[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.H., PENN., ALA., COLO., USA

[Rick Halperin]

April 1



TEXAS----impending executions

Texas Gives Mark Robertson Execution Date of April 11, 2019



Mark Allen Robertson is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CDT, on Thursday, 
April 11, 2019, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in 
Huntsville, Texas. 50-year-old Mark is convicted of the murder of 81-year-old 
Edna Brau and her 19-year-old grandson Sean Jason Hill on August 19, 1989, in 
Dallas, Texas. Mark has spent the last 27 years on death row in Texas.

Mark was born in Los Angeles, California and spent his early years in a rough, 
crime filled area of California. Mark dropped out of school after the 10th 
grade. Growing up, Mark was allegedly abused by his father and was neglected by 
all parental figures. Mark has a juvenile record. He worked as a cook prior to 
his arrest.

Mark Robertson was friends with Sean Hill, who lived with his grandmother, Edna 
Brau, in a house in Dallas, Texas. Sean had previously sold Robertson drugs. On 
August 19, 1989, Robertson and Sean ingested some crystal methamphetamine and 
went fishing. While fishing, Robertson shot Sean in the back of the head. 
Robertson then returned to the house to steal the rest of the drugs.

Once inside the house, Robertson observed Edna watching television and shot her 
in the head. Robertson then stole drugs, valuables, and Edna’s blue Cadillac. 
Robertson then returned home.

Upon hearing that the bodies of Sean and Edna had been found, Robertson alleges 
he had difficulty sleeping and decided to drive to Las Vegas, Nevada. A police 
officer in Las Vegas performed a routine license check on a blue Cadillac. It 
registered as stolen. The police officer arrested Robertson after observing him 
placing the key in the ignition.

After reading Robertson his rights, Robertson confessed to the crime to 
multiple police officers. Robertson also confessed to the murder of 19-year-old 
Jeffery Saunders, a clerk at a 7-Eleven, on August 9, 1989. During his trial, a 
psychologist testified that the recent break-up with his girlfriend, and the 
news that she had obtained an abortion of their unborn child, was a significant 
stressor in Robertson’s life and would have affected his ability to think 
rationally. Robertson was eventually sentenced to death for the murder of Edna. 
He was given separate life prison terms for the murders of Sean and Jeffery.

Please pray for peace and healing for the families of the Edna Brau, Sean Hill, 
and Jeffery Saunders. Please pray for strength for the family of Mark 
Robertson. Please pray that if Mark is innocent, lacks the mental competency to 
be executed, or should not be executed for any other reason that evidence will 
be presented prior to his execution. Please pray that Mark may come to find 
peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if he has not already.

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

Texas Gives John King Execution Date of April 24, 2019



John William King is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CDT, on Wednesday, April 
24, 2019, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, 
Texas. John is convicted of the murder of 49-year-old James Byrd, Jr., on June 
7, 1998, in Jasper, Texas. John has spent the last 19 years on Texas’ death 
row.

John was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He had previously served time in Texas for 
burglary and was on parole at the time of the murder. Prior to his arrest, he 
worked as a carpenter and a laborer.

On June 6, 1998, James Byrd, Jr., was attending a party. He was unable to find 
a ride home from the party and began walking home, about a mile away. A man who 
had known James for several years, Steven Scott, testified that he observed 
James riding in the back of an “old-model, step-side pickup truck tainted 
primer-gray.” Steven also noted that there were 3 white people in the truck. 
James was an African-American.

On June 7, 1998, police responded to a call and discovered the body of an 
African-American male lying in the road. The head, neck, and right arm were 
missing and discovered approximately a mile and a half up the road. The remains 
of the victims pants and underwear were around his ankles.

Police also discovered a smeared blood trail that went approximately a mile and 
half down the road to a dirt logging road. On the logging road, police found a 
wallet that contained identification for James Byrd, Jr. Along the blood trail, 
police also found James’ dentures, keys, shirt, undershirt, and watch. The 
blood trail ended at an area where a fight appeared to have taken place. At 
this site, police discovered several other items, including a cigarette lighter 
engraved with the words “Possum” and “KKK,” a button from James’ shirt, James’ 
baseball cap, and nut driver wrench inscribed with the name “Berry.”

That evening, police stopped a man named Shawn Berry for an unrelated traffic 
violation. Behind the front seat was a set of tools matching the one found at 
the fight scene. Berry was arrested and the truck was confiscated. Further 
testing revealed blood splatters underneath the truck and on the tires. Tire 
tracks found at the scene also matched tires Berry possessed.

