all of us. They painted this so-called
justice system with rose colors and made us think that we would get a fair
shake ... Looking back at Martin Luther King, how he fought for our
rights--well, I thought we had our rights! But I realize now that we don't. We
never had equality."
Those who are interested in getting involved in this struggle and preventing
the imminent execution can join Reed's family at upcoming events, which can be
found at justice4rodneyreed.org.
(source: Mukund Rathi is a computer science honors junior from Austin; The
(Univ. Texas) Daily Texan)
********************
New lead assistant DA has experience in capital murder, death penalty cases
A prosecutor recently hired by the 33rd/424th Judicial District Attorney will
step into a newly created position, bringing years of experience in handling
capital murder and death penalty cases as well as white collar crimes those
against children, officials say.
Perry Thomas, 51, was formerly the assistant criminal district attorney in
Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont and Port Arthur, where he worked for
the past 23 years.
District Attorney Sonny McAfee hired him in February as the first assistant
district attorney, overseeing a staff of 6 other assistant district attorneys.
Among Thomas' credits: being the lead prosecutor on one of the largest
embezzlement cases in Jefferson County's history involving the theft of $1.4
million from a Beaumont Pentecostal church connected to Hurricane Rita
donations and the estate of a disabled individual.
"He's got the ability to evaluate a case and develop a trial strategy," McAfee
said. "He's good in front of a jury. He knows the facts well."
Thomas' goals as chief prosecutor include advancing the use of technology in
courtroom presentation, utilizing the latest scientific technology and
reinforcing the effectiveness of the office???s prosecution unit handling
crimes against children.
He hopes to complement an experienced staff.
"They're a fantastic group of men and women to be able to work with," Thomas
said. "There's quite a bit of experience here as prosecutors and attorneys in
general."
Officials expect to utilize Thomas' experience with murder cases soon and
often.
The 33rd/424th - covering Blanco, Burnet, Llano and San Saba counties - has a
number of capital murder and child victimization cases on the horizon as well
as at least 1 potential death penalty trial.
"Perry has a lot of experience in trying all types of murder cases, capital
murder cases and even death penalty cases," McAfee said. "Capital murder is
different than a murder case. When trying those types of cases, trial strategy,
presentation and jury selection are critical."
Upcoming cases include:
-- Garrett James Ballard, 21, charged with capital murder of multiple persons
for allegedly gunning down 2 of his friends, 26-year-old Travis Fox and
17-year-old Elijah Adam Benson, in August 2014, at Ballard's parents' residence
in Burnet County. According to arrest documents, Ballard told investigators all
3 were on hallucinogenic drugs (LSD) when the 2 alleged victims began
demonstrating "strange and disruptive behaviors," so he retrieved a rifle from
his father's vehicle and shot them.
-- Michael Len Grogg, 25, of Kingsland charged with the 1st-degree felony of
serious injury to a child following the July 2013 death of a 19-month-old child
airlifted to Dell Children's hospital after an emergency call regarding a
toddler losing consciousness and having difficulty breathing. An autopsy
revealed the child showed signs of abuse and suffered from swelling of the
brain. Llano County Sheriff's Office investigators launched a probe into what
they believed to be "suspicious circumstances" and arrested Grogg, the child's
stepfather.
-- Juston Aaron Curbow, 35, of Horseshoe Bay faces 2 counts of capital murder
by terror or threat and capital murder of multiple persons for his alleged role
in the murder of 2 Spicewood residents in May 2013. Burnet County Sheriff's
Office investigators found the bodies of Thomas Wells, 30, and Dorrina Reese,
42, after firefighters responded to a fire call. 2 other people are connected
to the case - one of whom committed suicide in the Burnet County Jail. Another
suspect in the case, a woman, is accused of trying to help cover up the deaths.
If convicted, Curbow could face the death penalty.
McAfee says he will use Thomas as a "sounding board" on the upcoming Cubow
trial in April; however, he expects Thomas to launch into a lead position on
pending capital murder cases.
"Those are the most complex and difficult criminal cases there are to try,"
Thomas said. "I hope to be able to help the other prosecutors to put the best
case forward we can."
(source: dailytrib.com)
PENNSYLVANIA:
Pennsylvania suspends the death penalty
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that he had suspended the death
penalty until he receives and reviews a report on capital punishment in the
state.
"This moratorium is in no way an expression of sympathy for the guilty on death
row, all of whom have been convicted of committing heinous crimes," Wolf said
in a statement. "This decision is based on a flawed system that has been proven
to be an endless cycle of court proceedings as well as ineffective, unjust, and
expensive."
