June 14
TEXAS:
lanco County man indicted in baby's death----John Lawrence, 24, charged with
capital murder, aggravated sexual assault
A Blanco County man has been indicted by a grand jury in the death of a
14-month-old baby girl.
John Lawrence, 24, is charged with capital murder and aggravated sexual assault
of a child under the age of 6 in the death of Sunny Dakota Slade-Bort.
Lawrence and the child's mother, Jamie Petronella, 23, were arrested in May
after police were called to their home in Blanco when the baby stopped
breathing.
Sunny died at University Hospital.
Petronella was indicted on charges of injury to a child by omission. She could
face 5 to 99 years or life in prison, if convicted. Lawrence could face the
death penalty.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the case.
(source: KSAT news)
GEORGIA:
Ga. man pleads guilty in killings of woman, homeless man
A man accused of killing 3 homeless men and a woman walking to her car pleaded
guilty Monday to murder and other charges in 2 of the deaths just outside
Atlanta and received 2 consecutive life sentences without a chance of parole.
Aeman Presley entered the pleas Monday in DeKalb County Superior Court, telling
Judge Gregory A. Adams that he does "accept and take full responsibility for
the crimes I have committed."
DeKalb County prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for the 35-year-old
Presley in the December 2014 shooting of hair stylist Karen Pearce and had also
charged him in the September 2014 killing of Calvin Gholston. He still faces
charges in the fatal shootings of 2 homeless men in neighboring Fulton County,
and prosecutors there are seeking the death penalty.
Presley's attorneys Jerilyn Bell and Crystal Bice said he accepts "unmitigated
responsibility." They still believe, though, that he has a form of
schizophrenia which played a role in the killings. They declined on Monday to
discuss the possibility of a plea in Fulton County and said the case there is
moving forward. A spokesman for Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard
declined comment on Monday.
DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James said a guilty plea that ensured
Presley could never be released was the best resolution. He also expressed
reluctance to pursue the death penalty when a defendant is willing to accept
responsibility and a life sentence.
"The most important thing for us was a sentence where he would never see the
light of day again," James said. "Someone that commits such a random act of
violence ... deserves to be in jail for the rest of their life."
Police have said Presley shot Gholston, 53, multiple times as he slept outside
a shopping center near Atlanta on Sept. 27, 2014. A woman who found Gholston's
body told officers he had been living in an alleyway near the shopping center
for at least 2 months, according to a police report.
He then killed Dorian Jenkins, 42, on Nov. 23, 2014, followed by Tommy Mims,
68, on Nov. 26, 2014, police have said. Both men were homeless and were wrapped
in blankets sleeping on the sidewalk in Atlanta when police say Presley shot
them to death. Jenkins was shot 5 times and Mims 7 times in what police
described as "overkill."
Just over a week later, on Dec. 6, 2014, Pearce, 44, was robbed and fatally
shot as she walked to her car after a dinner out with friends in downtown
Decatur, just outside Atlanta.
A statement from Pearce's parents read aloud on Monday said she was studying to
become a nurse and wanted to help others. The statement said Pearce's mother
frequently has nightmares about her daughter's final moments and described the
family as "shocked to the core of our being."
"Our hearts suffer from the deepest wound from which it will never recover,"
the statement read.
Presley later read aloud from a pre-written statement, saying he is "not a
serial killer" and wants his daughter and 2 sons living in other states "to
know what taking responsibility for your actions truly is."
"What I did was ungodly, unrighteous and dishonorable and plain wrong," he
said, speaking quietly but clearly. "Although I can't change the past for your
loved ones, for you or even for myself, I can only apologize to the families,
the friends and the loved ones."
(source: Associated Press)
ARKANSAS:
Murder case headed for August trial----Prosecutors to seek death penalty for
parents in child's death
Prospective jurors will be questioned in groups of 3 for Mauricio Torres'
capital murder trial.
Torres, 46, and his wife, Cathy Torres, 44, of Bella Vista are charged with
capital murder and 1st-degree battery in the death of their son. They have
pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Mauricio Torres and Cathy Torres are being held without bond in the Benton
County Jail. Cathy Torres is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. today
for a hearing in her case.
Maurice Isaiah Torres, 6, was pronounced dead at an area hospital on March 29,
2015. A medical examiner determined the boy suffered from chronic child abuse,
and his death was from internal injuries caused by rape, according to court
documents.
