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Thread: Death Penalty Sought for Seth Jameson Frazier in 2017 NC Murders of Howe, Smith, Darden and Shannon

  1. #11
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Prosecutors mulling death penalty for Pasquotank inmates charged in failed prison escape

    By Rico Bush
    WAVY News

    PASQUOTANK, N.C. (WAVY) — Prosecutors are expected to meet Wednesday morning to discuss a possible harsher punishment for four inmates allegedly involved in a deadly attack at the Pasquotank Correctional Institution.

    The purpose of the hearing is to determine if the state will seek the death penalty against those inmates accused of trying to escape

    State officials say the inmates started a fire in the facility's sewing plant in October. According to police, the inmates then tried to escape the prison, but were caught before leaving the prison yard. During the chaos, several people were hurt and hospitalized.

    Four prison workers died in the attack.

    Prosecutors charged the inmates with first-degree murder in connection with the incident. In October, the inmates were indicted on several other charges, including burning a public building, felony riot and assault with a deadly weapon.

    The prison has remained on the lockdown since the deadly attack. Meanwhile, the prison’s sewing plant where the ambush happened has been closed indefinitely.

    The capital penalty determination hearing is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m.

    http://wavy.com/2017/12/06/pasquotan...prison-escape/
    "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

  2. #12
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    I wonder what there actually is to mull?

  3. #13
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    Edited:

    Prosecutors seeking death penalty against 3 Pasquotank inmates


    Hearing on fourth inmate set for this afternoon

    By Rico Bush
    WAVY News

    BREAKING: Prosecutors are seeking the death penalaty against three inmates charged in the failed Pasquotank prison escape — Wisezah Buckman, Seth Frazier, and Mikel Brady. A hearing for the fourth inmate charged, Jonathan Monk, is scheduled to begin Wednesday afternoon.

    http://wavy.com/2017/12/06/pasquotan...prison-escape/
    "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

  4. #14
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    Prosecutors seek death penalty for inmates accused of killing Pasquotank Correctional Institution employees

    By Allison Mechanic and Web Staff
    WTKR News

    PASQUOTANK COUNTY, N.C. – Prosecutors in North Carolina told a judge Wednesday that they intend to seek the death penalty for four inmates involved in a deadly attempted prison escape in Pasquotank County.

    Authorities have charged 28-year-old Mikel Brady, 29-year-old Wisezah Buckman, 33-year-old Seth J. Frazier, and 30-year-old Jonathan M. Monk were each handed down with indictments for:

    • Four counts of first degree murder
    • Five counts of assault with a deadly weapon
    • One count of felony riot
    • One count of burning a building
    • One count of attempted escape from prison
    • One misdemeanor count of assault with a deadly weapon

    They’re also facing charges of felony riot and burning a public building.

    The incident occurred Thursday, October 12 around 3 p.m. when officials say inmates started a fire around 3 p.m. in the facility’s Specialty Sewing Plant, where about 30 inmates work producing embroidered logo items, safety vests and other sewn items. After the fire was set, several inmates unsuccessfully attempted to escape.

    The next court hearing in this case is scheduled for March 1.

    http://wtkr.com/2017/12/06/prosecuto...ion-employees/
    "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

  5. #15
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Top lawmakers call on N.C. to restart executions following prison deaths

    By Gavin Off and Ames Alexander
    The Charlotte Observer

    CHARLOTTE — North Carolina’s legislative leaders have asked the state to restart executions following the brutal killings of four workers at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in October.

    On Wednesday, Pasquotank County’s District Attorney said he would seek the death penalty against the four inmates who have been charged in the attacks.

    North Carolina is one of 32 states with the death penalty, but due to legal challenges, no executions have been carried out since 2006. Currently, 143 inmates are on death row.

    In a news release issued Friday, Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, both Republicans, called on Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein to resume executions.

    “In light of the prosecutor’s decision to pursue the death penalty, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein need to make certain, should a jury sentence these men to death, that those sentences are carried out,” Moore said in a statement.

