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Thread: Zachary Taylor Wood - Florida

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    Zachary Taylor Wood - Florida


    James Shores, 66


    Zachary Taylor Wood


    Jury Selected for Zachary Taylor Wood Murder Trial

    HOLMES COUNTY -- Zachary Taylor Wood had his first appearance before possible jurors who will decide his fate Monday morning.

    Previous:

    http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/U...263484171.html

    The Washington County Judge Chris Patterson selected 12 jurors and three alternates for Wood's case.

    In April, he and Dillon Rafsky allegedly murdered 66 year-old James Shores in his home after ransacking it.

    Judge Patterson says they are seeking the death penalty in Wood's case.

    He is charged with premeditated murder, burglary while armed and robbery with a firearm.

    "Capital cases are tried in two phases," explained Judge Christopher Patterson. "The first part is called the guilt phase, and it's pretty much conducted the way any criminal case is, and the second is called the penalty phase. The first phase will progress immediately this week."

    Court is expected to start at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Holmes County Courthouse.

    http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/J...293748381.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    Wood found guilty, penalty phase begins Friday

    BONIFAY - It took less than an hour for a jury to reach a verdict in the case of Zachary Taylor Wood, the first of two defendants charged in the 2014 slaying of retired Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Officer James William Shores.

    Wood and his co-defendant, Dillon Scott Rafsky, both of Geneva, Alabama, were indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury in June on counts of first-degree murder, burglary while armed, and robbery while armed.

    The six man, six woman jury found Wood guilty as charged on all three counts after just 56 minutes of deliberation Thursday.

    Shores, 66, was found at his family's old homestead at 2842 Johnson Rd., located near his Dauphin Rd. residence last April.

    The Washington County Sheriff's Office discovered Shores' body while performing a welfare check at his property in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 20. Deputies had received information from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation that a vehicle connected to the April 19 shooting of an Alabama State Trooper was registered to Shores. The trooper in that case, Marcel Phillips, was treated and released from a Dothan hospital for injuries obtained during a gunfight that took place when he stopped the suspects for speeding.

    Investigators testified that Shores was found face down, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the head, with his hands bound behind his back by a chain, and his feet tied together with a shirt.

    The court also heard testimony that in addition to the beating and gunshot wound, the suspects poured a gasoline additive on Shores' back and attempted to light him on fire.

    The defendant told the court he was afraid to not do as he was told by Rafsky, whom he claimed had beaten him a month earlier, shot him in the thigh the day before Shores' murder, and later attempted to shoot him after exchanging gunfire with Trooper Phillips.

    Wood testified the pair had been "riding dirt roads" in a Jeep stolen from Rafsky's then-girlfriend in Enterprise, Alabama when they became stuck on Shores' property early Friday afternoon, the day of the murder.

    "(We were) riding down the dirt road and passed a house," Wood told the court. "(Rafsky) put the Jeep in reverse and backed it up to an abandoned house, saying it was ok, that we were supposed to be there." Wood admitted he and Rafsky entered the home and plundered, stating Shores showed up after they were back outside, attempting to free the Jeep.

    "(Shores) told us we needed to get off the property and that he would call the sheriff to pull us out. I said that would be wonderful ... I was happy when Mr. Shores showed up." he told the court.

    Wood went on to say Shores drove behind the house and Rafsky followed him, where he began striking Shores in the head with a garden hoe. Wood testified he then helped tie Shores' feet with a shirt, but that was his only role in the crime. He also claimed he purposely left his wallet at the scene, as well as swiped Shore's debit card multiple times after the murder in hopes law enforcement would track them down.

    Defense Attorney Walter Smith argued that his client was afraid of the co-defendant, with whom Woods had previously had a romantic relationship, stating Rafsky had "nothing to lose."

    "(Wood) certainly felt like (Rafsky) was capable of killing him," Smith told the jury. "Sometimes you can be made to do things you usually wouldn't do because you're afraid..."

    Smith went on to point out that Rafsky's - not Wood's - DNA was found on the murder weapon.

    Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford remained unconvinced, pointing to surveillance footage from a Walmart store showing Wood using Shores' debit card shortly after the murder.

    "When (Wood) was in Walmart, he was happy-go-lucky, having no reservations about spending a dead man's money," Basford told the jury in closing arguments. " ... Actions speak louder than words ... he wouldn't hesitate to do anything to help his best friend. He chose to help Dillon Rafsky."

    Basford also pointed out inconsistencies between Wood's court testimony and his recorded interview with investigators, which was played for the court.

