execution

OKLAHOMA – Timothy Shaun Stemple – execution march 15 2012 – EXECUTED

case and appeal

official support website

Update : 14 march source : http://www.tulsaworld.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Mary Fallin’s office said Tuesday that she does not intend to issue a stay of execution for Tulsa County killer Timothy Shaun Stemple.

Stemple, 46, is set to be executed Thursday for the 1996 killing of his wife, Trisha Stemple, 30.

His family met Tuesday with the Governor’s Office to seek a stay to pursue evidence of his innocence.

They held a news conference with the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty to urge a stay.

The Pardon and Parole Board last month voted 4-1 to deny clemency to Stemple.

“We don’t have the power to grant clemency without a recommendation from the (Pardon and Parole) board,” said Alex Weintz, a spokesman for Fallin.

“The governor does have the power to issue a stay, but she does not plan to do that.”

Jenae Matland Smucker, Stemple’s sister, said her brother is innocent. She said her sister-in-law died as a result of a pedestrian-motor-vehicle collision.

“Sean himself has maintained his innocence from time of arrest until today,” Smucker said.

Stemple was sentenced to death in 1997 for beating Trisha Stemple and running over her with a pickup so he could collect $950,000 in life insurance.

Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s office pointed out that a jury found Stemple guilty 14 years ago and that his appeals have been denied by the courts and the Pardon and Parole Board.

“The evidence in this case is strong and showed beyond a reasonable doubt that Stemple committed this murder,” Pruitt spokeswoman Diane Clay said. “It would be a travesty of justice to further delay his punishment.”

Update : 13 march  source : http://www.kfor.com (full article and video)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Timothy Shaun Stemple’s family met at the Capitol on Tuesday hoping to get a last minute stay of execution. In less than 48 hours the State of Oklahoma will execute the 46-year-old man for the brutal murder of his wife back in 1996.

Court documents reveal the victim, Trisha Stemple, had fractured bones all over her body, including her skull, and appeared to have been intentionally run over. 

Led by the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the Stemple family gathered at the State Capitol pleading for a stay of execution.

The family says there are theories from forensic pathologists who say the death of the victim was by car accident, not from murder. 

The family says that evidence, as well as other items, never made it into court.

“When my sister in law died, my brother didn’t even get to grieve her death. Within a few days, all fingers were pointing to him because he had life insurance and he had an affair,” Janae Smucker said.

She says her brother is no killer.

“There is too much doubt,” Sen. Consatnce Johnson said.

Even those who’ve lost loved ones to murderers stood by the family’s side.

The Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 to deny Stemple’s clemency.

All Stemple’s legal appeals have also been denied. 

“We don’t have the power to grant clemency without a recommendation from the (Pardon and Parole) board,” Alex Weintz said, Gov. Fallin’s spokesman. “The governor does have the power to issue a stay but she does not plan to do that.”

Stemple is scheduled for execution by lethal injection Thursday at 6 p.m. 

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty says the state has released 10 people from death row who were wrongfully convicted.

                 ————————————————————————————————————————-

Update : 13 march. source http://www.ardmoreite.com

Oklahoma City

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is asking Governor Mary Fallin for a Stay of Execution for Timothy Shaun Stemple so the family can pursue his legal rights in the courts.

OK-CADP representatives and Shaun’s sister, Jenae Mudock Stucker, met with Governor Fallin’s Deputy Counsel Rebecca Frasier today.  Stemple is set to be executed at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Timothy Shaun Stemple was convicted in February 1998 of the 1996 murder of his wife Trisha Stemple.  He was sent to death row and has remained there since then. Shaun and his family have maintained his innocence since he was charged.

“Since our state has released 10 people from death row who were wrongly convicted, we know the possibility of executing an innocent is real. We hope Governor Fallin will not want us to take that risk in the face of so much doubt,” said OK-CADP Co-Chair Lydia Polley.

The family has been pursuing his exoneration since the conviction and has hired forensic experts to provide testimony to counter the state’s evidence that convicted him.

All of Mr. Stemple’s appeals have been denied, and the state Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency at a February hearing.

The family of a death-row inmate who is to be executed next week is asking Gov. Mary Fallin to spare his life.

Timothy Shaun Stemple’s family has hired forensic experts to provide testimony to counter the state’s evidence that convicted him of murdering his wife in 1996.

Shaun Stemple was sentenced to death in 1997 for beating his wife, Trisha Stemple, and running over her with a pickup so he could collect $950,000 in life insurance.

All of Stemple’s appeals have been denied, and the state Pardon and Parole Board did not recommend clemency at a February hearing.

Barring intervention by Gov. Mary Fallin, Stemple, 46, will be executed March 15 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

On Thursday, Stemple’s family spoke at the law offices of Brewster & De Angelis about why they believe that he is innocent.

