[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, S.C., GA., FLA., OHIO, IND., ARK., NEB.

[Rick Halperin]

January 11








TEXAS:

Judge to decide whether to lower bail for mother of 3-year-old found dead in 
Richardson culvert



The mother accused of abandoning 3-year-old Sherin Mathews before the girl's 
death in Richardson could have her bail reduced at a hearing Friday morning.

Sini Mathews has been held in the Dallas County Jail since her arrest in 
November 2017, when bail was set at $250,000.

Mathews' trial had been set for Monday, but was postponed. No new trial date 
has been set.

Her husband Wesley Mathews, who is charged with capital murder in their 
daughter's death, had his bail significantly reduced in August.

His bail was lowered from $1 million to $500,000 for the capital murder charge, 
from $250,000 to $100,000 for a tampering with physical evidence charge, and 
from $1 million to $500,000 for a charge of injury to a child with serious 
bodily injury.

In total, his bail is set at $1.1 million. His defense attorney had asked for 
his bail to be set at $250,000. He remains in the Dallas County Jail.

A capital murder indictment for Wesley Mathews' says he killed Sherin "by a 
manner and means unknown to the grand jury," according to court records.

Sherin's body was found in a culvert Oct. 22, 2017, after she had been reported 
missing Oct. 7.

Wesley and Sini Mathews left the girl at home alone while they went out to eat 
the night before Sherin's death, police have said.

At a November 2017 hearing in which her bail was reduced to $100,000, a 
detective testified that he believed Sini Mathews was a flight risk because she 
had asked for her biological daughter's immunization records. The detective 
said he believed the woman wanted to flee out of desperation and to "be with 
family in India."

The Mathewses adopted Sherin from India in June 2016.

Wesley Mathews' murder trial is scheduled for May. If he is convicted, he could 
face the death penalty or an automatic sentence of life without parole.

(source: Dallas Morning News)

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

Border Patrol agent accused of killing 4 in South Texas enters not guilty plea



A Border Patrol agent accused of killing four women in South Texas pleaded not 
guilty during an arraignment Thursday.

At a court in Webb County, Juan David Ortiz, 35, entered his not guilty plea to 
a charge of capital murder, 1 count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, 
1 count of unlawful restraint, and 1 count of evading arrest or detention.

His attorney, Joel Perez, said his client "like any other person charged with a 
crime, is presumed innocent" and "has a right to a fair jury trial."

Ortiz, a 10-year veteran of US Customs and Border Protection, was arrested last 
September, after a woman escaped from him and found a state trooper, police 
said.

After his arrest, Ortiz confessed to fatally shooting 4 women during the first 
2 weeks of September. The victims have been identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, 
Claudine Luera, 42, Guiselda Alicia Cantu, 35, and 28-year-old Janelle Ortiz, 
who was also know as Nikki Enriquez.

As Ortiz was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs on Thursday, the mother of 1 
of the dead women yelled out in Spanish, "Damn you, you damn murderer," 
according to Yanira Resendez, a spokeswoman for the Webb County District 
Attorney's office.

When Ortiz was indicted in December, prosecutors announced they plan to seek 
the death penalty.

In a statement, Ortiz' attorney said that "in the event of a conviction for 
capital murder, the law presumes a punishment of life imprisonment rather than 
death."

Webb County District Attorney District Attorney Isidro Alaniz had said the 
Texas Penal code allows a lone capital murder count if the defendant carried 
out multiple murders "pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct."

He confessed to the killings, police say

In December, Alaniz described Ortiz as a self-proclaimed vigilante who wanted 
to "clean up the streets of Laredo by targeting individuals he deemed to be 
disposable and that no one would care about. People he did not give value to."

"In this case," Alaniz said, "he preyed on the weak, the sick and the 
vulnerable."

He got to know the people he targeted and met with them several times to gain 
their trust, according to Webb County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy 
Federico Garza.

His first victim, police say, was Ramirez. Ortiz told police he picked her up 
September 3 and drove her out to the edge of the city, where she exited his 
vehicle to urinate on the side of the road, an arrest affidavit says. Ortiz 
shot her multiple times in the back of the head and drove away, according to 
police.