    In that interview, Wood stated he "may have" hit Shores to "show (Rafsky) he wouldn't snitch," but in open court, Wood testified he never struck the victim.

    "This man was not truthful with officers, and he was not truthful with us when he was testifying," said Basford.

    After the verdict, Shores' family stated they were satisfied with the result of the trial.

    The defendant told the court he was afraid to not do as he was told by Rafsky, whom he claimed had beaten him a month earlier, shot him in the thigh the day before Shores' murder, and later attempted to shoot him after exchanging gunfire with Trooper Phillips.

    Wood testified the pair had been "riding dirt roads" in a Jeep stolen from Rafsky's then-girlfriend in Enterprise, Alabama when they became stuck on Shores' property early Friday afternoon, the day of the murder.

    "(We were) riding down the dirt road and passed a house," Wood told the court. "(Rafsky) put the Jeep in reverse and backed it up to an abandoned house, saying it was ok, that we were supposed to be there." Wood admitted he and Rafsky entered the home and plundered, stating Shores showed up after they were back outside, attempting to free the Jeep.

    "(Shores) told us we needed to get off the property and that he would call the sheriff to pull us out. I said that would be wonderful ... I was happy when Mr. Shores showed up." he told the court.

    Wood went on to say Shores drove behind the house and Rafsky followed him, where he began striking Shores in the head with a garden hoe. Wood testified he then helped tie Shores' feet with a shirt, but that was his only role in the crime. He also claimed he purposely left his wallet at the scene, as well as swiped Shore's debit card multiple times after the murder in hopes law enforcement would track them down.

    Defense Attorney Walter Smith argued that his client was afraid of the co-defendant, with whom Woods had previously had a romantic relationship, stating Rafsky had "nothing to lose."

    "(Wood) certainly felt like (Rafsky) was capable of killing him," Smith told the jury. "Sometimes you can be made to do things you usually wouldn't do because you're afraid..."

    http://www.chipleypaper.com/news/loc....443659?page=0
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jury recommends death for Zachary Wood

    BONIFAY — Jurors unanimously recommended Friday that 24-year-old Zachary Taylor Wood be put to death for the murder of James “Coon” Shores.

    If Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson goes along with the jury’s recommendation, Wood will be the first person to be sentenced to death in Washington County’s modern judicial history.

    The same jury of six men and six women had found Wood guilty Thursday of first-degree murder, burglary of a structure while armed with a firearm and robbery with a firearm.

    During Friday’s sentencing hearing, six people testified on Wood’s behalf.

    Heather Griffin, his older sister, pleaded with jurors to recommend a life sentence without parole. She read a typed letter that described Wood’s tumultuous childhood.

    Griffin, who is 15 years older than her brother, recounted how she helped raise Wood from the day he was born until that job became full time after their mother died from colon cancer when Wood was 8 years old.

    “Zach has had a very difficult life. None of this is an excuse, but I did my best to raise him,” Griffin said. “I feel in my heart that this is my responsibility.”

    Griffin then looked to Shores’ family and apologized.

    “I would do anything to take away their suffering,” she said. “My family has suffered, too. This tragedy not only destroyed Mr. Shores’ family, but also mine.”

    Griffin described Wood as a helpful younger sibling who had been exposed to factors of abuse and “destructive drug use.” She said Wood had hoped to get clean and away from the influence of his co-defendant in the killing, 21-year-old Dillon Scott Rafsky.

    It came to light during the trial that Wood and Rafsky had been in a romantic relationship. Walter Smith, Wood’s attorney, told jurors that his client was coerced into participating in Shores’ killing because he was afraid for his own safety if he didn’t go along with Rafsky.

    Washington County sheriff’s deputies found the 66-year-old Shores shot to death on his property April 20. Deputies arrived after they received information from Alabama lawmen that a vehicle connected to the shooting of a state trooper was registered to Shores.

    Testimony during the trial indicated that Shores returned to his home to find Rafsky and Wood there. They had been riding in a stolen Jeep on the property when it got stuck. They then burglarized Shores’ home, according testimony presented at Wood’s trial

    After Shores told the men to get off his land, prosecutors said Wood and Rafsky allegedly beat, bound and shot him execution-style. They also allegedly dowsed him with him with solvent and tried to set him on fire.

    Smith maintained Friday that that his client did not pull the trigger that day.

    “It (the death penalty) should be reserved for persons we know beyond a reasonable doubt are capable of taking a human life and have taken a human life,” he said.

