[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., VA., S.C., GA., ALA.

[Rick Halperin]

July 17


TEXAS:

Into the Furnace----Stephen Wilson's latest exhibition, Ultimate Justice, sheds 
light on the death penalty in Texas


In 2013, mentally handicapped death row inmate Elroy Chester was executed at 
the Huntsville Unit for his 1998 killing of a Port Arthur firefighter. Instead 
of focusing on the crime's lasting effects on the victim's family, artist 
Stephen Wilson chose to reflect on the family and community of the accused.

Wilson's latest multimedia exhibition at Fresh Arts, Ultimate Justice, mixes 
photography with drawings, notes and videos and highlights his discoveries of 
the criminal and the crime. For a month prior to the execution, Wilson - who 
was a production assistant on the Dutch documentary about Chester, Killing Time 
- lived with Chester's family in Port Arthur, a city where Chester committed 
multiple heinous acts, including 4 additional murders and 3 rapes.

"For me, this was a chance to take a look at a specific case in our state and 
apply it to a larger sociopolitical narrative," says Wilson. "I'm hoping to 
encourage imagination about the generational and familial affects of what Rick 
Perry calls the 'Ultimate Justice.' It's an abstract recording and presentation 
of crime and punishment."

Even though previously being an inmate in the Texas Department of Criminal 
Justice's Mentally Retarded Offenders Program and scoring below 70 on multiple 
IQ tests, Chester was deemed legally competent to be executed based off his 
forethought and planning. Like the documentary Wilson helped with, the 
exhibition explores the realms of capital punishment and political theory 
within our state's legal system. In light of the evidence and ruling, Wilson is 
reluctant to side with the state. "I don't think our legal system here is 
equipped with the type of accountability necessary for a system to justifiably 
hand out death sentences," notes the artist.

Wilson's imagery reflects the effects of poverty and disenfranchised families 
in the featured communities and aims to explain how surrounding environments 
produce irrational behavior and violent outcomes.

"I felt intrusive, manipulated, vulnerable, depressed, entertained, awestruck, 
accepted and approved...I felt and witnessed a complex mechanism of 
unconditional love at work between [his] sisters, their children and their 
children's children. Family came first."

Ultimate Justice opens at Fresh Arts (2101 Winter Street) this Friday, July 17, 
and runs through August 28.

(source: houstoniamag.com)

*******************

Executions under Greg Abbott, Jan. 21, 2015-present----9

Executions in Texas: Dec. 7, 1982----present-----527

Abbott#--------scheduled execution date-----name------------Tx. #

10---------August 12----------------Daniel Lopez----------528

11---------August 13----------------Tracy Beatty----------529

12---------August 26----------------Bernardo Tercero------530

13---------September 2--------------Joe Garza-------------531

14---------September 29-------------Perry Williams--------532

15---------October 6----------------Juan Garcia-----------533

16---------October 14---------------Licho Escamilla-------534

17---------October 28---------------Christopher Wilkins---535

18---------November 10--------------Gilmar Guevara--------536

(sources: TDCJ & Rick Halperin)






PENNSYLVANIA:

Executions scheduled for 3


Pennsylvania prison officials are scheduling three executions but it's likely 
they won't go forward because the governor has put in place a capital 
punishment moratorium.

Corrections Secretary John Wetzel on Wednesday signed notices that put Maurice 
Patterson, Hector Morales and Herbert Blakeney on schedule to be executed over 
the coming 2 months.

But Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has already issued 3 reprieves for other death row 
inmates and says he will continue to issue them, at least until he gets an 
overdue legislative study on the death penalty.

The state Supreme Court is reviewing Wolf's policy.

(source: Associated Press)






VIRGINIA:

Suspect Charged With Murder In Lyon Sisters' 1975 Disappearance----Witness 
Allegedly Saw Suspect With Blood-Stained Bags


An imprisoned sex offender has been indicted on murder charges in the 
disappearance of two young sisters who vanished from a suburban Washington, 
D.C., shopping center 40 years ago.

