Sept. 7
TEXAS----new death sentence Jury issues death sentence for Medina County slaying A Medina County jury has sentenced to death a man convicted of fatally shooting a woman he kidnapped and raped. Authorities say Ramiro Gonzales led deputies to the remains of 18-year-old Bridget Townsend and admitted to his crimes. The victim's family members declared victory yesterday at the conclusion of the 2-week murder trial of the 23-year-old defendant. Townsend vanished from her Bandera County home in 2001, but her fate wasn't known until the following year when Gonzales confessed to the crime. His confession came shortly after he was sentenced to 2 life sentences for kidnapping and raping another woman. Gonzales led Bandera County deputies to Townsend's skeletal remains at a ranch where he lived in Medina County. Despite his confession to authorities, Gonzales had pleaded not guilty to the crime. (source: San Antonio Express News) NEVADA: Man appealing death sentence in Las Vegas jewelry store slayings A part-time jewelry repairmen sentenced to die for the September 2003 beating deaths of his employers, an elderly Las Vegas woman and her daughter, says the state Supreme Court should cancel his conviction because of numerous trial errors. A lawyer for Avetis Archanian, 48, told the high court on Tuesday that there was no clear reason why a jury was shown grisly crime scene and autopsy photos over the objection of Archanian's trial defense lawyer. The jury convicted Archanian in 2004 of first-degree murder and sentenced him to die by lethal injection. Archanian is currently being housed at Ely State Prison. Clark County prosecutor Steven Owens argued the photos were needed to show that blunt force trauma killed Juana Quiroga, 86, and her daughter, Elisa Del Prado, 68. Quiroga died at her downtown Las Vegas jewelry store, World Merchants-Importers. Del Prado died from her injuries in March 2004. It appeared that one issue Archanian's appeals lawyer, Glenn Schepps, did not raise might yield a new penalty hearing for Archanian. Justices noted that Archanian had been charged with felony murder involving a robbery, and that robbery also was used as an aggravating factor in the death penalty finding. The Supreme Court recently ruled that using one aggravating factor both to convict someone and to seek the death penalty was improper. Owens said that even if the state court found error in one aggravating factor determination, another aggravating factor that Archanian killed more than one person still applied. Schepps also challenged the admissibility of a grainy store surveillance videotape that was shown to the jury, saying it wasn't original and had been altered. Owens disputed the contention that the videotape was altered in any significant way, and said two people testified Archanian was the person seen in the videotape. (source: Associated Press) US MILITARY: Area soldier faces death penalty----Defense lawyer says fatal shooting of Iraqi was 'mercy killing' of brain-dead insurgent A soldier from Buffalo who faces a possible death sentence was following orders when he shot and killed an Iraqi insurgent who was already brain dead, according to a member of his defense team. Spc. Juston R. Graber, 20, and three other members of the 101st Airborne Division have been charged with murder in connection with the deaths of four Iraqi men, and an Army investigator has recommended the death penalty if they are convicted. Paul W. Bergrin, who was lead attorney during a hearing for the four last month in Iraq, said Wednesday that he is "astonished" the Army would charge Graber with anything. "He has an impeccable record, has been decorated for valor and essentially is charged with a mercy killing," said Bergrin, a civilian. Lt. Col. James P. Daniel Jr. concluded the slayings were premeditated and warranted the death sentence based on information he heard at an August hearing. The case will now be forwarded to Army officials who will decide whether the recommendation should be followed. The four soldiers, all based at Fort Campbell, Ky., are accused of killing the men during a May 9 attack outside Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Graber, Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard, Spc. William B. Hunsaker and Pfc. Corey R. Clagett have claimed they were ordered to "kill all military age males" during the raid on the island. Bergrin, of Newark, N.J., said the soldiers were briefed that they were about to attack a known al-Qaida training camp and their rules of engagement were to kill every military-age male on the island. Bergrin, who currently represents just Clagett, said the soldiers were shot at by a man in a window armed with an AK-47 and they returned fire, striking the man. They proceeded into the house and found more armed men, who were taken prisoner, he said. The man in the window received a severe head wound and a medic determined he was brain dead with no chance of recovery, Bergrin said. He said Graber was ordered "to put him out of his misery" and did so with a second shot to the head. The soldiers were then attacked by the other 3 men who were being handcuffed and claimed they shot them in self defense. Graber is not charged in connection with those deaths. Clagett said he was hit in the face and Hunsaker claimed he was stabbed during the attack. Prosecutors argued the soldiers conspired to kill the men and then altered the scene to fit their story. They contend Girouard stabbed Hunsaker as part of the plot. Bergrin said Graber is confined to his base in Iraq and the other 3 are imprisoned in Kuwait. Graber is represented by an Army lawyer, who is prohibited from talking about the case, Bergrin said. He is charged with premeditated murder, attempted premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and making a false official statement. The other 3 are charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and obstructing justice. An Army spokesman in Baghdad said he could not comment on the case. Graber reportedly is a graduate of Riverside Institute of Technology. A call to the school was not returned. (source: Buffalo News) USA: Why idealize death penalty? It's unnecessary to dwell on whether a sex offender gets the death penalty or not. Why give all this publicity to a person with deviant behavior who only comes off looking like a victim himself? Why idealize the death penalty? It's barbaric and ineffective. We will never be done with suffering her loss. If we really want to honor Dru, let's emotionally connect with our boys to have self-esteem, self-control and responsible sex behaviors. JOHN H. DRIGGS----St. Paul (source: St. Paul Pioneer Press)