    “He’s guilty because he helped another individual, but he did not do it,” Smith added.

    Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford told the jury the murder met three aggravating factors worthy of the death penalty: It was committed to avoid arrest, during a burglary or a robbery, and was cold, calculated and premeditated.

    After the jury returned with its recommendation, Josiah Shores, James Shores’ son, thanked investigators and the prosecutors of the case.

    “They all did a good job,” Shores said.

    Patterson will consider more mitigating and aggravating factors during a hearing April 17 before he hands down Wood’s sentence. He is not required to follow the jury’s recommendation but must give it great weight.

    http://www.chipleypaper.com/news/jur....444244?page=0
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Wood sentencing set for May 12

    Convicted murderer Zachary Taylor Wood will be sentenced May 12. A jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for Wood in February following his conviction for April 2014 murder of James “Coon” Shores. Judge Christopher Patterson heard more mitigating factors when Wood appeared before him in a Spencer Hearing, earlier today. Judge Patterson is not required to follow the jury’s recommendation but must give it great weight.

    http://www.chipleypaper.com/news/loc...ay-12-1.466052
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    Trial postponed for second defendant in game warden murder

    CHIPLEY - The second defendant in the April 2014 slaying of retired Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Officer James William Shores will wait a little longer for his day in court.

    Dillon Scott Rafsky's trial was set to begin May 18 but has been delayed after concerns surfaced about the defendant's competency to stand trial.

    A competency hearing is set for May 8, but no new trial date has been set at this time.

    Rafsky and his co-defendant, Zachary Taylor Wood, both of Geneva, Alabama, were indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury last June on counts of first-degree murder, burglary while armed, and robbery while armed.

    The Washington County Sheriff's Office discovered Shores' body while performing a welfare check at his property in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 20. Shores was found face down, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the head, with his hands bound behind his back by a chain, and his feet tied together with a shirt.

    Deputies had received information from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation that a vehicle connected to the April 19 shooting of an Alabama State Trooper was registered to Shores. The trooper in that case, Marcel Phillips, was treated and released from a Dothan hospital for injuries obtained during a gunfight that took place when he stopped the suspects for speeding.

    Wood, who faced trial before Judge Christopher Patterson in February, was found guilty in a verdict that took less than an hour for jurors to reach. That same jury recommended the death penalty, but Judge Patterson will have final say when Wood is sentenced May 12.

    http://www.chipleypaper.com/news/loc....472509?page=0
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Man Sentenced to Death For Killing Washington County Man

    Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson followed a jury's recommendation Tuesday and sentenced Zachary Wood to death for the murder of a Washington County man.

    Wood, 24, of Geneva, AL, was convicted Feb. 26 of first degree murder, burglary of a structure while armed with a firearm and robbery with a firearm in the death of James "Coon" Shores.

    Assistant State Attorneys Larry Basford and Shalla Jefcoat proved to jurors that Wood and codefendant Dillon Rafsky beat down, bound then executed Shores, 66, after he found them on his property the evening of April 19, 2014. Wood and Rafsky had been driving around dirt roads in Alabama and Florida for more than a day before getting the stolen Jeep Cherokee they were driving stuck in the mud on Shores' family property. Shores lived on an adjoining property, but saw the vehicle and two men as he drove home from a store. He told them to leave and said he would call the sheriff's office before the men attacked him, beating him senseless with the handle of a garden hoe, tying his hands and feet and leaving him face down in the grass. They then poured a gasoline additive on his back and attempted to light him on fire.

    When that failed, one of the men took a 20gauge shotgun from Shores' vehicle and shot him in the head. He was discovered later that night by his brother and a Washington County deputy who'd gone to Shore's house after his vehicle was found at the scene of a shooting with an Alabama state trooper. Wood had been arrested there after he or Rafsky exchanged shots with the trooper and Rafsky was arrested in the area a short time later.

    Following Wood's conviction, jurors heard evidence as to aggravating and mitigating circumstances of the crime that would lead them to recommend to the judge a sentence of either life in prison or death. They recommended 120 that Wood be put to death.

    Patterson sentenced Wood to death for the murder charge and 100 years on both the robbery and burglary charges, to run concurrently with the murder penalty.

    "The success of this case was due to the thorough investigation of the Washington County Sheriff's Office in cooperation with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation," Basford said after the sentencing.

    http://www.mypanhandle.com/story/d/s...lk-uUpx7-ZewSQ

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    Wood entered death row on May 26, 2015.

