|
Post by unkelremus on Jul 12, 2014 9:57:21 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by whitediamonds on Jul 13, 2014 11:52:28 GMT -6
How fitting live by drugs die by drugs..
|
|
|
Post by unkelremus on Jul 15, 2014 14:51:19 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Californian on Jul 15, 2014 18:09:01 GMT -6
Now appears to be on again. Missouri Appeals John Middleton's Stay Of Execution| By JIM SALTER ST. LOUIS (AP) — A three-judge federal appeals court panel on Tuesday overturned a stay of execution for a condemned Missouri man, hours before he was scheduled to be put to death. John Middleton was set to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing three people in rural northern Missouri in 1995 out of fear that they would tell police about his drug dealing. U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry ruled early Tuesday that there was enough question about Middleton's mental health that a hearing should determine if he is fit to be executed, writing in her ruling that he "has provided evidence that he has been diagnosed with a variety of mental health disorders, and has received a number of psychiatric medications over the years." Courts have established that executing the mentally ill is unconstitutional. Hours later, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis overturned the stay. Middleton's lawyers appealed that ruling. They also contend in a separate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court that Middleton is innocent of the killings.
Middleton, 54, would be the sixth man put to death in Missouri this year — only Florida and Texas have performed more executions in 2014 with seven each. He was convicted of killing Randy "Happy" Hamilton, Stacey Hodge and Alfred Pinegar out of concern that they would tell police about Middleton's methamphetamine dealing. Middleton's girlfriend, Maggie Hodges, is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in all three cases. Middleton's attorneys contend that the wrong man was arrested, citing new evidence that included a witness who came forward in February. "We're looking at a situation where if (Middleton) had zealous representation at trial he likely would have been acquitted," attorney Joseph Perkovich said. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster disagreed. "The time for enforcement of Missouri's criminal judgment against John Middleton is long overdue," Koster wrote in a court response on Tuesday. Middleton was a meth dealer in sparsely-populated northern Missouri in the mid-1990s. After several drug suspects were arrested on June 10, 1995, he allegedly told a friend, "The snitches around here are going to start going down." A day later, according to court records, Middleton and his girlfriend met Hamilton and Hodge on a gravel road. Prosecutors said Middleton shot and killed them both and put the bodies in the trunk of Hamilton's car. Pinegar, another meth dealer, was shot in the face on June 23, 1995. His body was found in a field near Bethany.
|
|
|
Post by Californian on Jul 16, 2014 6:57:14 GMT -6
Missouri Appeals John Middleton's Stay Of Execution
| By JIM SALTER BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri execution has been delayed until at least midday Wednesday after a federal judge granted a last-minute stay.
John Middleton was scheduled to die one minute after midnight Wednesday for killing three people in rural northern Missouri in 1995. Less than two hours before the execution, U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry granted a stay, ruling that there was enough evidence of mental illness that a hearing should be held.
Courts have established that executing the mentally ill is unconstitutional.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster appealed to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but that court adjourned for the night without a ruling.
The state could execute Middleton at any time Wednesday if the stay is lifted.
It was a confusing end to a day that saw a flurry of court actions. Perry first granted a stay early Tuesday, but it was overturned by the appeals court. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn the appeals court ruling, and also declined to halt the execution on several other grounds, including the contention by Middleton's attorneys that he was innocent of the crimes.
Middleton's attorneys then went back to Perry, who once again granted a stay. However the appeals court eventually rules, the case is likely to end up again in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The death warrant expires at midnight Thursday, so if Middleton is not executed by then, the Missouri Supreme Court would have to set a new date. State witnesses and media were told to report back to the prison by 10:30 a.m.
Middleton, 54, would be the sixth man put to death in Missouri this year — only Florida and Texas have performed more executions in 2014 with seven each.
He was convicted of killing Randy "Happy" Hamilton, Stacey Hodge and Alfred Pinegar out of concern that they would tell police about Middleton's methamphetamine dealing. Middleton's girlfriend, Maggie Hodges, is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in all three cases.
Middleton's attorneys contend that the wrong man was arrested, citing new evidence that included a witness who came forward in February.
"We're looking at a situation where if (Middleton) had zealous representation at trial he likely would have been acquitted," attorney Joseph Perkovich said.
Koster disagreed. "The time for enforcement of Missouri's criminal judgment against John Middleton is long overdue," Koster wrote in a court response on Tuesday.
Middleton was a meth dealer in sparsely-populated northern Missouri in the mid-1990s. After several drug suspects were arrested on June 10, 1995, he allegedly told a friend, "The snitches around here are going to start going down."
A day later, according to court records, Middleton and his girlfriend met Hamilton and Hodge on a gravel road. Prosecutors said Middleton shot and killed them both and put the bodies in the trunk of Hamilton's car.