This announcement comes as the death penalty's use across the country has
declined considerably in recent years, with executions and death sentences both
dropping well below numbers seen in the last 2 decades.
Pennsylvania has not executed an inmate since 1999 and has carried out only 3
executions since 1976, making it 1 of the least-active states with the death
penalty. Yet the state also has 1 of the largest populations of death-row
inmates. There are 186 people currently on death row in the state, the
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said, trailing only California, Florida,
Texas and Alabama.
Some of Pennsylvania's inmates have been there for more than 3 decades. A
series of governors have signed hundreds of death warrants over the last 3
decades, and dozens of inmates have had their names on at least 3 of these
warrants.
A similar situation has played out in California, which is home to the largest
death row population in the country but has executed 13 people since 1976. Last
year, a federal judge said the California system was unconstitutional, writing
that it was "plagued by inordinate and unpredictable delay" due to the long,
winding appeals process there.
The Pennsylvania State Senate established a task force and advisory commission
on capital punishment in 2011, charging them with exploring whether there is
bias or unfairness involved in the trials and sentencing, the potential risks
of sentencing innocent people to death and whether the death penalty deters
criminals or helps public safety.
Wolf said that the moratorium announced Friday "will remain in effect until
this commission has produced its recommendation and all concerns are addressed
satisfactorily."
He also said there have been 150 people exonerated from death row across the
country, 6 of them in Pennsylvania. Last year, 6 people on death row in the
United States were exonerated, according to a recent report from the National
Registry of Exonerations.
Wolf said he will grant reprieves to every execution scheduled for the time
being. This began on Friday, with Wolf issuing a temporary reprieve to Terrance
Williams, who was scheduled for execution on March 4.
Pennsylvania has effectively formalized what has already become the status quo
in that state, but it follows on the heels of similar movement nationwide.
Washington state suspended the death penalty last year without officially
banning it. Meanwhile, Maryland abolished capital punishment in 2013 and, last
year, said the 4 inmates still on death row would have their death sentences
lifted. There are currently 18 states without the death penalty, and 1/3 of
them have banned the practice since 2007.
States around the country have been struggling to obtain the drugs needed to
carry out lethal injections. Pennsylvania has not been immune to this,
announcing last fall that it was postponing an execution because it did not
have any lethal injection drugs. That came shortly after the American Civil
Liberties Union in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit on behalf of four media
organizations demanding additional information regarding the lethal injection
drugs the state planned to use.
Executions in Pennsylvania are supposed to be carried out using lethal
injection at the State Correctional Institution Rockview, which is not far from
Pennsylvania State University in State College.
More than 1/2 of the public supports capital punishment, but public support for
the death penalty has fallen over the last 2 decades. Experts attribute this
drop to the number of convictions that have been overturned through DNA
evidence and other means.
(source: Washington Post)
********************************
Pennsylvania prosecutors slam governor on death penalty halt----Moratorium will
prevent any executions until advisory panel's report
The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association says Gov. Tom Wolf's moratorium
on the death penalty in the state is a misuse of his power.
These people are all being held in Pennsylvania prisons while awaiting their
execution dates for various murders.
The association responded Friday after the Democratic governor announced the
policy and called the current system of capital punishment "error-prone,
expensive and anything but infallible."
The prosecutors say Wolf's action ignores the law and imposes his personal
views about the death penalty.
Pennsylvania has 183 men and 3 women on death row.
The state has only executed three people since the U.S. Supreme Court restored
the death penalty in 1976, the last one in 1999.
All 3 had voluntarily given up their appeals.
(source: WTAE news)
GEORGIA----impending female execution
Georgia's Only Woman On Death Row To Be Executed This Month
Georgia's only female death row inmate is slated for execution by the end of
this month. Kelly Gissendaner has been an inmate of Georgia Department of
Corrections for over 17 years but was given the death penalty in 2008 for her
role in the murder of her husband. The Huffington Post reports that she will be
the 1st woman executed in the state of Georgia since the year 1945. That is, of
course, if her execution happens and she's not pardoned at the 11th hour.
Gissendaner reportedly conspired with a lover in 1997, convincing the man to
commit the murder of her husband, Doug Gissendaner. Her boyfriend, Gregory
Owen, stabbed the man to death and then staged the crime scene to look like a
robbery gone wrong by taking the man's wedding ring and watch. The plot,
masterminded by Kelly Gissendaner, was supposed to result in the lovers
collecting on the victim's life insurance policies. Owen ultimately turned on
Kelly and testified against her in court, which spared him the death penalty
but ended in her being put on death row. She's spent the past several years in
prison, and even has a personal ad looking for pen pals on a popular prison pen
pal website.