Janae Matland Smucker said her family believes that the evidence shows that Trisha Stemple died from an auto-pedestrian collision, not from “blunt force trauma to the head,” as a state medical examiner testified during Shaun Stemple’s trial.

Andre Stuart of 21st Century Forensic Animations was hired by Stemple’s family to reconstruct the accident scene using animation technology.

He said his models show that there is “no basis” for evidence that Trisha Stemple died because of multiple hits from a baseball bat instead of being run over by a pickup.

The animation and other testimony and documents can be viewed online at tulsaworld.com/freeshaun, a website the family has set up to garner support for Shaun Stemple.

According to court testimony, Shaun Stemple hired a teenage accomplice, Terry Hunt, to wait in the woods by the highway.

Stemple then reportedly feigned car trouble so he could stop at a preselected spot nearby. He and Hunt took turns beating Trisha Stemple with a cellophane-wrapped baseball bat and ran over her body with a pickup, prosecutors said.

Trisha Stemple’s skull, neck bone and pelvis were crushed, and 17 ribs were broken. Her body was found alongside the highway after Shaun Stemple reported her missing.

Her death originally was investigated as a hit-and-run auto-pedestrian collision, but investigators reportedly suspected foul play as they examined the evidence.

Hunt, the cousin of Shaun Stemple’s then-girlfriend, testified for the prosecution and is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

“All of the state’s witnesses against my brother had perjured themselves” during the trial, Smucker said.

But court records show that the judge who presided over the case noted that despite discrepancies in Hunt’s earlier testimony, he “consistently reported and testified that Stemple approached him about helping kill Trisha Stemple in exchange for $25,000 to $50,000,” among other details.

At his clemency hearing last month, Shaun Stemple spoke briefly and refused to answer questions from board members.

source : Tulsa world

CLEMENCY SCHEDULE

Meeting Notice Confirmation (Click Here)

Name: Date: Time: Location: City, State: DOC #
Timothy Shaun Stemple 02/24/2012 09:00am Hillside Community Corrections Center3300 Martin Luther King Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 261686

You may view and print the web postings of your body’s meeting notices by visiting our website at: your meetings page.

For more information contact:

Tracy George, General Counsel–(405) 602-5863

Supreme court of United states

No. 11-7143      *** CAPITAL CASE ***
Title:
Timothy Shaun Stemple, Petitioner
v.
Randall G. Workman, Warden
Docketed: November 1, 2011
Linked with 11A222
Lower Ct: United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  Case Nos.: (09-5097)
  Decision Date: April 4, 2011
  Rehearing Denied: May 31, 2011
~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings  and  Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aug 19 2011 Application (11A222) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 29, 2011 to October 28, 2011, submitted to Justice Sotomayor.
Aug 23 2011 Application (11A222) granted by Justice Sotomayor extending the time to file until October 28, 2011.
Oct 28 2011 Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due December 1, 2011)
Nov 30 2011 Brief of respondent Randall G. Workman, Warden in opposition filed.
Dec 15 2011 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 6, 2012.
Jan 9 2012 Petition DENIED.

MISSISSIPPI – Larry Matthew Puckett, march 20, 2012 – EXECUTED

The FACTS from court documents.

LARRY MATTHEW PUCKETT v STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

On October 14, 1995, shortly before 5:00 p.m., Mrs. Rhonda Hatten Griffis, age 28, was found lying in a large pool of blood next to the couch in the living room of her home on 198Sunrise Road, Petal, Mississippi. Mrs. Griffis was found wearing a t-shirt, and the only clothing on the lower part of her body was around her left foot. She had several gashes on the back of her head. There were other injuries to Mrs. Griffis’ head, back, and chest, including a deep laceration and three to four hesitation marks to the neck. She was also bleeding from her vagina. She had several defensive wounds on her hands, arms, and elbows. Mrs. Griffis died as a result of the injuries; the cause of death was cranial cerebral trauma, secondary to blunt force trauma. A wooden stick or club covered with blood was recovered outside the residence.

Rhonda’s mother, Nancy Hatten, lived next door, roughly 150-175 feet from the Griffis’ trailer. On the day of the murder, Mrs. Hatten helped Rhonda’s boys, Justin, age 7, and Jeffrey, age 5, put up Halloween decorations in the yard. Rhonda was not feeling well that day, suffering from a headache and bad sinus problems. Later that afternoon, Mrs. Hattenwas in her front yard when she heard a “scream and a thud” come from the Griffis’ trailer. Mrs. Hatten then ran home and telephoned the trailer. The phone rang four or five times, but there was no answer. Mrs. Hatten hung up and dialed again, but there was still no answer. She then immediately went to the trailer.

