[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, TENN., NEB., N.MEX., ARIZ., USA

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 30



OHIO:

Ohio man could be linked to slayings of 5 women


A homeless Ohio man who was charged with 2 murders last week could now be 
linked to the slayings of up to 5 different women.

Shawn M. Grate, 41, was captured earlier this month after a woman he allegedly 
kidnapped called 911 while he was sleeping. After he was taken into custody, 
police searched the abandoned house he was occupying and found the bodies of 
Stacey Stanley, 43, and Elizabeth Griffith, 29.

"These are some of the most horrific crimes I've seen in my 15 years as a 
criminal prosecutor," Ashland County Prosecutor Christopher R. Tunnell said in 
a press release.

Stanley, from Greenwich, Ohio, had been missing since September 8. Griffith was 
killed between August 16 and September 13, according to court documents.

Grate has been charged with 23 crimes, including 2 murders, multiple counts of 
rape, kidnapping, and gross abuse of 2 corpses. He pleaded not guilty through 
his attorney at an arraignment Thursday morning. Grate faces 2 death penalty 
charges.

'There wasn't anything left of her'

However, new information gathered from the investigation could link Grate to 
three other killings in surrounding areas of north-central Ohio.

After Grate was initially arrested, he led police to a third body found near 
the rubble of a burned home in Richland County, which neighbors Ashland County. 
Richland County Chief Investigator Bob Ball said the body had been in the woods 
since June 6.

"It'll come down to bone marrow," Ball said. "There wasn't anything left of 
her."

DNA testing is underway to confirm the body's identity, but that process could 
take up to 2 weeks, according to Richland County Major Joe Masi.

The case of another woman's death has been reopened since Grate's arrest, 
according to the Mansfield Police Department. Rebekah Leicy's body was found in 
a wooded area in Ashland County on March 16, 2015. Officials previously 
believed that Leicy died from a drug overdose, according to the Mansfield 
Police Department.

The original autopsy, which found that Leicy was a heroin user, ruled her cause 
of death intoxication by the combined effects of morphine, cocaine and 
buprenorphine. But it also noted a series of abrasions on her face, arms and 
right leg.

His 1st victim?

Grate could also be linked to the slaying of an unidentified woman whose body 
was found in 2007 in Marion, Ohio. He told investigators she was the 1st woman 
he killed.

He described her as "tall, thin, early 20's, and with good teeth," according to 
Marion Police Department Lieutenant Christy Utley.

Officials believe the unidentified woman sold magazine subscriptions in Marion, 
which is about 60 miles from Ashland County. Grate told investigators that he 
lured the woman into his car by pretending to purchase magazines from her, 
Utley said.

He said he then stabbed her and hid her body in the basement of his Marion 
residence at the time, according to Utley. Grate told investigators he killed 
the woman after his mother was upset she hadn't received her magazines.

Grate is being held in the Ashland County Jail on $1 million bond. His lawyer 
did not wish to comment on the ongoing investigation.

(source: CNN)

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

Cincinnati mom accused of murder: 'The world want the death penalty, give it to 
them?'


A woman accused of killing her daughter was in court Thursday, a day after her 
husband was sentenced to death for the same crime.

Andrea Bradley is charged with murder, facing the possibility of being sent to 
death row if convicted of killing Glenara Bates.

Bradley was previously offered a plea deal that would have spared her, by 
sending her to prison for life, but she rejected that plan.

Her defense attorneys have pursued a different strategy, arguing instead that 
her mental capacity would disqualify her from being put to death.

Courts have ruled someone who suffers from intellectual disabilities cannot be 
executed. Her attorneys say her IQ falls below the threshold.

They asked the judge for more time for experts to finish up reports they say 
would confirm it.

In court, Bradley seemed uninterested in the effort to spare her life.

"It don't matter what I want, give the world what they want. The world want the 
death penalty, give it to them. I don't care," she said.

Her husband, Glen Bates, was found guilty this week in Glenara's death and was 
sentenced to death on Wednesday.

Another hearing for Bradley is scheduled for early October.

(source: WLWT news)






TENNESSEE:

DA to seek death penalty in double-murder case


Tenth District Attorney General Steve Crump filed notice Wednesday he would 
seek the death penalty for Ross Hamilton Anderson, who was charged in the 
1st-degree murders of a Cleveland woman and her young son.

