[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, GA., ARK., OKLA., S. DAK., UTAH, USA, US MIL.

[Rick Halperin]

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)