Jeff Rosenzweig, one of Mauricio Torres' attorneys, requested Monday
prospective jurors be questioned individually. Rosenzweig was concerned
prospective jurors could be tainted by listening to the responses of other
people. Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, objected to individual
questioning.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren denied Rosenzweig's request. Karren will use the same
format used to select juries in past death penalty cases in Benton County. Jury
selection is scheduled to begin 1 p.m. Aug. 22.
Prospective jurors will report to Circuit Judge Robin Green's court where
Karren will do the initial questioning. Jurors will then be put in groups of
three and given a time to report back for jury selection.
That format was used in Zachary Holly's murder trial. Holly was found guilty of
killing a Bentonville girl and sentenced to death. Four panels of prospective
jurors were questioned each day, and it took 4??? days to select the jury for
Holly's case.
Karren also took under advisement a motion concerning whether prosecutors will
attempt to enter testimony concerning Mauricio Torres abusing other children.
Rosenzweig said it was the defense's opinion any physical abuse concerning
someone else should be excluded.
Smith said the prosecution's only witness in the guilt phase is one of Maurice
Isaiah Torres' sisters. The boy lived with his parents and 2 sisters. The 2
girls were put into Arkansas Department of Human Services custody after their
parents' April 2015 arrest.
The girl's testimony concerns only abuse to her brother, Smith said. Karren
will rule on the issue if it comes up at trial.
Karren also denied a defense motion seeking to declare the state's death
penalty unconstitutional. Those type of motions routinely are filed in death
penalty cases.
Karren still must rule on a suppression motion filed by the defense. Torres'
attorneys want to prevent statements he gave to Bella Vista police from being
used as evidence against him. The suppression hearing will be at 9 a.m. July
29.
The Torreses also were arrested in connection with rape, but prosecutors didn't
include that offense in the charging documents because the suspected rape
occurred in Missouri, not in Benton County, Smith said.
(source: nwaonline.com)
OKLAHOMA:
7th Oklahoma death row inmate now eligible for execution date
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the final appeal on Monday of Oklahoma death
row inmate Scott Eizember, whose 2003 crime spree resulted in the deaths of an
elderly couple.
Since Eizember has exhausted his appeals, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott
Pruitt would normally ask the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to set an
execution date.
However, Pruitt has asked that all executions be delayed until the Oklahoma
Department of Corrections finishes a report on the state's lethal injection
process. Pruitt told the state appeals court in January that it would be
inappropriate to move forward with executions while the protocol is being
investigated.
Pruitt said he would not request an execution date until at least 150 days
after the corrections department has issued its report.
The state has not executed an inmate since January 2015.
There are now 7 Oklahoma death row inmates who have exhausted their appeals.
The investigation of the state's lethal injection protocol was prompted by the
discovery that a pharmacy had delivered the wrong drugs for the Sept. 30
execution of Richard Glossip.
Before that, the constitutionality of the state's lethal injection protocol had
gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and was narrowly upheld. The
challenge stemmed from the trouble-plagued execution in 2013 of Clayton
Lockett.
Eizember, who is now 55, was given the death penalty for killing A.J. Cantrell
in the Creek County town of Depew.
Eizember had taken Cantrell and his wife, Patsy, hostage in their home; A.J.
Cantrell grabbed his shotgun and shot at Eizember, but his shot killed his own
wife. Eizember then beat Cantrell to death with the gun.
Eizember was convicted of 2nd-degree felony murder for Patsy Cantrell's death.
After killing Cantrell, he shot a man and beat a woman who were related to his
ex-girlfriend and lived across the street from the Cantrells. After days in
hiding, he forced a couple to drive him to Texas, then beat the husband and
tried to shoot the wife before he was captured.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his arguments last year that 2
jurors in his trial should have been excused because they were improperly
biased in favor of the death penalty.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined without comment to review the appeals
court decision.
(source: The Oklahoman)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
3 of the 5 men arrested for the death of Jessica Rehfeld plead not guilty
3 men accused of killing 22-year-old Jessica Rehfeld last May each pled "not
guilty" in court Monday.
Jonathan Klinetobe, Rehfeld's ex- boyfriend allegedly hired David Schneider and
Richard Hirth to kill Rehfeld.
They each face 2 counts of 1st degree murder.
1 of those counts will be dropped, depending on the evidence the prosecutor
gathers.
The murder charges carry a maximum penalty of death.
The defendants also face conspiracy and kidnapping charges, each of which are
punishable by up to life imprisonment.
The men will appear in court again on June 20th for a motions hearing.