The murders occurred at a residence located at 239 Hillview Drive N.W.

The filing in Bradley County Criminal Court reads: "At the sentencing hearing, 
if any, in this matter the State intends to rely upon the following aggravating 
circumstances codified in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-204(i): (1) 
The murder was committed against a person less than 12 years of age and the 
defendant was 18 years of age or older; (6) The murder was committed for the 
purpose of avoiding, interfering with, or preventing a lawful arrest or 
prosecution of the defendant or another."

According to reports, a welfare check had been requested by a Wolftever Animal 
Clinic co-worker of Rachael Johnson when she did not arrive to work on Dec. 7, 
2015 - the day of the alleged murders.

When police arrived at the home that day, they found Johnson and her 5-year-old 
son dead.

Cleveland Police investigators said both victims had sustained multiple 
injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

Officers noted the front door to the Hillview Drive home was open. They then 
entered to check on the occupants, according to an affidavit.

Inside, they found Johnson at the entrance to the bathroom with a bullet wound 
to the head, as well as a dog, which had also been shot in the head. Johnson's 
son, Colton, age 5, was found lying face down in the bathtub, which was 
partially filled with water. The child had apparently been taking a bath. He 
had a small toy clutched in his hand, the report added.

Colton Johnson had been shot in the face and was deceased. Spent .45-caliber 
casings were found in the master bedroom located across the hall from the 
bathroom.

CPD officers reported the two victims had been dead less than 24 hours when 
they were discovered, and reported the deaths to be domestic-related.

Anderson, whose residence was listed as the same Hillview Drive address, was 
taken into custody late that afternoon by Rutherford County Sheriff's Office 
deputies when they were called to a home where a "disoriented male was knocking 
on doors."

RCSO deputies took Anderson to St. Thomas Rutherford County for assessment. 
Cleveland law enforcement was contacted and he was held at the hospital until 
being eventually transported to the Moccasin Bend mental health facility in 
Chattanooga for further evaluation.

"Ross Anderson was at the (emergency room), and had just admitted to a social 
worker that he killed his girlfriend, her son and their dog," according to the 
MPD report filed by Officer Mark Moghaddam.

"Upon our arrival [Moghaddam and other officers] we spoke with Mr. Anderson, 
who was freely speaking about the events. Mr. Anderson continued to make 
statements without being questioned, or prompted to speak. Later, Officer 
(Matt) Harvey Mirandized Mr. Anderson and asked him questions about the event."

Moghaddam said he spoke with the Cleveland Police Department and discovered the 
local law enforcement agency did have a case against Anderson, and agents from 
the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation responded to assist in the case.

Anderson reportedly told Murfreesboro police officers that he had killed 2 
people as well as a dog, which Johnson had just picked up in Kentucky.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent who spoke with Anderson said both 
victims and the dog were in the bathroom when he shot and killed them.

Anderson worked previously with the Cleveland Fire Department as a firefighter, 
where he served from Dec. 1, 2008, to May 16, 2014, confirmed former Cleveland 
City Manager Janice Casteel to the Cleveland Daily Banner at the time of the 
incident. She said employee records indicated that Anderson voluntarily left 
the department about 1 1/2 years ago.

(source: Cleveland Daily Banner)






NEBRASKA:

Ex-doctor faces Omaha trial for alleged revenge killings


It was a mystery that many thought might never be solved: Who savagely stabbed 
to death the 11-year-old son of 2 medical doctors and the family's housekeeper 
in 2008 in one of Omaha's most affluent neighborhoods?

After years of delays, opening statements are expected Monday in former doctor 
Anthony Garcia's trial for those deaths and the 2013 killings of another Omaha 
doctor and his wife. Prosecutors say the crimes were motivated by Garcia's 
long-simmering rage over his firing from a Creighton University School of 
Medicine residency program in 2001.

The 1st-degree murder case has been marked both by the brutality of the crimes 
and courtroom sparring. One Chicago defense attorney was kicked off the case 
and prosecutors have had to defend themselves from accusations of misconduct.

It's all led to years of delays as Garcia, 42, has undergone 2 mental health 
evaluations and 4 different trial start dates. He faces a possible death 
penalty if convicted.