The last female death row inmate to be executed in Georgia was a black woman
named Lena Baker, who was convicted by an all-white jury in the shooting of her
employer with his own gun. In 2005, the state tried to redeem itself by finally
admitting that the woman had acted in self-defense. NPR reports that Lena Baker
worked as a maid before her conviction, but shot her employer when he attacked
her.
Aside from Georgia, there are approximately 59 women on death row in the United
States. Even though that's only a little over 1 % of prison inmates in the
country, many of the women are players in high-profile cases, such as Wendi
Andriano, who murdered her terminally ill husband in Arizona, Cynthia Coffman,
who killed at least 4 women with her boyfriend, and Linda Carty, who famously
kidnapped and murdered a young woman so she could steal her baby. It should be
noted that of the women on death row in the U.S., only 15 of them have been
executed since the 1970s.
(source: inquisitr.com)
ALABAMA----impending execution
Federal appeals court paves way for Tommy Arthur execution Feb. 19
A federal appeals court Thursday paved the way for the execution of Alabama
death row inmate Tommy Arthur next week for the contract killing of a Muscle
Shoals man in 1982.
But the court also said Arthur might still have other legal moves available to
stave off - for a 6th time - his execution.
"Nothing herein precludes Mr. Arthur from seeking an injunction or restraining
order as to the February 19, 2015, execution, but such motion should be filed
and considered by the district court in the 1st instance pursuant to the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," according to today's ruling by the 11th
Circuit. "Thereafter, and if necessary, the parties may move for relief in this
Court pursuant to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure."
Last year Alabama changed its lethal injection protocol, switching from the use
of pentobarbital to midazolam as the 1st drug in the 3-drug protocol that also
included pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
After the state changed the drug protocol, it asked for another execution date,
which the Alabama Supreme Court granted and set for Feb. 19.
However, on Jan. 5, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins in Montgomery ruled
that the 11th Circuit's stay that had postponed Arthur's March 2012 execution,
due to his challenge of the drug protocol, was still in effect. That federal
judge also allowed Arthur to amend his lawsuit to claim midazolam is also a
constitution violation.
On Thursday the 11th Circuit ruled that its stay of the March 2012 execution
was not a general stay that was to continue past that time. To clarify any
confusion, however, the 11th Circuit withdrew that stay.
Arthur was first convicted of capital murder in 1983 in the death of Troy
Wicker of Muscle Shoals. That conviction and a 2nd conviction were overturned.
He was convicted a 3rd time in 1991 and that conviction was upheld.
(source: al.com)
MISSISSIPPI:
Miss. House passes bill mandating execution secrecy
Mississippi lawmakers would not only make details surrounding state executions
secret, but allow anyone who discloses details to be sued for money.
House Bill 1305, sponsored by Democrat Kimberly Campbell of Jackson, would
provide that the names of the executioner and any helpers would be exempt from
public disclosure, as well as the identity of the supplier of execution drugs.
The House passed the bill 82-34, sending it to the Senate for more work.
Opponents of the death penalty have been trying to limit states' ability to
execute by finding out the names of drug suppliers and pressuring them.
Last year, lawyers challenged the use of drugs from a compounding pharmacy in
Grenada. Nationwide, concerns have been raised about botched executions because
of novel drug combinations.
(source: Associated Press)
********************
Death row inmate Willie Jerome Manning wins new trial in killing of Starkville
women
A Mississippi death row inmate has won a new trial after the state Supreme
Court found police investigators withheld evidence from prosecutors and defense
attorneys that showed a key state witness lied.
Willie Jerome Manning was sentenced to death in the 1993 slayings of
90-year-old Emmoline Jimmerson and her daughter, 60-year-old Alberta Jordan.
Police and prosecutors say the women were beaten and had their throats slashed.
Manning's attorneys argued the conviction should be overturned because of
questions about a witness who put Manning at the scene.
The state Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, says notes from when police knocked
on doors at the complex showed the apartment where the witness claimed to live
was vacant at the time of the shooting. The court says police withheld that
information.
(source: Associated Press)
******************
Another trial for Willie Manning----One of Mississippi's perennial capital
cases goes down for another trial.
This appeal stems from Manning's conviction of brutally murdering 2 elderly
women in Starkville, Mississippi. The only witness to testify that he saw
Manning entering the women's apartment shortly before their bodies were
discovered was Kevin Lucious, a convict serving 2 life sentences without parole
in Missouri.