Police and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Berry’s 
apartment, which he shared with Lawrence Brewer and John King. DNA and other 
forensic evidence was discovered on items in the apartment, belonging to all 
three men. Further investigation uncovered the logging chain that matched a 
rust imprint in the bed of the truck.

During the trial, it was proven that King was affiliated with Confederate 
Knights of America (a white supremacist prison gang) and the Ku Klux Klan. 
Friends of King testified to his racial actions, such as leaving a party if an 
African-American arrived. Additionally, King had several racist tattoos, 
including a swastika and a black man hanging from a tree by a noose.

Also during the trial, King claimed that he was innocent of the crime for which 
he was charged. Many of his appeals since his conviction has focused on his 
attorneys allegedly failing to present his case of actual innocence.

King and Brewer were convicted of torture and murder and sentenced to death, 
while Berry was given a life sentence. Brewer was executed on September 21, 
2011.

Please pray for peace and healing for the family of James Byrd, Jr. Please pray 
for strength for the family of John King. Please pray that if John is innocent, 
lacks the mental capacity to be executed, or should not be executed for any 
other reason, that evidence will be provided prior to his execution. Please 
pray that John may come to find peace through a personal relationship with the 
Lord, if he has not already.

(source for both: theforgivenessfoundation.org)








NEW HAMPSHIRE:

Misleading coverage on death penalty hearing



I am deeply disappointed in the Monitor’s reporting on the hearing before the 
Senate Judiciary Committee on House Bill 455 to repeal New Hampshire’s death 
penalty on Wednesday. Your coverage was woefully incomplete and one-sided.

The hearing lasted 3 hours. 32 witnesses testified, and only 5 of those 
witnesses testified in favor of retaining the death penalty. You reported at 
great length about the desire for 1 murder victim’s family member to keep the 
death penalty. But you completely ignored the fact that at least 10 other 
family members also testified – every single one in opposition to the penalty.

In addition to those family members, the committee heard testimony from former 
attorneys general, judges, police officers, a person who was wrongfully 
convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death, and prominent religious 
leaders, all of them urging the Legislature to repeal the death penalty and 
providing compelling reasons to do so. Your reporting didn’t devote even one 
sentence to them.

Your reporting was a disgrace and a real disservice to your readers. If you are 
not going to provide a full picture, at least don’t provide a misleading one.

BARBARA KESHEN

Concord

(source: Letter to the Editor, Concord Monitor)








PENNSYLVANIA:

Westmoreland County’s longest-serving public defender keeps giving clients his 
all



Greg Cecchetti knew from an early age he wanted to be a defense attorney.

More than three decades later, he’s still at work defending low-income 
residents charged with crimes.

“I always wanted to be a lawyer, since the sixth grade,” Cecchetti said. “In 
high school, I knew I wanted to become a public defender.”

Cecchetti, 62, of Derry Township last month celebrated his 35th anniversary in 
the Westmoreland County’s Public Defender’s Office, where he is the 
longest-tenured full-time lawyer and serves as the first assistant among a 
staff of 14 attorneys.

Cecchetti grew up in Arnold. After graduating from Northern Ohio Law School, he 
joined the public defender’s office in 1984.

Like many of his public defender colleagues, Cecchetti spends his days running 
from courtroom to courtroom handling as many as 300 cases a year ranging from 
drunken-driving offenses to murders. He’s one of three lawyers in the office 
certified to defend clients facing the death penalty.

“I want to help people in need,” Cecchetti said. “I didn’t ever feel 
comfortable seeing people in need of a defense attorney and couldn’t get 
adequate representation.”

He first worked under Dante Bertani as the office’s first chief public 
defender. Bertani’s philosophy of challenging every aspect of every case rubbed 
off on Cecchetti, who said he still represents clients with the same zeal he 
learned from his mentor.

“I’m in court almost every day, and I feel pressure to make sure my client’s 
rights are not violated,” Cecchetti said. “Sometimes it is tough to defend a 
person, and you have to remember you are there for a purpose and are looking 
out for them and don’t give up on them. It’s overwhelming, but he or she is 
entitled to the most I can provide.”

Blunt with clients and tough with prosecutors, Cecchetti said he’s not in court 
to make friends but to defend his clients. He said the end results matter more 
than his courtroom demeanor.

Like most criminal defense attorneys, courtroom victories are not the norm. 
Still, there have been wins — some of which stand out more than others.