Days before his arrest, Ortiz picked up another woman, Luera, and drove her 
outside of Laredo. After she became suspicious and accused Ortiz of being the 
last person seen with Ramirez, Luera got out of the vehicle, the affidavit 
says.

Ortiz shot her multiple times in the head and fled, police said.

He picked up another woman on September 14, drove to his home in the northern 
part of Laredo and then took her to a gas station. There, Ortiz pulled out a 
pistol and pointed it at her, but the woman maneuvered herself out of the car 
and ran to a state trooper fueling up at the gas station, the affidavit says.

After the woman escaped, the Border Patrol agent picked up Cantu, who would 
become his 3rd victim. Later, Ortiz picked up a transgender woman and drove her 
about 5 miles from where he killed Cantu, the affidavit says.

He ordered her out of the car and shot her once in the back of the head, the 
affidavit says.

Authorities initially identified the transgender woman as Humberto Ortiz but 
have since then confirmed that she identified herself as Janelle Ortiz and 
Nikki Enriquez.

Following the agent's arrest, Alaniz said Ortiz "would go about his daily 
activities like anybody here. He appeared normal by all accounts and 
circumstances. At the nighttime, he was someone else, hunting the streets of 
San Bernardo for this community of people and arbitrarily deciding who he was 
going to kill next."

Ortiz remains in custody on a $2.5 million bond.

(source: CNN)

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

US border agent pleads not guilty to killing 4 Texas women



A U.S. Border Patrol agent in Texas has pleaded not guilty to capital murder 
and other charges in the September killings of 4 women who prosecutors say were 
sex workers.

Juan David Ortiz entered the pleas Thursday before a judge in the border city 
of Laredo. He is accused of killing Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Luera, Guiselda 
Alicia Cantu and Janelle Ortiz. Each was shot in the head and left along rural 
Laredo-area roads. One died of blunt force trauma after being shot.

Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz has said he'll seek the death 
penalty if Ortiz is convicted of capital murder.

Alaniz contends that Ortiz told investigators he was "doing a service" by 
killing the women and that he didn't think law enforcement was doing enough to 
curb prostitution.

(source: Associated Press) *****************

Texas legislature to review bills filed to make changes to death penalty



This is the 1st week of the legislative session in Texas and discussion for 
proposed bills are just getting started.

State representative Joe Moody, (D) El Paso, said there are some bills filed to 
make changes to the death penalty in Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court states it is unconstitutional to implement the death 
penalty on someone with an intellectual disability.

The court left it up to the states that carry the death penalty to decide how 
to implement the law and to create its own evaluation system.

Moody said recent court ruling in Texas have found that there is no evaluation 
system to determine if someone has an intellectual disability.

In the past, the Supreme Court has chastised Texas for not having a proper law.

Moody said there are several bills filed this legislative session.

"The recommendation we're going to make is to create a uniform policy at the 
state, maybe even lean on a specialty court to make these determinations so 
we're not running the risk of executing someone who is unconstitutional to 
execute." Moody said.

He added that the Texas legislature has never taken up the issue.

Current guidelines are not based on medical standards.

Moody said there will likely be some changes approved, but it also likely sets 
the stage for some strong arguments on both sides of the aisle.

"There's growing bipartisan, not just to fix these issues with the death 
penalty, but I think there's a growing bipartisan consensus that maybe we need 
to do away with the death penalty in Texas," Moody.

That is a discussion Moody said could come up in the future, but not 
necessarily during the current legislative session.

(source: KVIA news)








SOUTH CAROLINA:

State Rep. Eddie Tallon files bill to bring back the electric chair



State Rep. Eddie Tallon, R-Spartanburg, has filed a bill he hopes will solve 
the state’s death row dilemma.

Tallon and Republican Rep. Bruce Bryant of Lake Wylie are proposing to bring 
back the electric chair as the default method for killing death row inmates.