"This leads us to Manning's claim that the State violated his due-process
rights when it failed to provide favorable, material evidence, upon request. A
canvass of all residents of Brooksville Gardens Apartments was initiated and
conducted by the Starkville Police Department during its investigation. Index
cards recording the results of the canvass were completed and maintained by the
Starkville Police Department. An entry on the cards reveals that the apartment
from which Lucious testified he observed Manning enter the victims' apartment
was vacant at the time of the crime, and neither Lucious nor his girlfriend
Jones was listed as a resident of any of the apartments canvassed.
These cards were kept by the Starkville police department but were never
disclosed to Manning's counsel. Presiding Justice Randolph, writing for the
Court, has no problem finding a Brady violation:
"The defense attorneys testified that the receipt of this favorable, material
evidence would have altered their defense. There is no question that defense
counsel would have had the opportunity to meaningfully impeach Lucious's
testimony that he lived in the apartment at the time of the crime and saw
Manning enter the victims' apartment. Any attorney worth his salt would
salivate at impeaching the State's key witness using evidence obtained by the
Starkville Police Department.
Yes indeed. Justice Chandler (joined by Pierce) disagrees:
"Lucious was known to frequent Brooksville Gardens at the time of the murders,
and no one disputes his frequent presence there prior to the official start of
his girlfriend's lease: hanging out with the Mannings, buying beer from Dera
Mae, and, I submit, likely squatting or at least spending time in the vacant
apartment on which his girlfriend was about to sign a lease.
So, apparently, the proposed standard of review is that if a justice on appeal
can imagine a scenario that might have persuaded the jury to convict, then no
Brady violation. The majority instead will let the jury decide what it thinks
of this scenario.
(source: The Blogged Anderson)
OHIO:
Judge throws out 1985 murder conviction of death row inmate Anthony Apanovitch;
prosecutor plans to appeal
A Cuyahoga County judge Thursday threw out the 1985 murder conviction of death
row inmate Anthony Apanovitch based on DNA evidence, and ordered a new trial
into the slaying of Mary Anne Flynn.
Common Pleas Judge Robert McClelland also acquitted Apanovitch, now 59, of 1
count of rape and dismissed another count of rape. McClelland ordered
Apanovitch to be released on $100,000 personal bond, pending the new trial.
Based on the decisions involving the rape allegations, the new trial would
focus solely on the charges of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary.
County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said his office will seek to block the
judge's ruling and keep Apanovitch behind bars. McGinty said he will take the
case to the Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals.
"Setting a personal bond -- which means the defendant doesn't have to post a
dime -- on someone charged with aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and 2
counts of rape is unprecedented in the history of this courthouse," McGinty
said.
"These shockingly and disturbingly brutal crimes were proved. This is hardly a
crime meriting personal bond, which endangers the safety of the public. Worse
yet, Apanovitch committed these crimes while on probation for a sexual assault,
and he also had been to prison for aggravated robbery."
In his 9-page ruling, McClelland cited a hearing in October in which experts
testified about the DNA in the case.
"The evidence at the hearing is substantially different than at the original
trial, and the earlier decision is, at least in part, clearly erroneous and
would work a manifest injustice."
The judge said a suspect's DNA was found in two places in Flynn's body. One
sample did not contain enough material for a valid result, according to
McClelland's ruling.
The judge said Apanovitch's expert, Dr. Richard Staub, stressed that the other
sample excluded him.
McGinty disputed that. His office said initial DNA tests proved that Apanovitch
was the killer. A subsequent test was inconclusive.
"Since his conviction, DNA testing was perfected and proved that the jury was
absolutely right all along by the odds of 1 in 285 million Caucasians that
Apanovitch committed these crimes," the prosecutor said.
Mark DeVan, one of the attorneys who represents Apanovitch, hailed the
decision. He said Apanovitch will not simply walk out of prison. He said a
suitable place for him to live would have to be found, and he would have
electronic monitoring.
"Mr. Apanovitch is grateful the court reviewed the evidence and granted him a
new trial,'' DeVan said. "He has maintained his innocence for 30 years."
Attorneys from Crowell and Moring, a Washington, D.C., firm that also
represents Apanovitch, could not be reached.
Prosecutors said Apanovitch raped, beat and strangled Flynn, a 33-year-old
nurse-midwife, on Aug. 24, 1984 in Cleveland. Authorities said the attack took
place at her Archwood Avenue home, which she had hired Apanovitch to paint.
Witnesses testified he intimidated and lusted after her, and he gave police
conflicting statements.