"Everybody's put their lives on hold for 3 years," said Brad Waite, of Omaha, 
brother of Shirlee Sherman, the housekeeper who was killed in 2008. "Family 
members take off from work and buy plane tickets, only to get here and have it 
postponed again. We've been reliving the tragedy for 3 years."

(source: Associated Press)

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

Catholic Bishops of Nebraska Say Death Penalty 'not necessary to protect 
society'


The 3 bishops in charge of the 375,000 Catholics in 350 Nebraska parishes have 
officially come out as opponents of the death penalty, as the issue takes 
center stage with a statewide vote coming in November.

On Thursday, Tom Venzor executive director of the Catholic Conference of 
Nebraska and public policy voice of the 3 Nebraska bishops, says the bishops 
all agree that the death penalty "is not necessary to protect society."

This comes just 1 month before Nebraskans will vote to either keep the repeal 
of the death penalty, that state legislators made law in May of 2015, or to 
bring back the option of the death penalty.

The recommendation from the 3 bishops, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, 
Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha and Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of the Grand 
Island diocese, comes as no surprise with all 3 pledging their support for the 
initial repeal of the death penalty in 2015.

They said at that time they don't believe that the penalty of death is a just 
option.

"Justice requires punishment, but it does not require that those who have 
committed serious crimes be put to death."

In the Thursday news conference, Venzor called the death penalty "a broken 
system" and also cited the fact that the past 3 popes, Pope John Paul II, Pope 
Benedict XVI and current Pope Francis, all spoke against capital punishment.

Other reasons Venzor recommends Catholics vote RETAIN on November 8th, include 
the possibility of wrongful convictions, minority discrimination, the long 
appeals process and high taxpayer costs associated with the death penalty.

(source: KWBE news)






NEW MEXICO:

Death penalty becomes political in Las Cruces Senate district


The death penalty is already an issue in a Las Cruces Senate district, even 
before the special session that begins Friday.

Although that session is primarily aimed at the state's budget deficit, 
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is also asking lawmakers to reinstate the death 
penalty in convictions involving slain police, corrections officers or 
children.

Some suspect Martinez wants to put Democratic House and Senate members on the 
record opposing the death penalty to use against them in campaign advertising.

But Sen. Lee Cotter, a Las Cruces Republican, sent a mailer this week attacking 
his opponent, Rep. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat on the issue.

"Jeff Steinborn has crossed the line," the mailer reads. "Steinborn doesn't 
believe that people that murder our brave police officers and innocent children 
in cold blood deserve the death penalty."

Steinborn was endorsed by Las Cruces Police Officers Association in the primary 
election, but the association hasn't endorsed in the general election. 
Steinborn did vote to abolish the death penalty, but he said that doesn't mean 
he doesn't support law enforcement officers.

"It's disgusting," he told NMID in an interview. "I think there's nothing more 
offensive than trying to say that you don't stand with a murdered policeman. 
It's the kind of mud we expected to be slung in this election."

Republicans are trying to hold on to their majority in the House, which they 
won in 2014 for the 1st time in 60 years, and gain a majority in the Senate in 
the November elections.

The Senate District 36 face-off between Cotter and Steinborn is considered one 
of the more competitive races in the 112 legislative contests.

(source: New Mexico In Depth)






ARIZONA:

Garcia-Soto case the ultimate example of slow-moving wheels of justice


Few criminal cases stretch the boundaries of slow-moving justice as does the 
bizarre death-penalty case involving Cesar Garcia-Soto.

As with many death penalty cases, the one against Garcia-Soto is complicated. 
There has been delay upon delay. One lawyer was allowed to quit. That required 
more time to find a new lawyer willing to take the case.

Lawyers for Garcia-Soto tried to have the death penalty taken off the table. 
They have alleged judicial misconduct. They asked the presiding judge to 
replace the judge assigned to the case. Then the judge who was hearing the case 
was reassigned to mental-health court and a new judge had to take over.

If ever there was a way to delay holding someone accountable, this one has to 
be the case study in how painfully slow the wheels of justice can move.

Here is the clincher: Garcia-Soto was arrested in February 2008. We are closing 
in on 9 years since the man was first arrested.