South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, and in 2013 the state’s 
lethal-injection drug supply ran out. Officials said pharmaceutical companies 
won’t supply them because they fear retribution if their names are made known.

“It’s something the Department of Corrections needs (in order) to carry out 
their mandates,” Tallon said.

There are 36 inmates on death row, three of them from Spartanburg: Ricky 
Blackwell Sr., Marion Lindsey and Andres Antonio Torres.

(source: goupstate.com)








GEORGIA----female faces death penalty

Trial set for Gwinnett stepmom defending herself in capital case



A judge on Thursday set an April trial date for death-penalty defendant Tiffany 
Moss, the Gwinnett County woman who is representing herself against a murder 
charge that she starved her 10-year-old stepdaughter to death.

Shackled and wearing a prison jumpsuit, Moss walked into court holding nothing 
in her hands — no court documents, no pen and paper with which to take notes of 
the proceedings. On the few occasions Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson 
asked her if she had any questions, Moss politely answered no and said nothing 
else.

Against the advice of just about everyone associated with the case, Moss, 
saying it’s God will, has decided to defend herself alone. Hutchinson, who has 
strongly urged Moss to accept legal representation, previously appointed Brad 
Gardner and Emily Gilbert from the state Office of the Capital Defender to 
serve as standby lawyers in case Moss changes her mind. The two grim-faced 
capital defenders sat behind Moss in the courtroom gallery during Thursday’s 
brief hearing.

Hutchinson set April 8 for potential jurors to show up at the courthouse and 
for jury selection to begin April 15.

One potential holdup to the trial is an ongoing challenge to the county’s jury 
pool raised by lawyers for another death-penalty defendant in Gwinnett, 
District Attorney Danny Porter told the judge. If the Georgia Supreme Court 
decides to hear an appeal involving that issue, Moss’s trial may have to be 
delayed until that is resolved.

Moss is accused of starving 10-year-old Emani Moss to death and then burning 
her body in 2013. Emani weighed only 32 pounds when her body was found in a 
dumpster outside the apartment where she lived with her father, Eman Moss, and 
her stepmother.

Emam Moss, who was also charged in the case, pleaded guilty in exchange for a 
sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He has agreed to 
testify for the state.

Last year, Hutchinson ruled that Moss could represent herself, but he allowed 
Gardner and Gilbert to appeal his decision to the state Supreme Court. In 
December, the justices declined to hear the appeal, which led to Thursday’s 
hearing.

Before adjourning court, Hutchinson asked Moss, “Is there anything you need in 
your trial preparations coming up?”

“No, sir,” she replied.

When the hearing was over, Porter, the longtime Gwinnett DA, said prosecuting a 
death-penalty case against a lawyer-less defendant “presents an unusual set of 
challenges.”

“You not only have to prepare the case, you also have to keep an eye on the 
record to make sure no mistakes are being made. And then there’s the question 
of how far do you go to protect her from herself?”

Moss’ decision to represent herself in a capital case is not without precedent.

In 2015, Jamie Hood, serving as his own lawyer, was convicted of the murder of 
an Athens-Clarke County police officer. But the jury declined to impose a death 
sentence, and Hood was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

(source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution)








FLORIDA:

He’s accused of raping and strangling a woman in the Keys. If convicted, he 
faces death



A Marathon man charged with raping and murdering a woman in November deserves 
the death penalty, prosecutors said Thursday.

A grand jury Thursday indicted Steven Matthew Wolf, 58, on a first-degree 
murder charge. Handing a case to a grand jury is required before asking a jury 
to sentence a convict to die by lethal injection.

Monroe Assistant State Attorney Colleen Dunne presented the case Thursday to 
the grand jury and the prosecutor’s office then announced it would seek the 
death penalty should a jury convict Wolf of 1st-degree murder.

Police said Wolf dumped 51-year-old Michelle Osbourne‘s naked body in the woods 
by the Vaca Cut Bridge after raping and strangling her Nov. 21, the night 
before Thanksgiving. The indictment says he used a ligature to kill Osbourne.

“The murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel,” reads the state’s 
notice to seek the death penalty.