    Said Berger: “No matter what they say, Cooper’s and Stein’s indifference and failure to fight the moratorium endangers the lives of prison employees in close proximity to hardened murderers with nothing left to lose, who see no possibility they will face execution for killing again.”

    Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for Cooper said: “Legal challenges halted capital punishment in North Carolina and only the courts can restart it. Capital punishment remains the law of the state and Governor Cooper has a long history of upholding it.”

    A spokeswoman for Stein said: “The Attorney General will uphold the law in North Carolina.” She did not elaborate.

    According to a prison disciplinary report, the Pasquotank inmates attacked two employees in the prison’s sewing plant Oct. 12 before making their way to a loading dock area where they attacked two more employees.

    A prison worker who called 911 said the inmates used scissors and hammers in the attacks.

    Prison employees Veronica Darden, Justin Smith, Geoffrey Howe and Wendy Shannon died from their injuries.

    Inmates Wisezah Buckman, Mikel Brady, Seth Frazier and Jonathan Monk have been charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say all tried to escape from the prison but were captured before scaling Pasquotank’s perimeter fence.

    The Pasquotank employees weren’t the only prison workers to be killed on the job this year. In April, Sgt. Meggan Callahan was killed while working at Bertie Correctional Institution.

    Inmate Craig Wissink was charged with her murder.

    http://www.journalnow.com/news/state...967c0ca42.html

  6. #16
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Inmates charged in failed NC prison break appear in court

    By: WAVY
    CBS17.com

    ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) - Three of the four inmates charged with murder in a deadly failed escape at a North Carolina prison appeared in court Thursday morning.

    Wisezah Buckman, Seth Frazier, Mikel Brady and Jonathan Monk are accused of starting a fire in the sewing facility at Pasquotank Correctional Institution last October, before trying to escape. They were caught before leaving the prison yard, however.

    Several people were injured in the chaos — and four of the prison's employees died. Prosecutors charged the men with first-degree murder, among several other counts.

    Womble said in December he was seeking the death penalty against the four inmates. He said the same thing again today.

    After the reviewing the evidence that I have, I've seen some of the most brutal acts in my 23-year career," Womble said.

    Trial dates have not yet been set. Womble plans to try each case separately, starting with Brady.

    "We believe we are going to try the strongest case first," Womble added.

    Autopsy reports state that Officer Justin Smith died as a result of multiple blunt and sharp force injuries, Wendy Shannon died from complications of blunt force head injuries, Veronica Darden died from multiple blunt and sharp force injuries, and Geoggrey Howe died of blunt force head injuries.

    The report states that Smith was attacked with several objects including a ball-peen hammer, claw hammer, and half of a pair of scissors. It states that Smith had 16 stab wounds to the front of his chest as well as 13 to 15 stab wounds to his back.

    Darden's report states that she suffered from multiple lacerations of the head and face, skull fractures, a stab wound to her back, and a cut to her neck.

    Shannon's report states that she was reportedly struck with a hammer and suffered traumatic injuries to her head and face. Shannon died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia on Oct. 30.

    Howe's report says that Howe was reportedly struck with a hammer and suffered extensive head injuries. He died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital as well on Nov. 2.

    https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-car...urt/1272084143
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  7. #17
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    Four inmates charged in deadly attack to be tried separately

    By Associated Press

    ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) - A prosecutor says four prison inmates accused in a deadly attack on workers at a North Carolina prison will be tried separately.

    The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City reports District Attorney Andrew Womble said the four will be tried this fall in Pasquotank County Superior Court. Womble has said he will seek the death penalty against the four.

    Womble said Thursday the decision to try the four separately was part of a strategy to keep the trials in the county as well as to seat a jury in the county.

    Medical examiners have said the four inmates charged with first-degree murder used weapons including a claw hammer, a ball-peen hammer and half a pair of scissors to kill the four workers last October as part of a failed escape attempt.

    http://www.witn.com/content/news/Fou...486975401.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.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #18
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    A year later, district attorney pursues death penalty despite odds in Pasquotank prison break case

    Despite the odds, a district attorney is pursuing the death penalty for the 4 prisoners charged with killing a manager, a mechanic and 2 corrections officers in the deadliest prison escape attempt in the state's history.