As Mrs. Hatten neared the trailer, she saw David Griffis, Rhonda’s husband, and their two boys driving up to the trailer. David had been hauling pine straw all day and was returning with his last load. A blue truck was parked in the vacant lot beside the residence. Nancy entered the trailer door at the kitchen/dining room area and called for Rhonda but there was no answer. Puckett came from the hallway into the kitchen/dining area and raised a club back and started towards Nancy. As Nancy backed away from Puckett, Jeffrey entered the house followed closely by David. Justin was still outside. Nancy then took the children, ran to her house, locked the boys in the bathroom, and called 911. This 911 call was received by the 911 system at 5:01:15 p.m. and answered by the 911 operator at 5:01:20 p.m. At 5:01:41 p.m., Nancy was placed on hold, as 911 received a call from the Griffis’ trailer. Mrs. Hatten identified State’s Exhibit Number 3 as the club that Puckett had in his hand in the trailer.by  The Griffis family knew Puckett because he was once employed  While Puckett was employed by David, the employees would gather at the Griffis’ house before leaving for work.

Jeffrey Griffis testified that when he entered the home, he saw Puckett with a club in his hand and holding on to Mrs. Hatten’s shirt. David Griffis testified that when he entered the home, he saw Mrs. Hatten with Puckett standing in front of her with the club in his hand raised over his head. David indicated that Puckett was wearing army-type coveralls. The club had blood and a white substance on it. David asked Puckett what he was doing in his house and Puckett said he had hit a deer on the road and came to get David’s help and to 4 use the telephone. David called out for Rhonda but no one answered. However, Puckett told David that Rhonda was down at her mother’s house. David asked Puckett about the blood on the club and Puckett indicated that it was blood from the deer. David then dialed 911 from a portable phone that was laying on the counter beside him. This 911 call was received by the 911 system at 5:01:27 p.m. and answered by the 911 operator at 5:01:41 p.m. This (David’s) call was terminated at 5:04:42 p.m. At some point, David and Puckett struggled and David got the club from Puckett. David tried to keep Puckett in the trailer until the police arrived. However, Puckett took off running towards the door. As Puckett was running for the door, David swung the club and hit Puckett on the shoulder. Then, as Puckett ran out the door, David threw the club at him. Dr. Michael West testified at trial that the club, State’s Exhibit 3, was consistent with the wound pattern found on Puckett’s back.

Once Puckett exited the trailer, David entered the living room and reached for his pistol that was usually on a gun cabinet just to the left of the living room door. However, the pistol was not there. David did not see Rhonda’s body lying in the living room at this time. David then ran into the bedroom to retrieve a rifle from the bedroom closet. The bedroomdoor is straight ahead as you turn towards the cabinet. As David exited the bedroom and re-entered the living room, he then saw Rhonda laying on the floor. He saw that Rhonda was injured and dialed 911 again to inform the police. David’s second 911 call wasreceived by the 911 system at 5:05:01 p.m. and was answered by the 911 operator at 5:05:07 p.m. This call was terminated at 5:11:45 p.m. The time between the end of David’s first 911 call and the beginning of his second 911 call was 18 seconds. Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics arrived within minutes.

Before David fired Puckett, David considered him to be a decent employee and even wrote a letter of recommendation for Puckett to become an Eagle Scout. Another former employer of Puckett’s, Ray Watkins, testified that shortly before Rhonda’s murder, a maul handle was broken at his work site. Watkins had the maul handle for several years,between seven (7) and ten (10) years, and believed the maul handle to be State’s Exhibit No. 3. Watkins also testified that he had seen the handle in Puckett’s truck on several occasions.

Puckett was seen around 3:30 p.m. the afternoon of the murder at the same house from which David Griffis was collecting pine straw. Puckett’s blue 4-wheel drive truck was alsoseen passing the Griffis’ residence at approximately 4:41 p.m.

Puckett’s truck was recovered the next night in a wooded area in Perry County. On October 16, 1995, Puckett was apprehended near his mother’s home in Perry County. At the time of his arrest, Puckett nervously commented to his mother that “[t]his is a lot of law enforcement for somebody who just committed a burglary.” A duffle bag containing various items including a pair of coveralls was recovered from Puckett at the time of his arrest.

