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Thread: Richard Darren Emery - Missouri Death Row

  1. #21
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Jury finds man guilty of first-degree murder in killing of St. Charles family

    The jury deliberated for less than two hours. The trial will move onto the penalty phase Saturday

    By Jennifer Somers and Travis Cummings
    KDSK News

    ST. LOUIS — A jury found Richard "Darren" Emery guilty of first-degree murder Friday afternoon less than two hours after beginning deliberation about whether he was guilty of first- or second-degree murder.

    Emery was accused of killing his girlfriend, her two young children and her mother in 2018. He faced four counts of first-degree murder and 11 other charges for crimes allegedly committed in the hours-long manhunt following the shootings.

    Throughout the trial that began on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Emery's defense built its argument on the basis that Emery was in a disassociated state when he murdered the family and should only be convicted of second-degree murder. Prosecutors, however, stood firm that he was aware of what he was doing so it was first-degree murder.

    On Thursday, Sept. 29, Emery took the stand and gave his account of the deadly night of Dec. 29, 2018. He didn't deny murdering the family but said it felt like he "was there but not there" and compared it to a game of "Call of Duty" but did not know who was controlling the game.

    On Saturday, Oct. 1, the quadruple murder trial will move onto the penalty phase, which will likely continue through the end of next week.

    Prosecutors have said they will be seeking the death penalty for Emery.

    https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/lo...d-5aeabfce2d7f
    "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. #22
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Police haunted by deaths of 2 women, 2 children in St. Charles death penalty trial

    By Katie Kull
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    ST. CHARLES — Officer Dean Alexander has seen a lot in his nearly 30 years as a police officer and soldier. But the carnage he saw almost four years ago still haunts him.

    Alexander was one of the first to arrive on Whetstone Drive on Dec. 28, 2018, and the first to find the body of Jane Moeckel, 61, he told jurors on Saturday. He found Moeckel's grandson, Jonathan, 10, curled up in a bed, shot three times. Then he saw Jonathan's sister, Zoe, 8, lying on the floor and shot in the head.

    Alexander said he knew the children were dead, but he still shook them and talked to them, hoping he'd get some response.

    "I can say without a shadow of a doubt," he said, fighting through tears, "this has and will always haunt me for the rest of my life."

    Alexander was one of several witnesses to testify Saturday in a trial that will determine whether Richard Darren Emery should live or die. Emery was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the deaths of Moeckel, the children and their mother, Kate Kasten, 39.

    Prosecutors questioned police officers, former police, a woman who was stabbed by Emery and Kasten's family members in making their argument for the death penalty.

    Defense attorneys presented some of their own witnesses, including Emery's friends, family and coworkers, to argue for life in prison.

    "We are not making excuses for what Darren has done," said Emery's attorney Stephanie Zipfel. "We are here to give you a picture ... of how such a horrible thing could be done by such a good man."

    The testimony started Saturday with Officer Zachary Fischer, who responded to the initial call with Alexander and found Kasten's body lying in the bedroom, clinging to life.

    He, like Alexander, struggled through tears as he described how he was with Kasten in the last moments of her life. He reflected on his thoughts when he later saw the three bodies in the other bedroom.

    "It was just hard to see," he said. "Imagining the thoughts that were going through their heads as their lives were taken."

    Kasten's father, Rick Moeckel, described his close relationship with his daughter — the pride he felt when she graduated from high school and the joy he felt when he first held his grandchildren in his arms. Kasten was a gifted saleswoman, he said, who would charm anyone with her smile.

    And even beyond his daughter, his grandchildren were his joy, he said. Jonathan had an innate mechanical understanding, and Zoe was a "little princess" who'd be the first to stand up to help people. She wanted to be a police officer when she grew up, he said.

    "They were totally, absolutely enjoying life," he said. "You keep hoping you'll wake up from this bad dream, but it's not a dream. It's real."

    Witnesses testified on Emery's behalf for most of the afternoon, walking through his childhood in Missouri and Lemoore, California, and then outlining his adulthood in St. Charles. A handful of witnesses from high school said he was quiet but funny. A friend from a car club in the St. Louis area said she called him "dad" because he reminded her so much of her own father.

    Paula Sontheimer said Emery was like a brother. They were both only children, she said, and her mother and Emery's were inseparable when they were children.