Cecchetti recalled one case, nearly 30 years ago, in which he successfully 
defended a client accused of murder. Prosecutors had a strong case with 
evidence that proved the victim was slashed across his back, a wound that an 
autopsy showed was caused by a left-to-right sweep of a knife.

“We were able to establish our client was left handed, and it appeared it would 
have been impossible for him to cause that wound,” Cecchetti said. “We were 
able to establish that it was impossible for our client to inflict that wound.”

Cecchetti said he considers himself a lifer in the public defender’s office. He 
interviewed for the office’s top job after county commissioners fired Bertani 
in 2012. Bertani, a former chairman of the county Democratic committee, claimed 
he was fired for political reasons and won a $250,000 settlement from the 
county a few years later.

Although Cecchetti didn’t get the job, he was kept on as the office’s top 
assistant by Republican Wayne McGrew, who was hired to replace Bertani.

“We had cases against each other when I worked in the district attorney’s 
office, and I saw Greg was very committed to the work done by the public 
defender,” McGrew said. “Even after all these years, he has no problem putting 
in the work to get his cases ready and defend his clients.”

And he’s still working to defend his clients.

When I feel I can no longer defend someone, that is when I shouldn’t be defense 
attorney any more,” Cecchetti said.

(source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)








ALABAMA----impending execution

Alabama Gives Christopher Price Execution Date of April 11, 2019



Christopher Lee Price is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CDT, on Thursday, 
April 11, 2019, at the Holeman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. 
46-year-old Christopher has been convicted of the murder of 57-year-old 
minister, Bill Lynn, on December 22, 1991, in Fayette County, Alabama. 
Christopher has spent the last 26 years on death row in Alabama.

Christopher Price had previously been arrested for trespassing, vehicular 
burglary, receiving stolen property, and criminal mischief. Growing up, 
Christopher had a difficult childhood. Christopher’s father was murdered when 
he was a young child. Following his father’s death, Christopher was verbally, 
physically, and, possibly, sexually abused by live-in companions of his mother.

Bill Lynn was the minister of Natural Springs Church of Christ in Alabama. He 
and his wife, Bessie, lived nearby, in the Bazemore community of north Fayette 
County. On December 22, 1991, the couple returned to their home after church 
service. While Bessie got ready for bed and watched television upstairs, Bill 
began preparing Christmas presents for his grandchildren.

The power in the house suddenly went out, however, the security lights outside 
remained on and the neighbors still had electricity. Bill told Bessie to call 
the power company, while he went outside to check the power box. When Bessie 
heard a noise, she looked out her window and saw a man dressed in black, 
holding a sword above his head in a striking position. Bill yelled for his wife 
to call the police, but she discovered that the phone lines had been cut. 
Bessie went downstairs and grabbed a pistol before exiting the house, where she 
was struck on the back of the head, knocking her to the ground. She got up, 
fired a shot into the air and ran to help her husband. Bill was seriously 
injured and told his wife that he knew he was going to die. As Bessie was 
attempting to start their vehicle, 2 men dressed in black appeared on either 
side. They ordered her out of the van and beat her. Then they took her back 
into the house and demanded money and jewelry. The men robbed the house of 
checks and cash in a bank deposit bag, guns, and Bessie’s jewelry, including 
her wedding ring.

The 2 men searched the house then left through the back door. Bessie ran out 
the front door and to her father’s house nearby, where she called for help. 
Bill died before reaching the hospital. Bessie was treated for her numerous 
injuries.

Approximately 1 week later, Christopher Price was arrested in Chattanooga, 
Tennessee, where he had been visiting friends. Price admitted to participating 
in the crime, however he insisted that his accomplice had killed Bill and 
injured Bessie. Price was convicted and sentenced to death.

Price is asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt his execution. Price 
is arguing that he should receive a stay of execution because the execution 
violates his 8th Amendment rights because it could cause pain and suffering. 
Price is also arguing that the state is violating his 14th Amendment rights, 
which provides for equal protection under the law, by refusing to carry out the 
execution using nitrogen hypoxia, a new method of execution that was approved 
and signed into law in 2018. However, the state does not currently have a 
protocol established for such an execution, nor the means to carry out an 
execution in such a manner. Additionally, following the passage of the law, the 
state allowed each inmate to select their method of execution in a timely 
manner. Within that time, Price did not select that he wanted to be executed by 
nitrogen hypoxia.

Please pray for peace and healing for Bessie and for the family of Bill. Please 
pray for strength for the family of Christopher Price. Please pray that if 
Christopher is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed, or should not be 
executed for any other reason, that evidence will be provided prior to his 
execution. Please pray that Christopher may come to find peace through a 
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if he has not already.