    The case meets almost every standard for capital punishment, said Andrew Womble, district attorney for northeastern North Carolina.

    But the reality is that it's been 12 years since an inmate was executed in North Carolina, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. The state has 141 inmates on death row. The oldest case goes back to 1985, and the most recent one is from 2016, according to the state.

    "The death penalty is all but extinct in North Carolina," according to a report by The Center for Death Penalty Litigation, a Durham, N.C. nonprofit. "It is a relic of another era."

    For the district attorney, the effort is worth pursuing. The circumstances of the brutal killings, he said, are enough to justify the punishment he is seeking.

    "These 4 scream for the death penalty," Womble said in an interview this week. "I feel incredibly confident about this case."

    Escape attempt

    A year ago today, 4 prisoners started a fire inside the Pasquotank Correctional Institution north of Elizabeth City and attempted to escape. During the chaos, 4 employees were killed with hammers and scissors from a sewing plant inside the facility off U.S. 17 where the prisoners worked.

    Mikel Brady, Jonathan Monk, Seth J. Frazier and Wisezah Buckman were charged with 1st-degree murder. Killed were Veronica Darden, manager of the sewing plant, Geoffrey Howe, a mechanic, and corrections officers Justin Smith and Wendy Shannon. All 4 prisoners were serving time for violent crimes.

    The prison was short 84 positions, about 1/4 of the recommended staff, according to a report released in January by the The National Institute of Corrections. One correctional officer and 3 staff members oversaw 30 inmates at the sewing plant where they made high-visibility vests for highway workers and embroidered uniforms. Deadly tools such as scissors with 6-inch blades and claw hammers were distributed by inmates rather than staff, as required, according to the report. Prisoners were able to come and go from the sewing area without a search. Doors to other parts of the prison that should have been secured were left unlocked.

    The prisoners used hammers and scissors to bash the victims in the head and chest, according to autopsy reports. One was stabbed more than 65 times, according to one autopsy report.

    Prison administrator Felix Taylor and his second-in command Colbert Respass were removed from their posts. Taylor was reassigned and Respass retired. Dennis Daniels, an experienced North Carolina prison administrator, was appointed to lead the Pasquotank facility.

    On Wednesday, The Virginian-Pilot confirmed that the families of the victims have hired lawyers.

    "This was a tragedy waiting to happen," Cate Edwards, of the Raleigh law firm Edwards Kirby, said in an email Wednesday. She is the daughter of former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards.

    "We are working on taking broad legal action because four people needlessly lost their lives," she said. "These people were public servants and deserved better, safer working conditions from this state."

    Chicago attorney Donnya Banks is co-counsel for the families of Darden, Smith and Shannon. Banks had no comment.

    "Brutal murders" In laying out his argument for the death penalty, Womble, the district attorney, said that 9 of 11 aggravating factors needed in such a case apply, though no trial date has been set. Those circumstances include that the acts were cruel, they endangered many people and were committed against prison officers, he said. A jury only needs 1 factor to give a death sentence, he said.

    The deadly escape was premeditated, he said. The people killed were "sympathetic victims," he said, rather than criminals killing other criminals. The prisoners were captured on the spot just after the murders.

    "This is not a 'who-done-it' case," Womble said. "We got it all."

    Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan supports Womble. Steinburg, who represents Pasquotank County, said he has spoken extensively with family members and correctional officers about the escape attempt.

    "These were brutal, brutal murders,' he said. "One woman was nearly decapitated. I think as people become aware of the details of this case, it will change a lot of hearts and minds."

    State executions stalled

    Executions in North Carolina have been stalled by lawsuits over racial bias and lethal injection drugs, said Gretchen Engel, executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation.

    6 capital cases await a hearing before the state's Supreme Court to decide if race played a role in jury selection. A study showed the state's prosecutors struck black jurors at roughly double the rate of others, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

    Additionally, a lawsuit is pending in Wake County Superior Court where several prisoners claim lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment, Engel said.