"I am honored to report that my Commonwealth Attorney, Randy Krantz, obtained 
indictments charging Lloyd Lee 'Michael' Welch Jr. with [2 counts of] 
1st-degree felony murder for his involvement in the deaths of Sheila and 
Katherine Lyon," Bedford County, Virginia Sheriff Mike Brown said during a 
Wednesday press conference.

According to Brown, the charges levied against Welch were brought by a Bedford 
County grand jury that examined "the totality of the evidence ... and sworn 
witness testimony."

Welch, 58, was named as a person of interest in the case last year, after he 
allegedly admitted he was with the Lyon sisters on the day of their 
disappearance.

Sheila Lyon, 12, and her 10-year-old sister, Katherine, were last seen inside 
Wheaton Plaza, a popular shopping center in the Maryland suburbs, on March 25, 
1975. The girls were on spring break from school and went to look at Easter 
exhibits. They had about $4 between them and were told by their parents, 
prominent radio disc jockey John Lyon and his wife Mary, to return home by 4 
p.m., according to a March 25, 1980, article in The Washington Post.

Around 2 p.m. that day, the girls were spotted by witnesses at a pizza shop. 
They were later sighted walking toward their home, but failed to arrive in time 
for their 4 p.m. curfew. Their disappearance remained a painful mystery until 
2013.

A drifter and carnival worker, Welch was 18 in 1975 and spent time in the 
Maryland suburbs. He was known to investigators working the Lyon sisters' case, 
and a fresh look at the cold case file in 2013 renewed interest in him.

During police interviews last year, Welch told investigators he was with the 
girls the day they disappeared, along with his uncle, Richard Welch Sr., now 
69, and a cousin, Thomas Welch Jr., who was 10 in 1975. Lloyd Welch Jr. told 
investigators he was dropped off near his home and that his cousin and uncle, 
who investigators believe worked as a security guard at the time, drove off 
with the girls, according to court documents.

"Lloyd Welch stated that the following day he went to the home of Richard Welch 
and observed Richard Welch having sexual intercourse with one of the Lyon 
sisters," court documents allege. "Lloyd Welch claims that he left the 
residence and never saw the Lyon sisters again."

Lloyd Welch told police he had nothing to do with "killing those girls." 
Richard Welch's daughter told The Washington Post in February that the 
allegations are a lie and "my dad would never do something like that."

Richard and Thomas Welch have not been charged in connection with the case, but 
police earlier this year named Richard Welch a "person of interest" in the 
girls' disappearance. Police have also charged Richard Welch's wife, Patricia, 
65, with perjury for allegedly lying to the grand jury.

According to court documents, Lloyd Welch has told police he does not know 
where the sisters are buried, but allegedly told a fellow inmate in Delaware, 
where Welch is serving time for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, that he 
had kidnapped Lyon sisters and buried them on family property.

Authorities have since conducted several searches in Bedford County, Virginia, 
where the Welch family owns property -- about 200 miles from Wheaton Plaza.

A newly released search warrant affidavit obtained by The Associated Press 
indicates police interviewed at least 2 witnesses in recent months who claim 
Welch showed up at property owned by his family after the girls disappeared. 
The witnesses said he had 2 large duffle bags with him.

"He stated the bags weighed about 60 or 70 pounds and smelled like 'death,'" an 
investigator wrote in the affidavit regarding information provided by one of 
the witnesses.

The bags, which the witness allegedly said were covered in red stains, were 
both burned on the property.

A 2nd witness told police Welch had asked her to wash clothes, which were also 
stained red and smelled like "rotten meat," according to the affidavit.

During a January search of the family property, authorities found several 
burned items and possible bone fragments, which are still undergoing forensic 
examination, police said.

According to the indictment, authorities believe the Lyon sisters were killed 
in Virginia sometime between the date of their abduction and April 15, 1975, 
though the girls' bodies have not yet been found.

