[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., MO., USA

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 30



FLORIDA:

Sievers murder trial set to start Tuesday at the Fort Myers courthouse



In a matter of days, two of the people accused of murdering a beloved doctor 
are expected to finally face justice.

Teresa Sievers was murdered 4 years ago. Mark Sievers, 51, and Jimmy Rodgers, 
29, will go on trial for the murder of the doctor on Tuesday morning. If 
convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Teresa’s husband, Mark, is accused of hiring Wayne Wright, who is also 
suspected of hiring Jimmy to carry out the murders.

Just twenty days before her murder, Teresa told Mark his “helicoptering is 
making her crazy.” She goes on to say he cares more about her than himself.

However, it is the text message that Mark sent on the morning of her murder 
that is eerie. He told her, “Good morning babe. I love you.”

Teresa, 46, had the back of her head bashed in and was found face down on the 
kitchen floor on June 29, 2015.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies said her husband orchestrated the entire 
murder. He even took out 5 insurance policies on his wife, worth a combined 
total of $4 million.

Initially, the judge set a trial date for June 3, but it was backed due to 
delayed DNA reports and dozens of motions that had not been sorted through yet.

In August, attorneys for Mark and Jimmy said they received 4,700 pages of 
discovery from the Federal Bureau of Investigation evidence analysis report and 
need more time to review them.

Mark’s attorney said they are not ready for a Tuesday trial due to the 
severance motion granted to Rodgers. That means this allows him to have a 
separate trial from Mark.

“Every time we come to court, we receive more and more material,” said Kathleen 
Fitzgeorge, the attorney for Jimmy. “We can’t go right up to Oct. 1 wondering 
if we’re going to be to be ready or not.”

“The expert may go through 2000 of those pages in a day and decide it’s 
worthless,” said Bruce Kyle, the Lee County judge presiding over the case. “I 
need more information; he needs to review it; we’re still set for trial. Motion 
denied.”

There are many reasons why this trial is taking so long. We have also received 
new details in the murder case. Mark and his attorney tried to keep the jury 
from seeing extremely graphic pictures from the crime scene, but the judge 
denied that motion.

(source: WINK news)

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

Family remembers 9-year-old Felecia Williams after jury recommends death for 
her killer



A day after the jury recommended death for the man convicted of murdering 
9-year-old Felicia Williams, her family is working to keep her memory alive.

"She was a great person, lovable, sweet, kind," said Jenny Brinson, her aunt.

The family gathered Sunday, sharing memories of the young girl.

"My sister was the best and she had so much to offer the world. It’s really sad 
the way she left this world, but she’s in a better place you know and her 
legacy will live on forever in our hearts," said her sister, Mecia Williams.

"I just want my sister to know that I love her I’m so proud of her that she put 
up a good fight until the very end and that I will never ever ever forget her," 
said her sister, Charlecia Adams.

This week, a jury convicted Granville Ritchie of sexually battering and killing 
Williams. The jury unanimously recommended he receive the death penalty.

Following the verdict, her mother says justice has been served.

"As long as I know he’s in that box for the rest of his life, that’s all I care 
about because my daughter is up under all that dirt in a box for the rest of 
her life," said Felecia Demerson on Friday.

One day later, loved ones are focused on the little girl's life.

"We're still gonna keep her name alive and we’re still gonna celebrate her. I’m 
gonna celebrate her til the day I die," said Brinson.

"And I want people to remember we can prevent stuff like this from happening. I 
want you all to say her name. I want you to be on the lookout I want you to 
protect your neighbor’s children," said Mecia Williams.

(source: ABC News)








MISSOURI----impending execution

Death Penalty Opponents Rally to Prevent Scheduled Execution



Death penalty opponents have mobilized in an attempt to block next week’s 
scheduled execution of Missouri inmate Russell Bucklew.

He’s been sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Michael Sanders of 
southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau. Missourians for Alternatives to the Death 
Penalty, the NAACP, ACLU, and others want Governor Parson to stop Bucklew’s 
execution and argue that his brain condition could cause him to suffer a cruel 
death.

Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty says it intends to host a 
watch party for Becklew. They say they will mourn when he dies or rejoice if 
Gov. Parson spares him.

Russell Bucklew also severely attacked his ex-girlfriend and beat two of her 
relatives over the heads with a hammer. Parson spokesperson Kelli Jones says 
the governor has consistently supported capital punishment when merited by the 
circumstances and all other legal remedies have been exhausted and when due 
process has been satisfied.