Pinegar, another meth dealer, was shot in the face on June 23, 1995. His body was found in a field near Bethany.
Middleton allegedly told acquaintances about his exploits. He was charged in all three killings and convicted in 1997.
A witness with another story emerged this year.
In February, a man whose name is not disclosed because he fears retribution signed an affidavit saying that two rival meth dealers drove him to a rural area soon after Pinegar's death and accused him of being a snitch. He said the men showed him Pinegar's body, saying, "There's already been three people killed. You want to be number four?"
The new witness said the two dealers then beat him unconscious with a baseball bat and raped his girlfriend.
Harrison County Sheriff Josh Eckerson agreed to take a new look at the case, but said his investigation found no evidence to back up the new assertions. He is convinced that Middleton was the real killer.
|
|
|
Post by unkelremus on Jul 16, 2014 14:59:35 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Californian on Jul 16, 2014 18:39:28 GMT -6
And DOWN he goes. Hasta la vista, creep. Missouri executes man accused of killing 3 peopleBy JIM SALTER BONNE TERRE, Mo. — A former methamphetamine dealer was executed Wednesday for killing three people in rural northern Missouri out of fear that they would report his drug activity to police. John Middleton, 54, died from an injection of pentobarbital, the sixth execution in Missouri this year. Only Florida and Texas, with seven each, have performed more executions. Middleton was convicted of killing Randy "Happy" Hamilton and Stacey Hodge in early June 1995, then Alfred Pinegar several days later. Middleton was a small-time meth dealer in sparsely populated northern Missouri in the mid-1990s. After several drug suspects were arrested on June 10, 1995, he allegedly told a friend: "The snitches around here are going to start going down." A day later, according to court records, Middleton and his girlfriend met Hamilton and Hodge on a gravel road. Prosecutors said Middleton shot and killed them both and hid the bodies in the trunk of Hamilton's car. Pinegar, another meth dealer, was shot in the face on June 23, 1995. His body was found in a field near Bethany. Acquaintances say Middleton told them he killed all three. Police also had eyewitness accounts of Middleton purchasing ammunition in the hours before Pinegar's death. Middleton was convicted in 1997. Middleton's girlfriend, Maggie Hodges, is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in all three deaths. In February, a man whose name has not been disclosed because he fears retribution signed an affidavit saying that two rival meth dealers drove him to a rural area soon after Pinegar's death and accused him of being a snitch. He said the men showed him Pinegar's body, saying: "There's already been three people killed. You want to be number four?" The witness said the two dealers then beat him unconscious with a baseball bat and raped his girlfriend. Harrison County Sheriff Josh Eckerson agreed to take a new look at the case but said his investigation found no evidence to back up the claims. He is convinced that Middleton was the real killer. The execution Wednesday evening occurred several hours after it was originally scheduled, at 12:01 a.m. A federal judge granted a stay of execution late Tuesday, citing a need for a hearing to determine if Middleton was mentally ill. A federal appeals court overturned the stay and neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the Missouri Supreme Court would halt the execution. Middleton's appeals on claims that he was innocent were also turned away, and Gov. Jay Nixon denied a request for clemency. Missouri has executed one man each month since November, with the exception of May, when the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of Russell Bucklew. Bucklew suffers from a rare congenital condition that causes weakened and malformed blood vessels as well as tumors in his nose and throat. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals plans a hearing on Sept. 9 to determine if lethal injection could cause him to suffer because of his medical condition.
|
|
|
Post by whitediamonds on Jul 16, 2014 18:53:08 GMT -6
Cause of death overdose....
|
|
|
Post by Californian on Jul 16, 2014 19:26:07 GMT -6
Cause of death overdose.... ....Or an anxiety attack. Can you imagine the conversation between him and his legion of attorneys? "it's on! It's off! Wait, it's on again! It's off! It's on! We got a stay! It's off! Oh, SH!T! It's ON!" Nothing like subjecting your client to that, is there? Of course, for the antis, it's about the movement, not the poor schlub on the gurney.
|
|
|
Post by whitediamonds on Jul 16, 2014 19:38:58 GMT -6
Cause of death overdose.... .... "it's on! It's off! Wait, it's on again! It's off! It's on! We got a stay! It's off! Oh, SH!T! It's ON!" Nothing like subjecting your client to that, is there? Of course, for the antis, it's about the movement, not the poor schlub on the gurney. So true !!
|
|
|
Post by josephdphillips on Jul 17, 2014 9:29:18 GMT -6
Missouri executes man accused of killing 3 people More interesting is the anti-DP bias of the Los Angeles Times' editor who wrote this headline. They later removed the bias in a later version of the story.
|
|
|
Post by unkelremus on Jul 17, 2014 10:48:12 GMT -6
|
|