5.Puckett did not deny being in the trailer at the time of the murder, but testified that he witnessed David Griffis murder his wife. He indicated that he had originally planned only to burglarize the house in order to find money to pay his truck note. He stated that the idea to burglarize the house just popped into his head at the time he went by the Griffis’ house. Puckett testified that he parked his truck in a vacant lot beside the Griffis’ trailer and put his coveralls on. Puckett saw Rhonda’s car at the trailer, but proceeded to the door anyway and knocked. Puckett said that Rhonda let him in and they began to talk. Puckett said that he saw the stick (State’s Exhibit No. 3) lying on the living room floor. He stated that he and Rhonda began kissing and he then began acting out his sexual fantasy of undressing a woman while he remained fully clothed. He said that Rhonda then saw her mother approaching the trailer, grabbed her clothes and ran into the bedroom, and told Puckett to get rid of her mother. Puckett said heran into the dining room area and had picked up the stick and decided to scare Mrs. Hatten away with the club. Puckett further stated that after Mrs. Hatten fled with the children, David accused Rhonda of sleeping with Puckett and began hitting her with the stick that David took from Puckett. After beating his wife, David struggled to keep Puckett in the trailer, but Puckett was able to escape while David was calling 911. At trial, Puckett indicated the whole incident took four or five minutes. Puckett said he hid in the woods for two days because he was afraid of David.

Update : march 20, source :http://www.wlbt.com

Advocacy group calls for clemency in Puckett execution

watch the video click  here

Update : march 19,2012 source : http://www.wtok.com

Group Protests Executions
Jackson, Miss.
A group that opposes the death penalty protested two executions scheduled in Mississippi this week.

Thousands of people have signed an online petition seeking to block the execution of death row inmate, Larry Matthew Puckett.

He is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Puckett was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing his former boss’ wife when he was 18 years old.

His lawyers petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court last week to block the execution.

A group opposed to capital punishment spoke out Monday at the state capitol.

Mississippians Educating for Smart Justice want Gov. Phil Bryant to grant clemency to Puckett, as well as condemned killer, William Mitchell, who is also scheduled for execution this week.

“Neither of these men, William Mitchell or Matt Puckett, have had a fair trial,” said attorney Jim Craig. “Neither of them have had a real appeal. It’s time to quit hiding behind this fraud and accept the fact that our system is deeply flawed. And these two cases prove it.”

As of Monday, there were nearly 4500 electronic signatures on a petition called ‘Save Matt Puckett: stop an innocent man from being executed.’

Update : march, 15, 2012 source  : http://www.sunherald.com

JACKSON — A Mississippi prison inmate has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block his execution Tuesday based on the argument that his lawyers didn’t do a good job and prosecutors discriminated against blacks during jury selection.

Larry Matthew Puckett is scheduled to receive a lethal injection for the 1995 sexual assault and beating death of Rhonda Hatten Griffis of Forrest County. His lawyers filed the request Wednesday to block the execution.

March, 16,2012 : Jamie Arpin-Ricci  Author & pastor, Little Flowers Community talks about matthew’s innocence

[…]In less than a week another friend of mine, Matt, is going to be dead — killed as surely and finally as the other two. I will not see his death, but because the setting of his death is determined (and by some, celebrated) I am already haunted by the images of him dying. It has not happened yet, but I feel as powerless to prevent his death as I am with the others.

You see, my friend Matthew Puckett is being executed by the state of Mississippi on Tuesday, March 20. Matthew has been tried and convicted of a brutal murder. Doubtless there are those who believe that deserves this end and will take great joy when his sentence is carried out. I am not one of those people.

While I know many of my fellow Christians do not agree with me on this point, my faith makes it impossible to condone capital punishment. I will not attempt to argue that position here, for there isn’t the space nor is it the primary point. Whether you believe in the death penalty or not, what I hope we can agree on is that, should we use this form of punishment, we had better be damn sure there is no question of their guilt. As I look at Matt’s case, there are simply far too many uncertainties to make such a sentence acceptable.

I believe that Matthew Puckett is innocent. For those not convinced, I hope that you will examine his case and recognize that he was not given the kind of justice our society boasts as being the right of every person. Given that reality, I ask that you consider signing this petition to save Matt’s life and/or contacting Mississippi’s governor, Phil Bryant, and ask for a stay. Allow Matt at least the chance to live his life, even if behind bars.