Police were quick to make an arrest in the homicide but identifying the victim 
took longer.

A fisherman found her body in the woods that afternoon, but it was almost a 
week before Monroe County sheriff’s detectives were able to identify the body 
by matching her fingerprints.

Osborne was homeless and lived in Janesville, Wisconsin, before moving to the 
Middle Keys, according to the sheriff’s office. She had worked as a substance 
abuse treatment center manager in Janesville, according to records.

Just hours after Osborne’s body was discovered, deputies found a Dodge 
conversion van parked at the Kmart shopping plaza at 5585 Overseas Highway. 
That’s where Wolf was arrested.

The van had missing parts similar to the ones found in the woods, and branches 
were stuck underneath the vehicle, Detective Rosa DiGiovanni said.

Wolf was inside the van, and it appeared he was living in it. Deputies found a 
lot of blood inside the van and also found bloody sheets placed in garbage bins 
throughout the city.

Wolf was arrested Nov. 23 and held on a murder charge, but the formal charging 
documents weren’t filed until Dec. 14.

In addition to the rape and the heinous manner in which Osbourne died, 
prosecutors cited a third reason the crime amounts to capital murder: Wolf has 
a previous conviction for a capital felony, “and/or of a felony involving the 
use or threat of violence to the person.”

Wolf has an extensive criminal history in his native Boise, Idaho, including a 
first-degree murder conviction in 1977, according to records released by the 
Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

Wolf and three of his friends smothered an elderly man to death with a pillow, 
records show. They had broken into his house to steal his $119 Social Security 
check.

Keys prosecutors now have 2 death penalty cases awaiting trial: Wolf and the 
case of Justin Calhoun.

Calhoun, 25, a transgender woman, admitted to police she jammed a broken piece 
of furniture down the throat of Mark Brann, 67, and stomped on it and also 
stabbed him in both eyes with a pen, detectives said.

Calhoun and Wolf remain jailed at the Stock Island Detention Center without 
bond.

(source: Miami Herald)

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

Chabad to offer course on crime, punishment and justice



Chabad of Jewish Centers in St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach will launch a 
6-week series in February exploring the Jewish approach to crime, punishment 
and justice.

A Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) course, “Crime and Consequence” will 
address topics such as “What’s the Purpose of Prison: Punishment, Deterrence or 
Rehabilitation?,” “What’s Judaism’s Position on the Death Penalty?” and “Can 
Criminals Ever Make Amends, and if so, How?”

The course draws deeply on ancient Jewish sources, while using contemporary 
materials to give a modern context to the discussion. The course is also 
accredited for Continuing Legal Education in Florida and most other states.

“Crime and Consequence” is designed to appeal to people at all levels of 
knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish 
learning. The first lesson is offered free of charge to give people a chance to 
try it out and see if it’s for them. All JLI courses are open to the public, 
and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple or 
other house of worship.

Crime and Consequence Course Schedule

Aaron and Blanche Scharf Chabad Center

521 A1A N, Ponte Vedra Beach

7 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, beginning Feb. 4

St. Augustine Beach City Hall

2200 A1A South

7 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, beginning Feb. 4

Madeira Community Amenity Center

Maralinda Drive, St. Augustine

7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 5

For information, call 521-8664 in St. Augustine and 543-9301 in Ponte Vedra 
Beach. To register, go to myJLI.com.

(source: St. Augustine Record)




OHIO:

Man sentenced to death in Cuyahoga County now facing additional murder charges 
in Stark



A man sentenced to death in Cuyahoga County for murdering 3 women has been 
returned to Stark County to face additional aggravated murder charges.

George C. Brinkman, 46, is believed to have killed 5 people, including Rogell 
“Gene” John, 71, and Roberta “Bobbi” John, 64. The couple was shot to death in 
their Lake Township home on June 12, 2017, while Brinkman was housesitting.

The Johns were killed less than a day after Brinkman killed 3 women in North 
Royalton. Brinkman was arrested a few days later in North Royalton following a 
standoff with police.