(source: KOTA TV news)
UTAH:
Man Accused of Murder in Husband's Death Appears in Court
A Utah man appeared in court Monday for the 1st time since being charged with
aggravated murder and arson in the house-fire death of his estranged husband,
an LGBT pioneer and restaurateur in Salt Lake City.
Craig Crawford, 47, spoke to a judge through a jail video link during the brief
hearing held to inform him of the charges. He spoke little, only answering
"yes, ma'am" when asked to confirm his name.
His lawyer Jim Bradshaw waived a formal reading of the charges and another
hearing was set for July 1. Bradshaw declined to comment outside court.
Crawford is accused of starting the late-night fire to kill his husband, John
Williams, 1 of the first openly gay people in Utah's business community in the
1970s.
Williams, 72, died on May 22 after being trapped on the 4th floor of his home
when flames engulfed a staircase. Prosecutors said Crawford watered the plants
outside while it burned.
Firefighters heard Williams' screams for help but couldn't get inside until
they climbed ladders and cut through an exterior wall. They found Williams dead
of smoke inhalation in a bedroom.
Crawford could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
The blaze started less than three weeks after Williams filed for divorce from
Crawford following a decade-long relationship.
Williams had said he was afraid of his estranged husband and sought a temporary
restraining order that was rejected, according to court documents.
Williams owned the popular Market Street Grill and New Yorker restaurants,
among other establishments.
(source: Associated Press)
**************
Utah lawmaker wants to speed up death penalty process
A Utah lawmaker is once again targeting the death penalty.
Rep. Paul Ray (R-Clearfield), well known for bringing the firing squad back to
Utah, says inmates sit on death row too long.
He wants them to die quicker.
"If you're sentenced to die, you're going to die for doing that," Ray said.
The Republican plans to look for ways to shorten the process, holding up 2
states -- Virginia and Texas -- as examples.
"Typically, 7 to 10 years is how long somebody's on death row" in those states,
Ray said. "We may look at putting in some of the measures that they have to
expedite the time on death row."
Utah has 9 inmates on death row. All but 1 have remained there more than 15
years.
Every time Ray touches the death penalty on Utah's Capitol Hill, it ignites a
political firestorm. That will be the case this time as well.
"I don't understand his fascination with the death penalty," said Kent Hart,
executive director of the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Hart says Ray's latest effort is contrary to Utah values.
"If that process is shortened, Utah would be joining other states like Virginia
and Texas who I don't think value human life like Utah does," Hart said.
Ray says he expects opposition, but he still plans to bring this issue to
Capitol Hill on Wednesday in the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim
Committee. After studying it, Ray hopes to draft a bill later this fall.
Last session the Utah Senate passed a bill that would get rid of the death
penalty, but that bill failed in the House.
(source: KUTV news)
USA:
SC weighs in on Dylann Roof and the death penalty
A new University of South Carolina poll says most African-American South
Carolinians don't think Dylann Roof should get the death penalty. They say it
won't bring justice and the accused Charleston church shooter should instead
face life without parole.
On the other hand most Caucasian South Carolinians said Roof should get the
death penalty.
The same poll found most people, regardless of race, supported the decision to
charge former North Charleston officer Michael Slager with murder in the
shooting death of Walter Scott.
They were also nearly unanimous in wanting more police officers to wear body
cameras.
The majority of African-Americans polled also said police are too quick to use
deadly force.
(source: WSPA news)
US MILITARY:
Robins airman found guilty of striking tech sergeant in 2nd trial
A military jury on Friday found Senior Airman Charles Amos Wilson III guilty on
charges he struck a technical sergeant who was his girlfriend at the time of
their altercation.
Wilson was sentenced to 6 months of confinement and a reduction in rank from
senior airman, the Macon Telegraph reports. He was found not guilty on other
related charges in this case.
Proceedings against Wilson, 28, assigned to the 461st Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, were broken up into 3
courts-martial in April.
On June 2, during his 1st court-martial, Wilson was found not guilty of felony
murder, aggravated arson, conspiracy and other charges in the death of friend
Demetrius Hardy, a civilian employee at Robins, as part of what authorities
described as an insurance-fraud scheme. Prosecutors had alleged that Hardy set
fire to Wilson's trailer so the 2 men could collect insurance money. Hardy died
several days later from injuries sustained in the blaze.
Wilson will stand trial 1 more time for the alleged premeditated murder of his
fiancee, Tameda Ferguson, and her unborn child in 2013. He could face the death
penalty if convicted.
(source: Air Force Times)
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