sacbee: Cal ReportDefense attorneys say man charged in supremacist shootings wrote 'psychotic' note By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent LOS ANGELES (AP) -- White supremacist Buford Furrow wrote "a psychotic note" to himself repeating 129 times that he should kill another prison inmate, his lawyers disclosed in a legal document filed late Wednesday afternoon. The attorneys, who are attempting to block the government from seeking the death penalty for Furrow in the murder of a Filipino postman, discounted the idea that the note uncovered by jailers was a true threat on the life of the Latino inmate, Raul Lopez. "On the note, defendant had written 129 times, 'You must kill Lopez and all of his protecting angels,"' the lawyers said. "Apparently, the number 129 was arrived at by ascribing a numerical value, one through 26, to each letter of the alphabet ... and adding up the values of the words, 'Lopez' and "Satan,"' the document said. Furrow is charged with killing letter carrier Joseph Ileto on Aug 10, just hours after he allegedly wounded three boys, a teen-age girl and a woman at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the San Fernando Valley. The public defenders representing Furrow said it is unclear from government filings whether the note was ever delivered to anyone. "If this obviously delusional note, which defendant wrote to himself, is what the government considers a threat, it should make that clear," the attorneys said. "But frankly, defendant cannot believe that the notice truly meant to imply that a psychotic note written to oneself is a threat against another." Furrow has pleaded innocent and his team of public defenders has launched an effort to save him from the death penalty. They have argued that the federal death penalty statute is unconstitutional and that the factors presented to justify it in Furrow's case are too vague. In its latest papers, the defense repeated the theme of vagueness and said prosecutors have never been specific enough in outlining "aggravating factors" that might support the death penalty. They cited a government claim that Furrow once threatened the woman he calls his wife and her son and said there was no indication of the names of those threatened or when and where the alleged threat occurred. The attorneys also took issue with a government claim that Furrow failed to show remorse for the killing. They said this suggests that Furrow must violate his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment if he is to show remorse. This claim, they said, "forces a defendant to choose between testifying to show remorse, on one hand, and invoking his right to remain silent so as not to waive his privilege and to maintain his right to appeal, on the other hand." As for Furrow's alleged statement after his arrest that, "He is not sorry for his crimes," the defense said such a statement is inadmissible unless the government can show "pervading and continuing lack of remorse." In the last document to be filed before a hearing on the death penalty issue June 5, the attorneys also argued to exclude mention of Furrow's anti-Semitic motivations in the Jewish center shootings, saying they are irrelevant to the shooting of Ileto. They also suggested that the term "terrorism" be stricken from the case, arguing that the government failed to provide a specific definition of it. Problems? Suggestions? Let us hear from you. / Copyright © The Sacramento Bee Get your news on the go. Cell phone, pager, e-mail delivery and more! Local area news coverage. To Russia for Love Every year, several thousand American men spend upward of $4,000 each to join "marriage tours" to the former U.S.S.R. 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Search tips. 77 Forecast Mainstream churches turning to technology, attracting members Horrific death of toddler leads to 25 years to life for heroin addict Vote on contract looms for janitors in Silicon Valley Stayner's lawyers argue against death penalty Man who found stolen Oscars loses most of his reward money to thieves TV judge Judy testifies in dispute over her namesake show Judge approves settlement between county and probation officers Entertainer Bob Hope's condition upgraded to stable condition At last, Herman Wouk speaks Start fiddling with those rosaries, Tom Lehrer is back for his encore More...Top StoryCal ReportNationalGlobalBusinessPoliticsSportsVoicesNewsWatcher Defense attorneys say man charged in supremacist shootings wrote 'psychotic' note By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent LOS ANGELES (AP) -- White supremacist Buford Furrow wrote "a psychotic note" to himself repeating 129 times that he should kill another prison inmate, his lawyers disclosed in a legal document filed late Wednesday afternoon. The attorneys, who are attempting to block the government from seeking the death penalty for Furrow in the murder of a Filipino postman, discounted the idea that the note uncovered by jailers was a true threat on the life of the Latino inmate, Raul Lopez. "On the note, defendant had written 129 times, 'You must kill Lopez and all of his protecting angels,"' the lawyers said. "Apparently, the number 129 was arrived at by ascribing a numerical value, one through 26, to each letter of the alphabet ... and adding up the values of the words, 'Lopez' and "Satan,"' the document said. Furrow is charged with killing letter carrier Joseph Ileto on Aug 10, just hours after he allegedly wounded three boys, a teen-age girl and a woman at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the San Fernando Valley. The public defenders representing Furrow said it is unclear from government filings whether the note was ever delivered to anyone. "If this obviously delusional note, which defendant wrote to himself, is what the government considers a threat, it should make that clear," the attorneys said. "But frankly, defendant cannot believe that the notice truly meant to imply that a psychotic note written to oneself is a threat against another." Furrow has pleaded innocent and his team of public defenders has launched an effort to save him from the death penalty. They have argued that the federal death penalty statute is unconstitutional and that the factors presented to justify it in Furrow's case are too vague. In its latest papers, the defense repeated the theme of vagueness and said prosecutors have never been specific enough in outlining "aggravating factors" that might support the death penalty. They cited a government claim that Furrow once threatened the woman he calls his wife and her son and said there was no indication of the names of those threatened or when and where the alleged threat occurred. The attorneys also took issue with a government claim that Furrow failed to show remorse for the killing. They said this suggests that Furrow must violate his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment if he is to show remorse. This claim, they said, "forces a defendant to choose between testifying to show remorse, on one hand, and invoking his right to remain silent so as not to waive his privilege and to maintain his right to appeal, on the other hand." As for Furrow's alleged statement after his arrest that, "He is not sorry for his crimes," the defense said such a statement is inadmissible unless the government can show "pervading and continuing lack of remorse." In the last document to be filed before a hearing on the death penalty issue June 5, the attorneys also argued to exclude mention of Furrow's anti-Semitic motivations in the Jewish center shootings, saying they are irrelevant to the shooting of Ileto. 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