Brinkman was formally arrested at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stark County Jail on 
the local warrants charging him with aggravated burglary, evidence tampering 
and 2 counts each of aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, all with firearm 
and death penalty specifications.

He was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Stark County Common Pleas Court. Judge 
Chryssa Hartnett has been assigned the case. A pretrial is set for Jan. 25.

During the hearing, Hartnett read the charges in the indictment. Dennis Barr 
and Fred Scott represented the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, and Stark 
County Public Defender Tammi Johnson represented Brinkman. Local defense 
attorney Aaron Kovalchik also has been appointed to the case.

Stark County court records show Brinkman’s last known address was 7933 Norriton 
Circle NW in Plain Township when he was indicted late last year on those 
charges.

The court records show he was removed from the Cuyahoga County Jail and brought 
to the Stark County Jail.

Brinkman was sentenced to death Dec. 28 by a panel of Cuyahoga County Common 
Pleas judges. He pleaded guilty to the slayings of Suzanne Taylor, 42, Taylor 
Pifer, 21, and Kylie Pifer, 18. He also was sentenced to an additional 47 years 
on kidnapping, aggravated burglary and felonious assault charges related to 
their deaths.

Brinkman remained in the local lockup Thursday, held without bond pending court 
hearings.

(source: ohio.com)

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

Ohio killer on death row proclaims innocence: Asks his life be spared from next 
month's execution----Warren Keith Henness is facing the death penalty for the 
1992 murder of 51-year-old Richard Meyers.



An Ohio man sentenced to death in the fatal shooting of a volunteer addiction 
counselor is proclaiming his innocence and asking that his life be spared, 
according to arguments by his attorneys a month before his scheduled execution.

Warren Keith Henness, who goes by his middle name, was convicted of killing 
51-year-old Richard Meyers in Columbus in 1992. Myers, who was a lab technician 
at a veterans hospital in Chillicothe in southern Ohio, frequently volunteered 
with Alcoholics Anonymous to assist people with addictions and had been helping 
Henness find drug treatment for his wife, according to authorities.

The Ohio Parole Board scheduled arguments for and against mercy Thursday. 
Henness is set to die by lethal injection on Feb. 13 at the Southern Ohio 
Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Prosecutors said Henness kidnapped Myers, bound and then shot him at an 
abandoned water treatment plant, and then stole his credit cards, checks and 
car.

Henness, his wife Tabatha Henness, and friend Ronald Fair drove around in 
Myers' car for several days afterward, forging the checks and using the credit 
cards, according to prosecutors.

Henness, 55, has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and did so again in an 
interview with the Ohio Parole Board last month.

The board will announce its decision next week. Republican Gov.-elect Mike 
DeWine, scheduled to be sworn in this weekend, will have the final say on 
clemency.

Henness' wife and their friend were also implicated in the killing and provided 
the only evidence of Henness' guilt, according to court records. The 2 pleaded 
guilty to minor charges of forgery and then testified against Henness at trial.

Henness' attorneys have argued he deserves mercy because of lingering questions 
about the others' involvement in the killing.

In addition, they say Henness' defense lawyers at the time failed to fully 
investigate the case ahead of trial. Henness distrusted one of his attorneys so 
much that he rejected a plea deal that would have spared his life, according to 
Henness' clemency petition.

"Even though Keith has consistently maintained his innocence of the murder of 
Richard Myers, he would have been eligible for parole already had he agreed to 
the plea terms the prosecution indicated it was willing to accept," David 
Stebbins, a federal public defender, said in a filing with the board earlier 
this month.

Henness has a consistent record of good behavior in jail and on death row, also 
making him a good candidate for mercy, Stebbins said.

Prosecutors argue Henness has a history of lying and refusing to take 
responsibility for the killing. The death row inmate is now pointing the finger 
at his wife "on the eve of his execution" after protecting her as the mother of 
their children for years, Ron O'Brien, the Franklin County prosecutor, told the 
board in a filing this month.