read full article

Supreme Court of United States

No. 11-6550      *** CAPITAL CASE ***
Title:
Larry Matthew Puckett, Petitioner
v.
Christopher B. Epps, Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections
Docketed: September 26, 2011
Lower Ct: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  Case Nos.: (09-70032)
  Decision Date: May 19, 2011
  Rehearing Denied: June 22, 2011
~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings  and  Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sep 19 2011 Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 26, 2011)
Nov 2 2011 Order extending time to file response to petition to and including November 28, 2011.
Nov 28 2011 Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including December 1, 2011.
Dec 8 2011 Brief of respondent Christopher B. Epps, Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections in opposition filed.
Dec 9 2011 Order extending time to file response to petition to and including December 8, 2011.
Dec 14 2011 Reply of petitioner Larry Matthew Puckett filed.
Dec 22 2011 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 13, 2012.
Jan 4 2012 Record Requested .
Jan 13 2012 Record received from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (one envelope).
Jan 23 2012 Record received from United States District Court Southern District of Mississippi (two boxes).
Jan 26 2012 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 17, 2012.
Feb 21 2012 Petition DENIED.
~~Name~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~Address~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~Phone~~~
Attorneys for Petitioner:
Keir Michael Weyble Cornell Law School (607) 255-3805
    Counsel of Record 103 Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, NY  14853
Party name: Larry Matthew Puckett
Sheryl Bey 4268 I-55 North (601) 351-2400
Meadowbrook Office Park (39211)
P. O. Box 14167
Jackson, MS  39236
Party name: Larry Matthew Puckett
Attorneys for Respondent:
Marvin L. White Jr. Assistant Attorney General (601) 359-3680
    Counsel of Record 450 High Street
P.O. Box 220
Jackson, MS  39205
Party name: Christopher B. Epps, Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections

Supreme Court, state case 

On November 5, 2009, Puckett filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit over the denial of his habeas petition in Federal District Court.

On May 19, 2011, the Fifth Circuit affirmed Puckett’s death sentence.

Petition 

Texas – Keith Thurmond declared, “I didn’t kill my wife. … I swear to God I didn’t kill her.”

His execution for the 2001 slayings near Houston came about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected arguments to halt the capital punishment, the third this year in Texas.

The 52-year-old Thurmond was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. — 11 minutes after lethal drugs began flowing into his arms.

With his death nearing Wednesday, Thurmond blamed the shooting deaths on another man before telling prison officials, “Go ahead and finish it off.”

As the drugs began flowing, he said, “You can taste it.” He wheezed and snored before losing consciousness.

Last Statement:

All I want to say is I’m innocent, I didn’t kill my wife. Jack Leary shot my wife then her dope dealer Guy Fernandez. Don’t hold it against me, Bill. I swear to God I didn’t kill her. Go ahead and finish it off. You can taste it.

Related articles

TEXAS – Keith Thurmond – EXECUTED

keith Steven Thurmond was pronounced dead at 6:22 PM CST at Huntsville, Texas, executed for murdering his estranged wife, Sharon, and her boyfriend, Guy Fernandez. Strapped on the Gurney in the execution chamber, Thurmond denied killing his wife, although he murdered her in the presence of the couple’s 8-year-old son

If his loved ones are typical, they are re now rushing to the funeral parlor where his body has been sent so they may touch it while it is still warm. The custom stems from the fact that, once a prisoner enters death row, he is permitted no physical contact with is family. In Thurmond’s case, that was about a decade ago.

Suprem court of United States 

No. 11-9083      *** CAPITAL CASE ***
Title:
Keith Thurmond, Petitioner
v.
Texas
Docketed: March 5, 2012
Linked with 11A839
Lower Ct: Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
  Case Nos.: (WR-62,425-01, and WR-62,425-02)
  Decision Date: February 29, 2012
~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings  and  Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mar 5 2012 Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due April 4, 2012)
Mar 5 2012 Application (11A839) for a stay of execution of sentence of death, submitted to Justice Scalia.
Mar 6 2012 Brief of respondent in opposition filed.
Mar 6 2012 Reply of petitioner Keith Thurmond filed.
Mar 7 2012 Application (11A839) referred to the Court.
Mar 7 2012 Petition DENIED.
Mar 7 2012 Application (11A839) denied by the Court.

Last News from execution watch : NO WORD FROM HIGH COURT ON THURMOND STAY

I just fielded a news call on whether the Supreme Court has ruled on Keith Thurmond’s request for a stay of tonight’s execution. I had to tell them, “No news yet.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering an emergency request from Keith Thurmond to stop the State of Texas from executing him tonight.

Last-minute requests like this from Texas are routinely considered by Justice Antonin Scalia, though he has the option to poll the full court.

Thurmond, who was denied any federal appeals because his lawyer missed a deadline, is slated to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. in the shooting deaths of his estranged wife and her new boyfriend a decade ago.

If the execution goes through as planned, Execution Watch will provide live coverage and commentary to inform listeners of the realities, versus the cliches, of the Texas death penalty.

The broadcast will be at 6 p.m. Central Time on nonprofit FM station KPFT 90.1 in Houston and online at http://executionwatch.org/ > Listen.

The execution will be the 480th in Texas since 1982 and the 241st since Rick Perry became governor. Perry has already presided over more than 50 percent of all Texas executions in the modern era.

source : execution watch.org

480th Texas Execution Set for Today; 241st Execution Under Rick Perry

Wednesday’s execution will be the 480th in Texas since 1982 and the 241st since Rick Perry became Governor. More than 50 percent of all executions in Texas in the modern era have been conducted under Rick Perry. Call the Office of Governor Rick Perry at 512 463 2000 to give him your opinion on the death penalty.