But the issue has gained a great deal of publicity over the years. It took off
when Ohio Supreme Court Justice Craig Wright wrote to the state parole board in
1996, saying he had changed his mind about the case and believed that
Apanovitch's sentence should be reduced to life imprisonment. Wright had been
the author of the 4-3 opinion upholding Apanovitch's conviction and death
sentence.
"I'm pretty numb right now,'' said Martin Flynn of Shaker Heights, Mary Anne's
older brother. "I'm stunned by the whole thing. I didn't see it coming. Every
time something like this comes up, we get dragged right back into it. I still
have the knot in my stomach that I had when I found my sister's body. This is a
nightmare that you can't wake up from.''
McGinty agreed: "Death penalty cases have been subjected to ridiculous levels
of scrutiny, creating decades of absurd delay at the cost of millions of
dollars and countless hours of agony and frustration for families of victims
who have not received the justice they deserve.
"We have been fighting for Mary Anne and her family for 30 years, have won
appeal after appeal, and will continue to do so. This is only a temporary
setback."?
(source: cleveland.com)
*************
Prosecutors detail gruesome discovery of Tallmadge mother and son's remains
during opening of man's death penalty trial
Wendy Ralston expressed regrets about allowing her ex-boyfriend and the father
of her son to live with her after he lost his job and was evicted from his
home.
She tried to get police to force Daniel Tighe out of her home. She took videos
of him yelling at her and their 5-year-old son, Peyton, to show police the next
time she called them during a fight.
In mid-July 2013, Tighe, 41, killed them both and dumped their bodies in the
woods behind their Tallmadge home, prosecutors said Thursday during opening
statements at Tighe's trial in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
Testimony is expected to begin Thursday afternoon in the case that could
continue for more than 2 weeks.
Defense attorney Brian Pierce told the 7-woman, 5-man jury that prosecutors
have no direct evidence that links Tighe to the murders. He also said police
investigators failed to pursue other suspects in the case, including several
men she met online.
"Wendy had numerous relationships that were unhealthy," Pierce said. "She was
tragically murdered. We're not trying to disparage her character but she did
things that put her and her son in danger."
Rocky relationship
Prosecutors and defense attorneys found common ground on 1 fact: The
relationship of Ralston and Tighe was rocky from the time they met in 2003.
They had an on-and-off relationship and had Peyton in 2007.
Tighe moved in with the mother and son in 2012 when he was evicted from his
home after losing his job at a car repair and customization shop.
Ralston and Tighe fought constantly, according to attorneys on both sides.
Police were called to the home several times to mediate domestic disputes, but
none of those visits ever ended in arrests.
Both filmed each other during their fights, including once when Peyton said he
wanted to throw his stuffed animal at his father, Assistant Summit County
Prosecutor Kevin Mayer said.
Mayer said during one of the fights that was recorded, Tighe can be heard
telling Wendy and Peyton Ralston that they were "the worst things to have
happened in his life."
Most of their disagreements stemmed from Wendy Ralston's frustration that Tighe
didn't contribute to the house while she struggled to pay bills, Mayer said.
She was behind on her car payments and an eviction notice was filed against her
shortly before she was killed.
Ralston's mother became suspicious when her 33-year-old daughter missed an
eviction hearing in Stow Municipal Court. Marie Ralston called police to report
that her daughter was missing.
Tighe disputes disappearance
Tighe gave investigators several different accounts of why Wendy and Peyton
went missing, Mayer told the jury.
He said they went on vacation by themselves in the middle of the night. He said
that a man picked them up and took them on vacation. He said that she went
camping with their grandmother.
Convinced that her daughter's disappearance was more suspicious, Marie Ralston
ventured into the woods behind her daughter's home and found a bundle of
blankets covered in insects, Mayer said. She called police.
Tallmadge officers and agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
found the decomposed remains of Peyton Ralston next to 3 stuffed animals --
including 1 that he once threatened to throw at his father out of frustration
during a fight Tighe had with his mother, Mayer said.
A a child's juice drink was found nearby. Forensic examiners later found that
the boy had a chipped tooth, prosecutors said.
Wendy Ralston's remains were found nearby. She was wrapped in sheets and a
comforter bound with electrical tape. Forensic analysis found she suffered a
broken throat bone, Mayer said.
Their decomposing bodies remained in the woods for about 3 weeks between July
and August 2013. The heat coupled with the decomposition meant investigators
were unable to determine exactly how they were killed, prosecutors said.
Investigators also believe that Tighe moved the bodies after a neighbor
complained about an unknown smell in the backyard.
(source: cleveland.com)
_______________________________________________
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Search the Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/deathpenalty@lists.washlaw.edu/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A free service of WashLaw
http://washlaw.edu
(785)670.1088
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