Henness' "elaborate and ever-changing stories simply do not fit the evidence in 
this case," O'Brien said. "Rather than show he is innocent of ... Richard's 
murder, his lies demonstrate a patent refusal to accept responsibility for his 
crimes."

(source: WKYC news)








INDIANA:

William Clyde Gibson appeals to Indiana Supreme Court on sentencing----He's 
facing 2 death penalties and 65 years for 3 murder convictions



The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday on behalf of a New 
Albany man convicted of the murders of 3 women in Southern Indiana between 2002 
and 2012 and who is on death row in 2 of the cases.

Appellate counsel for William Clyde Gibson III argued that his trial attorneys 
failed to properly investigate a prior brain injury and present it to the jury 
during sentencing, and that the attorney who was lead counsel in 2 of his cases 
and co-counsel in the third had a conflict of interest.

Gibson was convicted by a jury of the April 2012 murder and mutilation of his 
late mother's best friend, 75-year-old Christine Whitis, and pleaded guilty to 
the March 2012 murder of 35-year-old Stephanie Kirk and the 2002 murder of 
Karen Hodella. In the first 2 cases, he received a death sentence and in the 
3rd, he was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

Gibson previously appealed the 2 death sentences, which were upheld. He later 
sought for his cases to be re-examined in a Floyd County court through 
post-conviction relief; those requests were denied.

Lindsay Van Gorkum represented Gibson during Thursday's hearing, requesting 
that the court transfer the jurisdiction of the Hodella case and reverse 
post-conviction findings in all 3 cases.

She argued that Gibson's trial attorneys had been negligent in fully 
investigating the effects a 1991 accident may have had on Gibson's mental state 
and his subsequent actions.

She said Gibson had spoken during the investigation about the wreck and 
possible mental issues caused by it. An MRI was performed on Gibson in 2013, 
about 3/4 of the way through the trial for the murder of Whitis. Van Gorkum 
said Gibson's attorneys failed when they didn't pursue this path and failed to 
give the information about the MRI to the medical expert who testified 
post-conviction.

She said evidence of his potential brain injury was "important; it's critical 
for a jury to hear."

Gibson's attorneys had argued during trial that his mental distress over the 
death of his mother in the months before had impacted his actions, leading to 
the deaths of Kirk and Whitis.

Van Gorkum also made the case that lead attorney John Biggs, who at the time 
was the chief public defender in Floyd County, had a conflict of interest. Van 
Gorkum said Biggs' heavy case load and pressure to minimize expenses kept him 
from giving Gibson the time or resources needed to properly defend his cases.

She said the time constraint kept attorneys from attending regular interviews 
between police and Gibson, discussions in which he later made confessions. Van 
Gorkum asserted this would have taken Biggs' time, "while he also had 
obligations as a full-time office administrator who was maintaining a full-time 
case load at that time."

Tyler Banks, representing the state in the case, said in his argument that 
Gibson's convictions and sentences should be upheld.

"In three separate cases, Gibson was properly convicted for trapping, murdering 
and, in one case, mutilating 3 helpless women," he said. "... Gibson has set 
the standard for the worst of the worst and any reasonable judge or jury would 
have found that the death penalty was the only appropriate punishment."

He addressed the post-conviction argument that "a single, mild, traumatic brain 
injury set off a course of events that culminated in the brutal mutilations and 
murder of 3 women," he said. "This constructed narrative has multiple issues 
and does not prove counsel was ineffective ..."

Banks also questioned how a jury could even be shown evidence of how Gibson's 
behavior had changed after 1991 without causing prejudice by including the 
other pending murder cases and other previous convictions.

"This post-conviction narrative relies on three things: a single traumatic 
brain injury, bipolar disorder and a history of alcoholism," he said. "Of those 
3 things, the sentencing fact-finders were informed and provided evidence of 2 
of them.

"This narrative doesn't explain why many, many people with this diagnosis or 
with these conditions do not commit horrific murders like Mr. Gibson did."

He added that the conflict of interest statement made by Van Gorkum didn't hold 
up.

"The counsel's job is to manage limited money," he said. "This is the dilemma 
of all counsel; that can't be a conflict of interest.