(source: KTTS news)

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

Is Gov. Mike Parson going to force Bucklew to die gruesome death in Tuesday 
execution?



Lawyers for Russell Bucklew, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection in 
Missouri on Tuesday, describe him in their clemency petition as “a man of 
profound Christian faith, a loyal and true friend, a caring son, and a man 
repentant for his crimes.”

But you don’t have to believe that he’s a different man now — “free from his 
debilitating prescription opioid addiction and steadied by the positive 
influence of faith” — to know why Gov. Mike Parson should commute his death 
sentence.

Nor do you have to think that the “often violent and chaotic environment” in 
which Bucklew’s lawyers say he grew up changes anything.

Our editorial board supports the abolition of the death penalty. It was in 
response to Bucklew’s case that we wrote last year that, “It’s long past time 
to acknowledge that there are many reasons the state should stop executing 
prisoners. Even for the most egregious crimes, and with no exceptions.”

But you don’t have to agree with our view to see why a grisly death at our 
collective hand is a dishonorable answer to 51-year-old Bucklew’s bloody 
behavior 23 years ago.

Bucklew has a rare medical condition called cavernous hemangioma, which causes 
malformed blood vessels. His lawyers argue that the many tumors in his head, 
nose and throat could burst and make him choke on his own blood as he’s being 
put to death.

“He is likely to suffocate on his own blood for multiple minutes experiencing 
excruciating pain,” said Cassandra Stubbs, ACLU Director of the Capital 
Punishment Project.

If this doesn’t amount to the “cruel and unusual punishment” outlawed by the 
Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, we’re not sure what would.

And whether he deserves to die a horrible death is not even the right question. 
The real question is whether we deserve to have this done on our behalf.

Bucklew’s condition makes it “highly likely that the state’s protocol will 
cause a visually gruesome execution that will traumatize corrections personnel 
and witnesses alike,” the clemency petition says.

During a 2016 Missouri Senate debate over the death penalty, opened by a 
Republican who opposes capital punishment on religious grounds, Parson said he 
disagreed with his Catholic colleague: “There are cold-blooded killers out 
there.”

There are, of course, and no one disputes that Bucklew was one. He was 
convicted of first-degree murder in the March 1996 shooting death of 
27-year-old Michael Sanders. Bucklew also kidnapped his ex-girlfriend from 
Sanders’ home, raped her and shot at the Missouri State Highway Patrol officers 
who came after him.

Former Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Morley Swingle, who argued the death 
penalty case, recently described Bucklew as “just a purely evil sociopath” and 
a perfect example of “the reason we have the death penalty in the state of 
Missouri; to deal with people like this.”

People whose death only highlights how brutal, capricous and unevenly applied 
capital punishment really is?

Parson, who signed Missouri’s highly restrictive new abortion law, blocked for 
now by a federal judge, frequently says that “all life is precious.” Now he has 
a chance to show that he means it.

Otherwise, as the clemency petition says, “The ghastly execution process will 
be observed and documented by a mix of witnesses from the state, defense and 
media. The aftermath of Russell’s execution will have a lasting impact on those 
present to witness the moment and will likely affect the public’s attitude 
about the death penalty and, in particular, how this state carries out the 
ultimate punishment.”

But we don’t have to watch a man choke on his own blood to know this execution 
is wrong.

(source: Editorial Board, The Kansas City Star)








USA:

Sheriff: Arrest made in killing of SC postal worker----Announcement of arrest 
made during victim’s funeral



The Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in 
connection with the death of a Williamsburg County postal worker.

Trevor Seward, 22, has been arrested on a state murder charge in connection to 
the shooting death Irene Pressley, according to the United States Postal 
Inspection Service. Irene Pressley was shot Monday in Andrews as she delivered 
mail.

Seward was reportedly seen shortly before the incident holding what was believe 
to be an AR-15, according to the affidavit.

Multiple .223 shell casings were found near the scene on Senate Road, according 
to the sheriff’s office. A fingerprint was found on a United States Postal 
Service package that was recovered from the crime scene by the USPS forensics 
division that was later confirmed to be that of Seward.

United States Postal Inspection Service spokesperson Jessica Adams said earlier 
this week that if the person responsible for Pressley’s death is caught and 
convicted, they could face a federal death penalty.