Authorities on Wednesday declined to comment on what, if any, physical evidence 
they have linking Lloyd Welch to the crimes, but did say they are prepared to 
prosecute a "no-body case."

"Typically in a homicide you have an autopsy and you have a body and you can 
prove what the cause and mechanism of death is," said Montgomery County State's 
Attorney John McCarthy. "In a no-body murder case you have to prove that they 
are in fact dead and you have to prove the agent by which they died."

Authorities also indicated additional arrests might be forthcoming.

"We're focused on uncovering every fact of this case," said Montgomery County 
Police Chief Tom Manger. "[My agency] and all of our partners will work to hold 
every individual responsible who was involved with the abduction and murder of 
the Lyon sisters as well as the ongoing conspiracy to conceal these crimes."

Nbcwashington.com reported three generations of the Lyon family were present at 
the press conference Wednesday but did not comment on the latest developments.

The family, McCarty told reporters, "did not choose to be victims" and "beg you 
for their privacy."

Welch, who is expected to be extradited from Delaware within the next 30 days, 
could face the possibility of the death penalty.

"I wish I could say more," Brown said at the close of the press conference. 
"The investigation continues and I say that with a smile."

(source: Huffington Post)






SOUTH CAROLINA:

George Stinney, Jr. memorial gets a new face


The memorial for George Stinney, Jr., the youngest person executed in the U.S. 
this century, has a new face. His.

Stinney, a 14-year-old boy whose murder conviction was overturned by Judge 
Carmen Mullen in December -- some 70 years after he was executed by the crime 
-- continues to be remembered by family members who maintained his innocence 
all this time.

The memorial, known as the Hope Stone, was redone to include Stinney's face. 
Family members said they want everyone to know Stinney's story so it won't be 
repeated.

"We feel honored that Judge Mullen went along with the case," said Irene 
Lawson-Hill, a cousin of Stinney's. "She knew from all the things that were 
presented to her, which wasn't 1944, that this young man did not have a fair 
trial."

(source: ABC news)






GEORGIA:

Jamie Hood calls his brother to the stand


Jamie Hood appears to be becoming increasingly upset as he continues to mount 
his defense in this death penalty trial.

Hood has admitted to shooting and killing Athens Clarke County Police Officer 
Elmer "Buddy" Christian and wounding Officer Tony Howard on March 22, 2011.

On Thursday, Hood called his brother, Matthew Hood, to the stand. Matthew Hood 
recalled the events the night of the shooting. He said he was driving an SUV 
and ordered to stop by Howard.

At the time, officers were searching for Jamie Hood, who was suspected in a 
carjacking and kidnapping.

"So I stopped. My brother Jamie exited the car," Matthew Hood said. "I don't 
know, I guess a few seconds later. I heard some gunshots. Immediately I got on 
the ground thinking, they done shot my brother because they killed one of my 
brothers. I'm like, dang, dang, they shot my brother. I'm getting on the ground 
to let them know I ain't got no gun. So, I'm just laying on the ground 
thinking, man, 'They gonna come shoot me next.'"

Matthew Hood also has a lengthy criminal past. He is serving his own 10-year 
sentence for armed robbery. While they are brothers, Jamie Hood was often 
combative with Matthew on the stand.

Hood continued that pattern with his next witnesses and even the judge and the 
district attorney Ken Mauldin.

"Why don't y'all go ahead and send me to jail," Jamie Hood said at one point. 
"You're taking my case straight from me."

After the judge told him to ask another question, Hood said, "I want to state 
for the record you being biased and prejudice in favor of this prosecutor and 
you helping in covering up the truth. For the record."

Hood is expected to wrap up his defense soon -- perhaps as early as Friday. 
That could mean that Hood himself will take the stand.

(source: WXIA news)






ALABAMA:

1 execution in 45 months in Alabama


Alabama hasn't executed anyone in nearly 2 years.

The anniversary of Alabama's most recent state-sponsored killing will arrive, 
with no fanfare, next Saturday. Andrew Reid Lackey, a 29-year-old from 
Huntsville, is the last man to die in Atmore's death chamber. He was executed 
by lethal injection July 25, 2013, for the 2005 murder in Limestone County of 
Charlie Newman, an 80-year-old war veteran.