The court took the arguments under advisement.

(source: newsandtribune.com)








ARKANSAS----female faces death penalty

Arkansas woman pleads innocent to relatives' murders, faces death penalty



A Hot Springs woman who is facing the death penalty for allegedly murdering her 
8-year-old daughter and 71-year-old mother in November pleaded not guilty to 
multiple charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.

Melissa "Missy" Ann Galey, 46, who has remained in custody on zero bond since 
her arrest the day of the incident on Nov. 21, appeared before Division 4 
Circuit Judge Marcia Hearnsberger and pleaded not guilty to 2 counts of capital 
murder, each punishable by the death penalty or life in prison, for the deaths 
of her daughter, Megan Galey, and mother, Wanda Self. The state has indicated 
they plan to seek the death penalty.

Galey also pleaded not guilty to a felony count of arson, punishable by up to 6 
years in prison, stemming from allegations she tried to burn down the house she 
shared with the victims at 2208 Lakeshore Drive.

An affidavit of indigency was filed at Tuesday's hearing and Galey was granted 
a public defender to represent her. Deputy Public Defender Mark Fraiser 
appeared on her behalf at the hearing. According to Galey's bail determination 
form, she had been unemployed for two months prior to her arrest and she 
supported 2 children.

A gag order limiting pretrial publicity in the case was issued Tuesday and a 
hearing to determine the admissibility of statements Galey made to Hot Springs 
police after her arrest is now set for April 16.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on Nov. 21, at around 7:25 a.m., 
police responded to the Lakeshore Drive residence to a possible homicide. As 
they approached the glass front door, officers could see the body of a deceased 
female child, later identified as Megan Galey, on her back just inside the 
doorway covered in blood with what appeared to be multiple stab or puncture 
wounds.

Officers located a second victim, an adult female, later identified as Wanda 
Self, inside a rear bedroom. She was also on her back, covered in blood, and 
appeared to have multiple stab or puncture wounds.

As they searched around the residence, officers reportedly located Galey in the 
backyard coming out from underneath the residence. The affidavit notes the area 
where Galey was found had "fresh char marks" as if it had been set on fire. 
Galey reportedly had blood "all over her clothing" and was detained and brought 
to the police department for questioning.

During an interview with Detective Mark Fallis, Galey allegedly admitted to 
killing her mother and daughter and attempting to set the house on fire. She 
reportedly stated she had been planning the incident for approximately 1 week.

Shortly after Galey's arrest, Sunshine Smith, who identified herself as a 
family friend, told The Sentinel-Record Galey's eldest daughter had expressed 
concern for the safety of her younger sister.

Smith said Galey's eldest daughter came to her house the night before concerned 
about her younger sister because her mother was allegedly claiming "(the father 
of her children) was Santa Claus, she was going to end the world, and that the 
devil has taken over."

She said they called state Child Protective Services and decided to let them 
handle the situation.

In a news release, police Cpl. Joey Williams said Galey had no criminal history 
and police had never responded to the Lakeshore residence before for any kind 
of criminal activity. He also stated the police believe Galey acted alone.

(source: arkansasonline.com)








NEBRASKA:

Chambers seeks to end Nebraska's death penalty



Nebraska state Sen. Ernie Chambers is renewing his push to abolish the death 
penalty after his last successful attempt was overturned by voters in 2016.

The longtime Omaha senator introduced a repeal bill Thursday on the Nebraska 
legislative session's 2nd day.

Nebraska received national attention in 2015 when the Legislature overrode Gov. 
Pete Ricketts' veto and ended capital punishment. Death penalty supporters 
responded with a ballot campaign that placed the issue before voters, who 
reinstated the punishment. Ricketts donated $300,000 of his own money to the 
campaign.

Nebraska executed its 1st inmate since 1997 last year, using a 
never-before-tried combination of drugs. Prison officials refused to identify 
their supplier, prompting lawsuits that accused them of violating Nebraska's 
public-records laws.

Chambers has fought for decades to abolish capital punishment.

(source: Associated Press)