Arrest announced during funeral service

News of the arrest came on the same day as Pressley’s funeral in Andrews where 
hundreds of people packed the sanctuary of Hopewell AME church Saturday. During 
the funeral service, a speaker told the congregation of the arrest, prompting 
cheers and praise from those who had gathered to pay their respects to 
Pressley.

“She was the post office mama,” Postmaster Sharon Cameron said. “We keep her 
picture as you can see. And we will honor her at that post office now and 
forever.”

Friends and family say her death is a storm that has shaken the entire 
community.

“An overpowering from the community, sending us cards, sending flowers, 
condolences, coming in just to ask about her," Cameron said. "She was loved by 
this community.”

Pressley’s sisters also spoke about her after the service.

“She loved the Lord with all of her heart and she taught us how to love each 
other and how to forgive when things come up,” her sister, Elisha Hubbard said.

“I thank God for her today, I thank God for her life and how God kept her 
through even a tragedy that took her life,” another of her sisters, Vernell 
Oates, said.

Pressley, 64, died Monday in the Morrisonville Road area after being shot while 
delivering the mail, deputies say. She worked with the U.S. Postal Service for 
almost 22 years.

Since the shooting, residents of Williamsburg County placed white bows on their 
mailboxes in memory of Pressley.

After the funeral, family members put Pressley to rest near her home at St. 
Johns AME Church in Andrews.

(source: WBTV news)

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

Donald Trump Just Called For Adam Schiff To Be Put To Death, Expert Says In 
Reading Of Trump’s Sunday Tweets ----In a series of tweets Sunday afternoon, as 
read by one expert who has authored two books on the Trump-Russia scandal, 
Donald Trump called for the death of member of Congress.



In a Sunday afternoon tweetstorm, reported earlier by The Inquisitr, Donald 
Trump demanded to meet the whistleblower who filed a report against him, 
accused anyone who gave information to the whistleblower of “spying,” and at 
least in the interpretation of one expert who has authored two bestselling 
books on the Trump-Russia scandal, called for the death of a sitting member of 
Congress.

In one of his tweets, Trump singled out Adam Schiff, chair of the House 
Intelligence Committee, saying, “I want Schiff questioned at the highest level 
for Fraud & Treason.” The tweet echoed an statement by Trump on Thursday in 
which he accused anyone who passed information to the still-unidentified 
whistleblower of being a “spy” and of “treason.”

In the same remarks, Trump said that “in the old days,” the United States was 
“smart with spies and treason,” adding, “we used to handle it a little 
differently than we do now.” As The Inquisitr reported, his remarks appeared to 
be a clear reference the death penalty, which remains on the books as the most 
severe punishment for espionage — though no American has been executed by the 
U.S. government as a spy since 1953.

But according to Seth Abramson, author of the books Proof of Collusion and 
Proof of Conspiracy, Trump’s remarks about Schiff refer to the same penalty — 
death.

“We know Trump knows the penalty for Treason, as he’s been talking about it — a 
lot,” Abramson wrote on his Twitter account. “So this is terrifying.”

Abramson is not alone in finding Trump’s implied threats “terrifying.” 
According to the CBS News program 60 Minutes on Sunday, reporting via the 
show’s Twitter feed, the whistleblower now fears for his or her safety and has 
been placed under “federal protection.”

Trump’s claims of “Fraud & Treason” against Schiff stem from Schiff’s 
interpretation of Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine president Volodymyr 
Zelensky, in which Trump apparently attempted to pressure Zelensky into 
launching a bogus “investigation” of Trump’s possible 2020 election rival Joe 
Biden, in exchange for Trump allowing Ukraine to purchase defensive military 
weapons.

Schiff liberally paraphrased Trump’s message to Zelensky in his opening 
statement at a Thursday House Intelligence Committee hearing, which he 
characterizes as “like a classic organized crime shakedown,” as seen in the 
video below.

Though Schiff later described his paraphrase of Trump’s call as “parody,” Trump 
in his Sunday tweets labeled Schiff’s monologue “totally inaccurate and 
fraudulent” and accused Schiff of “lying to Congress,” before also saying that 
Schiff should be “questioned” for “treason.”

“Trump Implies He Wants the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence Put to Death for Investigating Him,” Abramson wrote, in his own 
interpretation of Trump’s tweets.

(source: inquisitr.com)