He was 33 years old at the time. He was arrested after his infant son was found 
unconscious and not breathing is his VOC apartment. The baby was taken to St. 
Joseph's hospital in Phoenix, where he died 3 weeks later. Doctors said he had 
"highly suspicious" injuries: a fractured skull and pelvis, according to YCSO 
investigators, and a broken arm and several broken ribs that appeared to be a 
result of older incidents.

Further complicating the case was the fact that the child's mother, Gladys 
Yamileth Rodriguez-Paz, was not home at the time of the 911 call, and she 
pleaded guilty to 1 count of child abuse in 2008 and was sentenced to a year in 
prison.

Today in Yavapai County Superior Court, lawyers will be at it again going 
through the machinations required to move this case to its ultimate legal 
conclusion.

Supposedly it is going to trial this year; 2017 may be more realistic given the 
history of this case.

A baby died in 2008.

It shouldn't take nearly 9 years for the justice system to hold someone 
accountable for this horrific crime.

(source: Editorial, Verde News)






USA:

Support for death penalty lowest in more than 4 decades


As the Supreme Court prepares to hear the 1st of 2 death penalty cases in this 
year's term, the share of Americans who support the death penalty for people 
convicted of murder is now at its lowest point in more than 4 decades.

Only about 1/2 of Americans (49%) now favor the death penalty for people 
convicted of murder, while 42% oppose it. Support has dropped 7 % points since 
March 2015, from 56%. Public support for capital punishment peaked in the 
mid-1990s, when 8-in-10 Americans (80% in 1994) favored the death penalty and 
fewer than 2-in-10 were opposed (16%). Opposition to the death penalty is now 
the highest it has been since 1972.

Though support for the death penalty has declined across most groups, a Pew 
Research Center survey conducted Aug. 23-Sept. 2 among 1,201 adults finds that 
most Republicans continue to largely favor its use in cases of murder, while 
most Democrats oppose it. By more than 2-to-1, more Republicans (72%) than 
Democrats (34%) currently favor the death penalty.

2 decades ago, when majorities in both parties favored the death penalty, the 
partisan gap was only 16 % points (87% of Republicans vs. 71% of Democrats).

And, for the 1st time in decades, independents are as likely to oppose the use 
of the death penalty (45%) as they are to favor it (44%). The share of 
independents who support capital punishment has fallen 13 points since last 
year (from 57%).

This shift in views among independents is particularly pronounced among those 
who lean toward the Democratic Party (a 10-point decrease in support) and those 
who do not lean to either party (down 16 points). Support for the death penalty 
among independents who lean toward the GOP is little changed from March 2015 
(73% now, 70% then).

Even as support for the death penalty has declined across nearly all groups, 
demographic differences remain: Men are more likely to back the use of the 
death penalty than women, white Americans are more supportive than blacks and 
Hispanics, and attitudes on the issue also differ by age, education and along 
religious lines.

More than 1/2 of men (55%) say they are in favor of the death penalty and 38% 
are opposed. Women's views are more divided: 43% favor the death penalty, 45% 
oppose it.

A 57% majority of whites favor the death penalty for those convicted of murder 
(down from 63% last year). But blacks and Hispanics support it at much lower 
rates: Just 29% of blacks and 36% of Hispanics favor capital punishment.

There are only modest difference by age and education in support for the death 
penalty, with 18- to 29-year-olds somewhat less likely to support it (42% 
favor) than those in older age groups (51% of those 30 and older). Those 
without a college degree are more likely than those with at least a college 
degree to favor the use of the death penalty in cases of murder (51% vs. 43%).

White evangelical Protestants continue to back the use of the death penalty by 
a wide margin (69% favor, 26% oppose). White mainline Protestants also are 
substantially more likely to support (60%) than oppose (31%) the death penalty. 
But among Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated, opinion is more divided: 
43% of Catholics favor capital punishment, while 46% oppose it. And while 50% 
of those who are religiously unaffiliated oppose the death penalty, 40% support 
it.

A more detailed study last year of attitudes toward capital punishment found 
that 63% of the public thought the death penalty was morally justified, but 
majorities said there was some risk of an innocent person being put to death 
(71%) and that the death penalty does not deter serious crime (61%).

(source: pewresearch.org)