    "There will be no executions as long as they are pending in court," she said.

    While Engel acknowledges extreme murder cases, the system as a whole remains flawed, she said.

    "You're bound to have arbitrary results," she said.

    One of the primary cases cited is that of Henry McCollum, who spent 30 years on death row for the murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl before DNA evidence exonerated him in 2014.

    In the 1990s, most death row inmates were sentenced under different laws, The Center for Death Penalty Litigation report said. Legislation passed since then guarantees that death row defendants get trained defense attorneys and have the right to see all evidence in their cases, among other things.

    A 2013 survey showed 68 % of North Carolina residents supported replacing capital punishment with life without parole as long as the offender worked and paid restitution to the victim's family, according to the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington.

    But the Pasquotank prison break attempt also raised questions about allowing violent offenders to work.

    Another argument against executions? Defendants can be imprisoned for life and not harm anyone, Womble said.

    "These guys can't say that," he said of those accused in the Pasquotank County case. "They were in prison."

    (source: The Virginian-Pilot)
    "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

  9. #19
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    1 charged in deadly failed NC prison break wants to move trial, DA says

    By WAVY-TV

    ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) -- One of the suspects in a deadly failed escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution wants to move the trial out of the county.

    Four employees died following the October 2017 incident -- Geoffrey Howe, Veronica Darden, Wendy Shannon and correctional officer Justin Smith.

    An autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released earlier this year revealed the employees died from being hit or stabbed.

    Four inmates involved in the failed escape -- Wisezah Buckman, Jonathan Monk, Seth Frazier and Mikel Brady -- were indicted on several charges, including first-degree murder.

    District Attorney Andrew Womble tells WAVY that the lawyer for Brady has filed a change of venue motion.

    Womble, meanwhile, is looking to keep the case in Pasquotank County -- where he is looking to try all four defendants separately.

    A judge is expected to rule on the motion in early January.

    https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-car...ays/1671065856
    "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. #20
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    Judge OKs motion to move Pasquotank inmate's trial

    By Kevin Green and Kara Dixon
    WAVY-TV

    PASQUOTANK COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) -- A judge has agreed to move the trial of an inmate charged in a deadly failed prison break in Pasquotank County.

    Brady was one of four inmates charged after the failed escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in 2017. Four employees at the prison were killed in the incident -- Geoffrey Howe, Veronica Darden, Wendy Shannon and correctional officer Justin Smith.

    An autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released last year showed the employees died from being hit or stabbed.

    Prosecutors charged the four inmates with several counts, including first-degree murder.

    District Attorney Andrew Womble told 10 On Your Side in December Brady's lawyer filed the change of venue motion. Womble was looking to try all four defendants separately in Pasquotank County.

    He originally wanted to have the trial in Pasquotank County but agreed with the motion.

    “I didn’t change my mind about my wants and desires. I did come to the realization that if we pushed for a trial in Pasquotank, number one, we were going to have a fight, a court battle that would push back our trial date,” he said.

    Brady's defense said they paid for a survey to be done in Pasquotank and surrounding counties regarding the case.

    His attorneys said results showed around 94 percent of people questioned in the county were familiar with the case -- and more than 50 percent had discussed it with others.

    Because of the survey, Brady's attorneys wanted to move it to Dare County for a fair trial.

    “They had a very compelling argument that a jury pool in Pasquotank County would have been slightly tainted based on the amount of coverage and news information,” Womble said.

    He says that relocation because of possible jury bias will also help eliminate the appeal process.

    Womble stated that the families of the victims agreed to move the trial.

    “We’ve had lengthy discussions with them about moving to a different county but also being able to give them certainty about a trial date. Ultimately, this was the way to go,” Womble said.

    Womble says the results from the same survey indicated that Dare County would be a fit place to hold the trial.

    Brady's trial is scheduled for Oct 7.

    The state is seeking the death penalty.

    https://www.wavy.com/news/north-caro...ial/1725780252
    "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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