By Alabama standards, 2 years without an execution is a startling abnormality. 
Such a delay hasn't happened since 1995, when Yellow Mama killed Willie Clisby 
Jr., a 47-year-old who beat a fellow co-worker, Fletcher Handley, to death with 
an axe in Birmingham. Clisby's death broke an execution-less span of 29 months.

3 states have executed 100 or more people since the death penalty was 
reinstated in 1976, but Alabama isn't one of them. To date, Texas has killed 
527 inmates. Oklahoma (112) and Virginia (110) fall in line. By and large, 
Alabamians and our politicians embrace this archaic form of eye-for-an-eye 
justice and don't shy away from the state's Top 10 place among America's most 
prolific executioners.

Since '76, Alabama has killed 56 inmates.

However, legal intricacies and technical problems have turned off the state's 
execution spigot. In 2011, only 1 state - Texas, with 13 - killed more inmates 
than Alabama, which executed 6.

Then Atmore's death chamber abruptly stopped.

Alabama executed no one in 2012.

Alabama executed no one in 2014.

Thus far, Alabama has executed no one in 2015.

Added together, that's only 1 killing - Lackey's - in the last 45 months, the 
state's most execution-free period since the late 1980s. In that sense, this is 
the golden age for opponents of the death penalty in Alabama. Barring a U.S. 
Supreme Court ruling against executions - an unlikely event - this is about as 
good as it gets.

Luther Strange, Alabama's attorney general, would disagree.

He's emboldened by the Supreme Court's recent green-lighting of 
lethal-injection executions. He has death-row inmates lined up for execution 
dates, which have been held up by myriad legal challenges to the drug 
combination used by executioners. This week, the Republican attorney general 
sought dismissal of the 7 death-row inmates' court challenges to Alabama's 
execution protocol.

If that happens, which it surely will, Alabama will resume killing inmates who 
have killed.

Alabama's impressive 45-month span with only 1 execution will end.

This weary debate over the death penalty isn't really a debate at all. National 
rates of violent crime have fallen every year since 1994, but criminal-science 
experts attribute that to a collection of reasons - better policing, more 
incarcerations, the use of security cameras and cellphone cameras to document 
crimes, and even an aging population. The death penalty isn't the ultimate 
deterrent its adherents claim it is. "It's hard for criminals to do anything 
without being caught on video," James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern 
University in Boston, told the Chicago Tribune last year.

What's more, executions are outrageously expensive. In 2014, Forbes.com 
detailed the costs of holding death-row inmates and killing them by lethal 
injection. The data destroy the well-used argument that life in prison is the 
most expensive option.

For the courts, defending a death-penalty case costs nearly 4 times as much as 
a non-death-penalty case, according to the Kansas Judicial Council. Washington 
State Bar Association figures estimate that death-penalty cases cause $470,000 
in additional legal costs. Death Penalty Information Center studies show that 
death-penalty trials cost $1 million more, on average, than cases where the 
penalty is life without parole.

At least the drugs used to kill inmates are cheap. In Texas, the lethal 
cocktail costs $83 per use, says that state's Department of Criminal Justice.

None of this will matter to Luther Strange and Alabama's death-penalty loving 
politicians.

It won't matter that state-sponsored killings don't overwhelmingly deter 
murder.

It won't matter that locking away a murderer for life is cheaper than giving 
him a legal defense and then killing him.

It won't matter that civilized nations like Britain, France, Canada, Germany, 
Australia, Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands have abolished 
executions and still have low rates of murder and gun crimes.

No, they want Alabama's death-row inmates to get what Andrew Reid Lackey got.

In his trial, Lackey's attorneys said their client was mentally ill, but that 
didn't sway the court. Lackey then waived his appeals, which sped up his 
execution. He spent 5 years on Atmore's death row.

(source: The Anniston Star)