Read more : Texas Moratorium 

TEXAS – EXECUTION WATCH TO COVER THURMOND EXECUTION WED.

The busiest death chamber in the industrialized West is preparing to put the 480th notch in its belt of modern death penalty, and Execution Watch will cover the details.

Keith Thurmond’s attorney missed a filing deadline, causing Thurmond to lose his federal appeal, the last constitutionally required review before a death sentence may be carried out. Execution Watch will provide live coverage and commentary Wednesday on his execution in Huntsville, Texas.

RADIO PROGRAM PREVIEW
EXECUTION WATCH
Unless a stay is issued, we’ll broadcast on …
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 6-7 PM CT
KPFT Houston 90.1 FM or
Online: http://executionwatch.org/ > Listen
*** Join the Execution Watch discussion on Facebook ***

Thurmond case :

The former master mechanic was convicted of shooting and killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend in Magnolia in 2001. He lost his federal appeal when his attorney missed a deadlines, essentially waiving the last constitutionally required review before his death sentence could be carried out.

Read more : Execution Watch.org

MISSISSIPPI – Larry Matthew Puckett – execution scheduled march 20

We are asking everyone to email or call Governor Phil Bryant’s office today asking him to vacate Matt’s death sentence and commute it to life without parole. You can help by expressing your feelings about Matt as a person, your belief in his innocence, bring attention to questionable material in his court dockets / flaws in his case, or if you believe the death penalty is unjust. It doesn’t have to be anything formal, just enough to get your point across and get his attention. It is very important that we get the governors attention as he will be reviewing Matt’s clemency application next week and ultimately deciding Matt’s fate. Thank you in advance for all your help and support!

Below you will find contact info for Governor Phil Bryant……..

http://www.governorbryant.com/contact/
Contact « Mississippi’s 64th Governor, Phil Bryant
www.governorbryant.com

TEXAS – Execution Keith Steven Thurmond – march 7, 2012 EXECUTED 6.22 p.m

March 7, 2012

Picture of Offender    Keith Thurmond          Sharon Thurmond

A Texas man condemned for fatally shooting his estranged wife and the neighbor who became her boyfriend denied killing them Wednesday, moments before he was put to death by lethal injection.

Strapped to the gurney inside the death chamber, Keith Thurmond declared, “I didn’t kill my wife. … I swear to God I didn’t kill her.”

His execution for the 2001 slayings near Houston came about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected arguments to halt the capital punishment, the third this year in Texas. The 52-year-old Thurmond was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. – 11 minutes after lethal drugs began flowing into his arms.

Thurmond’s attorneys argued that lawyers representing him in earlier appeals were “grossly deficient” and that his execution should have been postponed until justices decide on a similar case in Arizona.

With his death nearing Wednesday, Thurmond blamed the shooting deaths on another man before telling prison officials, “Go ahead and finish it off.”

As the drugs began flowing, he said, “You can taste it.” He wheezed and snored before losing consciousness.

The killings occurred after sheriff’s deputies showed up at Thurmond’s mobile home on Sept. 25, 2001, with a court order removing his 8-year-old son and putting the boy in the care of his mother

Thurmond became irate and stormed down the road to the mobile home where his 32-year-old wife, Sharon, was living with her new boyfriend, Guy Fernandes, 35, near Magnolia in Montgomery County, about 35 miles north of Houston.

Fernandes’ father, brother and sister were among those who witnessed Thurmond’s execution. They were joined by Sharon Thurmond’s brother and two nieces. All stood stoically a few feet from Thurmond and declined comment after his death.

Thurmond’s brother, Tom, was at Thurmond’s home the day of the killings, heard gunshots and looked out the door. He saw Thurmond outside standing over his wife with a gun in his hand.

At the 2002 capital murder trial, Keith and Sharon Thurmond’s son testified that he saw his father shoot his mother repeatedly in the yard behind Fernandes’ mobile home.

Thurmond surrendered to police after a two-hour standoff.

Evidence showed Sharon Thurmond had been shot seven times with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun that was later found in Thurmond’s home. The same gun was used to shoot Fernandez twice in the head. The gun’s firing pin was missing and pieces of it were near the body of Fernandez, who also had been beaten in the head with the weapon.

During the punishment phase of his trial, a former girlfriend testified that Thurmond stalked and raped her after she ended their relationship. She told jurors that he cut her stuffed animal’s head off and that she feared he would do the same to her.

A second woman testified that she faced similar abuse and harassment until she obtained a court order against him. Sharon Thurmond also had two court orders against him.