(source: theforgivenessfoundation.org)








COLORADO:

Colorado lawmakers considering bill to ban the death penalty



3 Colorado inmates are currently sitting on death row. The state brought the 
death penalty back in the 1970s but hasn't executed anyone in more than 20 
years.

Now the state legislature, bringing forward a bill to repeal the death penalty 
in Colorado.

Denise Maes, the Public Policy Director for the ACLU of Colorado, supports the 
bill.

"We feel it's a particularly flawed and broken system, we feel it's given out 
arbitrarily and has a lot of racial disproportionally," Maes said.

Maes said it's expensive to try a death penalty case and says studies show it 
doesn't serve as a deterrent to crime.

"There are some states that have rid the death penalty that have high crimes of 
violence and the same is true of states that have repealed it - they can also 
have high crimes or not," Maes said.

But Republican State Senator Paul Lundeen disagrees, citing other studies show 
capital punishment does serve as a deterrent to crime.

"They even put a ratio on it, for every 1 execution there are 5 lives saved. So 
from that perspective, from the moral perspective, from the deterrent value of 
the death penalty, I oppose the bill," Lundeen said.

Lundeen adds it's still a complicated issue because a death penalty case is 
rather a long process nowadays.

"The connection in the eye and the mind of society between conviction, 
execution and deterrent effect has become a little bit fuzzy," Lundeen said.

Should it make it through the legislature, Governor Jared Polis has said he'd 
sign the bill.

The bill is set to be heard for the 2nd reading Monday in the Colorado State 
Senate. However, it's been laid over multiple times as it seems to not have the 
votes to clear the Senate, so it's possible it could be laid over once again 
Monday morning.

(source: KRDO news)








USA:

If convicted, Robert Bowers could face death penalty — but not necessarily 
execution



Robert Bowers could become the only person from Western Pennsylvania on federal 
death row if he is convicted and sentenced to death for the mass shooting 
inside a Squirrel Hill synagogue last year.

But with an attorney known for sparing the most notorious killers from the 
execution chamber, added to the fact that so few people are put to death by the 
federal government and with a process that could take decades, whether Bowers 
would ever be executed remains to be seen, legal experts told the 
Tribune-Review.

Bowers is accused of opening fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 
killing 11 worshippers among 3 congregations. 2 other congregants were hurt. 5 
police officers were wounded in a shootout with Bowers.

Bowers has pleaded not guilty to 63 federal charges filed against him, 22 of 
which are punishable by death.

Federal prosecutors have not yet made a decision as to whether they will seek 
the death penalty.

“It’s probably as bad as it gets. If there was ever a case for the death 
penalty proponents to use, and use him as their poster child, that would be 
it,” said criminal defense attorney Tim Dawson, who represented Melvin Knight, 
a member of the Greensburg 6, in his death penalty case. Dawson also is 
handling the capital case against Rahmael Sal Holt. Holt is accused in the 
November 2017 shooting death of rookie New Kensington police Officer Brian 
Shaw.

Bowers’ attorney, Judy Clarke, has a reputation for keeping serial killers and 
mass murderers off death row. Among her former clients are the Unabomber, Ted 
Kaczynski, and Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted of helping mastermind the 9/11 
attacks.

Both pleaded guilty and were spared the death penalty.

Clarke has already expressed interest in striking a plea deal for Bowers rather 
than taking the case to trial.

Federal prosecutors generally defer to state prosecutors in day-to-day homicide 
cases, but there are extenuating circumstances in which the federal government 
can impose the death penalty.

One such instance is the Bowers’ case, said Bruce Antkowiak, a former federal 
prosecutor and chair of the Criminology Department at Saint Vincent College.

“The offenses you see in the Bowers indictment are windows through which the 
federal government can prosecute murder,” Antkowiak said. “They’re prosecuting 
it primarily in the first instance as either the hate crime, the destruction of 
the property, or the harm to individuals who are enjoying the exercise of 
religion or a crime of violence committed with a firearm where death results.”

If convicted and sentenced to death, Bowers would join 62 other people on 
federal death row, according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center, 
a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that disseminates studies and reports 
related to the death penalty. DPIC does not take a political stance regarding 
the death penalty.

And if Bowers ends up on federal death row, he could be there for awhile. James 
H. Roane, Jr., Corey Johnson and Richard Tipton, have been there for about 26 
years. The three were convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 for their 
participation in a series of drug-related killings in and around Richmond, Va. 
They have been on death row the longest.

(source: triblive.com)