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    ​Related:

    Death penalty ruling will affect local cases


    Circuit court judges around the state are still waiting for a Supreme Court decision that could change the outcome of capital punishment cases in Florida. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in January that Florida's long-standing capital punishment procedure unconstitutionally violates the Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury, if a judge is in fact the one making a final sentencing decision.

    Historically, at least 7 in a 12-member jury were required to vote in favor of execution before that sentence could be recommended. The judge, in turn, heavily weighs the jury's advisory sentence along with all aggravating and mitigating factors in a case before independently making a life or death decision in how a defendant will pay for the crime.

    The aspect of the judge making the final decision was struck down in January in the case of Timothy Lee Hurst, a man convicted of murdering his coworker Cynthia Harrison in Pensacola in 1998. In a compromise, the Florida legislature passed a new statute in March requiring at least a 10-to-2 jury vote before the death penalty could be recommended.

    Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson said judges are waiting daily for a decision that could cause a massive change to the justice system and possibly the fates of 390 death row inmates. It's unclear whether a new law will apply retroactively for inmates currently on death row, if they would all get new sentencing trials, or if all cases from here on out would automatically receive a life sentence.

    Patterson was unable to comment on how the Supreme Court ruling could impact recent local murder cases.

    A new death penalty process could mean very different outcomes for Zachary Taylor Wood and Dillon Scott Rafsky, 2 men convicted in the 2014 torture and murder of retired Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Officer James William Shores in Washington County.

    Patterson handed the death penalty down - a 1st in that county's judicial history - to Wood after the entire jury voted in favor of execution. Wood is currently serving out his sentence in the Florida State Prison in Raiford, a small town about 50 miles west of Jacksonville.

    The Raiford facility houses male inmates waiting for their scheduled executions. Female death row inmates are incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institution, just north of Ocala.

    Rafsky, who was just deemed competent to stand trial in December, may be tried under different guidelines than Wood. As it stands, Rafsky's jury would require 10 votes to recommend death when Wood's jury only required 7 votes.

    One Florida judge already ruled in May the new law itself is unconstitutional. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch wrote that a unanimous vote means all jurors must agree on execution, not the majority implied in the new 10-to-2 rule.

    Along with a revised capital punishment procedure, judges are also waiting for instructions on how to apply the new law. If the 10-to-2 jury vote remains intact, it's unclear how it would apply in the 2010 conviction of Johnny Calhoun, an Esto man sentenced to death after a 9-to-3 jury vote for the kidnapping and 1st degree murder of Mia Brown in Holmes County.

    Like Wood, Calhoun resides under maximum security at the Florida State Prison awaiting execution. It's not known yet if Calhoun would retroactively be sentenced to life in prison based on his previous jury vote or if he would receive a new trial altogether.

    The upcoming trial of Joshua Brandyn Gaskey is another one in the balance. Gaskey was charged with 2 counts of 1st degree murder after robbing and shooting Glen and Jackie Brooks in their Ponce de Leon home in April last year.

    Patterson said the potential exists for a mass increase in case loads if circuit courts are instructed to give death row inmates new sentencing trials. In the meantime, judges expect the Supreme Court to reveal its new directives on capital punishment any day now.

    http://www.chipleypaper.com/news/201...ct-local-cases
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Related:

    June 22, 2016

    SUSPECT TO STAND TRIAL FOR MURDER OF GAME WARDEN

    Dillon Scott Rafsky, 22, the second defendant in the 2014 murder of retired Florida Game Warden James William Shores, will stand trial beginning December 5th.

    Rafsky, of Enterprise, and co-defendant 24-year-old Zachary Taylor Wood of Glenwood, AL, were captured by Alabama authorities in Geneva County following the attempted murder of an Alabama State Trooper in a shootout on Hwy. 57 on April 19, 2014. The pair were on the run after the murder of the Game Warden when Alabama Trooper Lee Phillips stopped them for speeding.

    Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said 66-year-old William Shores was killed about three hours before the state trooper was shot in Alabama. Shores surprised the two, who were trespassing, on his remote property 15 miles southwest of Chipley. Deputies found the Game Warden’s body while checking on his property.

    Woods was convicted of murder in February of this year and sentenced to death.

    Rafsky’s trial was delayed until a competency hearing found him mentally fit to stand trial. He also faces the death penalty if convicted.

    http://www.wzep1460.com/suspect-to-s...f-game-warden/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #10
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    Remanded today for imposition of a life sentence without parole.

    http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/d...7/sc15-954.pdf

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