Prosecutors said these incidents proved Thurmond was a threat to society, an element Texas jurors must consider when deciding on the death penalty. John MacDonald, Thurmond’s lead trial attorney, said that background on Thurmond’s character very much hurt his defense.

In an appeal petition, Thurmond’s attorneys said the sentence was too harsh. They said his former appellate lawyers failed to track down any of his relatives who could have testified that he had been abused as a child and that this could have accounted for his behavior.

State lawyers opposed the petition, arguing that unlike the Arizona case, Thurmond’s earlier attorneys didn’t abandon him and that any information now from the prisoner’s relatives likely would not have altered the outcome of the trial.

Last Statement:

All I want to say is I’m innocent, I didn’t kill my wife. Jack Leary shot my wife then her dope dealer Guy Fernandez. Don’t hold it against me, Bill. I swear to God I didn’t kill her. Go ahead and finish it off. You can taste it.

Related articles

US – 10 convicts presumed innocent after execution

Carlos De Luna
Executed in 1989

Carlosdeluna Bookingphoto

In February 1983, Wanda Lopez, was stabbed to death during her night shift at the gas station where she worked. After a brief manhunt, police found De Luna hiding under a pick-up truck. Recently released from prison, he was violating his parole by drinking in public. De Luna immediately told police that he was innocent and he offered the name of the person who he saw at the gas station. Police ignored the fact that he did not have a drop of blood on him even though the crime scene was covered in blood. De Luna was arrested too soon after the crime to clean himself up. The single eyewitness to the crime, Kevin Baker, confirmed to police that De Luna was the murderer after police told him he was the right guy.

At trial De Luna named Carlos Hernandez as the man he saw inside the gas station, across the street from the bar where De Luna had been drinking. Hernandez and DeLuna were strikingly similar in appearance but, unlike DeLuna, Hernandez had a long history of knife attacks similar to the convenience store killing and repeatedly told friends and relatives that he had committed the murder. Friends confirmed that he was romantically linked to Lopez as well. De Luna’s lawyers knew of Hernandez’s criminal past but never thoroughly investigated his previous crimes. On December 7, 1989, Texas executed 27-year old Carlos De Luna.

Executed in 1995

Larry Griffin

On June 26, 1980 in St. Louis, Missouri, 19-year-old Quintin Moss was killed in a drive-by shooting while allegedly dealing drugs on a street corner. The conviction was based largely on the testimony from Robert Fitzgerald, a white career criminal, who was at the scene at the time of the murder. He testified that he saw three black men in the car when shots were fired and that Griffin shot the victim through the window of the car with his right hand. This was Griffin’s attorney’s first murder trial and he did not challenge the testimony even though Griffin was left-handed. He also failed to bring forth an alibi witness who was with Griffin at the time of the murder.

Griffin’s fingerprints were not found on the car or the weapon – all evidence against him was circumstantial. There is evidence that suggests Fitzgerald was promised a reduce sentence in exchange for his testimony. The prosecution also failed to address that there were two other witnesses who confirmed that Griffin did not commit the murder and they were able to name the three men who did.Appeals courts upheld his conviction and death sentence. Griffin was executed by lethal injection on June 21, 1995. Griffin maintained his innocence right up to his execution. In 2005, a professor University of Michigan Law School reopened the case. His investigation concluded that Griffin was innocent.

Executed in 1993

Ruben Cantu

On the night of November 8, 1984, Ruben Cantu and his friend David Garza, broke into a vacant San Antonio house under construction and robbed two men at gunpoint. The two victims, Pedro Gomez and Juan Moreno, had been workmen sleeping on floor mattresses at a construction site, guarding against burglary. As they tried to take their cash, they were interrupted by Gomez’s attempt to retrieve a pistol hidden under his mattress. The boys shot both men killing Gomez instantly. Thinking they had killed both men, the two teens then fled the scene.

The police showed Moreno photos of suspects, which included Cantu’s picture, and he was unable to identify his attacker. On the basis of no physical evidence, no confession, and only Moreno’s subsequently recanted testimony, a jury convicted Ruben Cantu of first-decree murder. Juan Moreno now says that he had felt pressure from the police to finger Cantu. David Garza, Cantu’s codefendant, has since admitted involvement in the burglary, assault and murder. He says he did go inside the house with another boy, did participate in the robbery, and saw the murder take place, but that his accomplice was not Ruben Cantu.On August 24, 1993, Ruben Cantu at the age of 26, was executed by lethal injection. His final request was for a piece of bubble gum, which was denied.

David Spence
Executed 1997

Dspence

In 1982, David Spence was accused of the rape and murder of two 17-year-old girls and one 18-year-old boy in Waco, Texas. He received the death penalty in two trials for the murders. Muneer Deeb, a convenience store owner, hired Spence to do the murders and he was also charged and sentenced to death. He received a new trial in 1993 and was later acquitted.

The prosecution built its case against Spence around bite marks that a state expert said matched Spence’s teeth and jailhouse snitches. Two of the six jailhouse witnesses who testified at trial later recanted, saying they were given cigarettes, television and alcohol privileges, and conjugal visits for their testimonies. Spence’s post-conviction lawyers had a blind panel study in which five experts said the bite marks could not be matched to Spence’s. Even the original homicide investigator on the case said he had serious doubts about Spence’s guilt and a former Waco police detective involved in the case said he did not think Spence committed the crime. David Spence was executed by lethal injection on April 14, 1997.

executed in 1990

Jesse-Tafero

On the morning of February 20, 1976, Highway Patrol officer, Phillip Black, and Donald Irwin, approached a car parked at a rest stop for a routine check. Tafero, his partner Sonia “Sunny” Jacobs, and Walter Rhodes were found asleep inside. Black saw a gun lying on the floor inside the car so he woke the occupants and had them come out of the car. According to Rhodes, Tafero then shot both Black and Irwin with the gun, which was illegally registered to Jacobs, led the others into the police car and fled the scene. All three were arrested after being caught in a roadblock. The gun was found in Tafero’s waistband.

At their trial, Rhodes testified that Tafero and Jacobs were solely responsible for the murders. Tafero and Jacobs were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death while Rhodes was sentenced to 3 life sentences. Rhodes was eventually released in 1994 following parole for good behavior. Because the jury had recommended a life sentence for Jacobs, the court commuted Jacobs’ sentence to life in prison, but not Tafero’s. She was later released after agreeing to a plea bargain. Prior to his release, Rhodes confessed several times to lying about his involvement in the shooting. Even Sunny Jacobs claimed that Rhodes, not Tafero, carried out the shooting as well. Rhodes was the only person on which traces of gunpowder were found. Tafero was executed by electric chair on May 4, 1990. The chair malfunctioned causing the process to take over 13 minutes.

Read more : Listverse.com

TEXAS – Last hour of George Rivas- execution February 29, 2012 – EXECUTED 6.22 p.m

Last statement

Yes, I do. First of all for the Aubrey Hawkins family, I do apologize for everything that happened. Not because I am here, but for closure in your hearts. I really believe that you deserve that. To my wife, Cheri, I am so grateful you’re in my life. I love you so dearly. Thank you to my sister and dear friend Katherine Cox, my son and family, friends and family. I love you so dearly. To my friends, all the guys on the row, you have my courtesy and respect. Thank you to the people involved and to the courtesy of the officers. I am grateful for everything in my life. To my wife, take care of yourself. I will be waiting for you. I love you. God Bless. I am ready to go

Aubrey Hawkins, the police officer killed by t...

Aubrey Hawkins, the police officer killed by the Texas Seven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5:59p George Rivas will be strapped to a gurney, arms extended, and an IV for the lethal injection will be inserted in both arms. Once He’s strapped down, the warden will call for witnesses to enter the two observation rooms.

5:58p Once witnesses are in place, guards will ask George Rivas if he wants to make a final statement. He said he did.

5:48p Guards move George Rivas from his holding cell, 15 feet to the execution chamber. The lethal injection procedure is scheduled to begin a few minutes after six o’clock.

5:22p One of George Rivas’ four witnesses did not appear for his execution. Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins will attend instead.

5:03p Three drugs are used in the lethal injection cocktail. That used to cost about $86, but the price has recently skyrocketed to more than $1,300 because the state has been forced to resort to a more expensive substitute for one of the drugs being used.

5:01p “I met with him a few minutes ago along with the warden and the chaplain, and Rivas stated that he’s… all these years he’s made it clear that he’s ready to go,” said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “He did say that he was going to make a last statement.” Rivas is said to have made several personal calls from a phone provided by the prison, He asked five friends to witness his lethal injection.

4:50p More than 15 Irving police officers are standing outside the Walls Unit where George Rivas will soon be executed for killing Irving Officer Aubrey Hawkins on Christmas Eve 2000.

4:42p The widow of Irving police Officer Aubrey Hawkins, who was killed by George Rivas, will not attend the execution. She told News 8 that she felt no closure after being present at the last execution of a Texas 7 gang member in 2009.

4:40p George Rivas was served barbequeue chicken for his final meal, just like the other inmates at the Walls Unit.

4:30p George Rivas’ appeals have all been denied. Clemency is denied. The state says attorneys for the convicted killer do not plan a last-minute challenge to the scheduled 6 o’clock execution.