    "I always just thought he was a really good man," she said.

    More defense witnesses, including Emery's mother, stepfather and son, are expected to testify Monday.

    https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...1f7fc3ee8.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

  3. #23
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    Family, friends plead for life for St. Charles man convicted of quadruple homicide

    By Katie Kull
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    Elora Jo Roe still can’t comprehend how her son, Richard Darren Emery, killed his girlfriend, her mother and her two children almost four years ago.

    She said she’s been a “basket case” since she heard the news, trying to fathom how the boy she raised as a single mother for a decade and who wanted so badly to have a family of his own could have done something terrible.

    On Monday, Roe took the stand to plead for her son’s life after he was convicted last week of four counts of first-degree murder.

    “To this day I can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s so far from my son.”

    Emery was convicted of shooting 39-year-old Kate Kasten; her mother, Jane Moeckel, 61; and Kasten’s two children Zoe, 8, and Jonathan, 10, at close range on Dec. 28, 2018, after a night of poker and drinking. Prosecutors argue Emery’s crimes were so heinous that he deserves to die; defense attorneys say he should get life in prison.

    Emery’s biological father, stepfather, stepmother and several other friends and coworkers took the stand Monday to make the case for why he should live.

    Roe testified about the joy she felt when the baby boy she’d always wanted was born. She also talked about when her marriage with Emery’s biological father fell apart and the closeness that developed between her and her son. She said he was happy when his stepfather, John “Skid” Roe came into the picture.

    Skid Roe said he also cared for Emery. Throughout their relationship, Skid Roe helped Emery get out of various troubles, including literally digging Emery out of a jam when a truck he was driving got stuck in a mound of dirt late one night in high school.

    Skid Roe, a Naval commander, also spoke about how proud he was to see Emery follow him into military service by joining the Air Force. He also said he helped his stepson out of another jam when he was caught driving drunk onto the base. Emery received an administrative discharge.

    Other friends testified about how Emery helped them. One woman said he saved her life when she was ready to commit suicide. Another said Emery helped him meet his future wife.

    Throughout the testimony, prosecutors attempted to poke holes in Emery’s claims that he faced abandonment and raised questions about whether his friends had misjudged parts of his character.

    But friends and family maintained that they loved Emery, even if they didn’t understand how he could commit such a crime.

    “I hate that this happened,” said his father, also named Richard Emery. “But he’s my son, and I love him. Always have, always will.”

    The trial is expected to continue Tuesday.

    https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...d67493d59.html

  4. #24
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Richard Emery sentenced to death in St. Charles quadruple murder

    By Kevin S. Held
    Fox 2 Now

    ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – A St. Charles man has been sentenced to death for the 2018 murders of his girlfriend and her family.

    A jury found Richard Darren Emery guilty on four counts of first-degree murder on Friday, Sept. 30. The defense did not dispute the fact that Emery killed his girlfriend, Kate Kasten, her two children from a previous relationship, 10-year-old Jonathan and 8-year-old Zoe, and Kate’s mother Jane Moeckel.

    Emery’s public defense attorneys presented a diminished capacity case to the jury, claiming he’d previously been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was not in control of himself at the time of the murders. They had pushed for conviction on second-degree murder in the hope of sparing Emery’s life.

    The jury deliberated for a little over two hours on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

    As Judge Michael James Fagras read each sentence aloud to the court—death on each count—Emery hung his head after learning his fate. Emery hugged his attorneys and sobbed for a few minutes after the jurors left the court.

    At the start of the trial on Sept. 20, prosecutors said Emery wiped out three generations of one family just before midnight on Dec. 28, 2018.

    Prosecutors described Emery’s actions that night as “deliberate, intentional and purposeful.”

    All four victims were shot in the face or head at close range, the prosecutor said. The murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, was so close to the victims that their skin had gunpowder burns.

    Attorneys for the prosecution and defense agreed that Emery had gone out drinking and played poker earlier that evening. Emery returned home and got into an argument with Kate. At some point, Emery retrieved a handgun, and he and Kate struggled for the weapon.

    Emery fired nine shots in all. Kate was the first person shot, but was the last to die. She died hours later at a local hospital.
    <aside>
    </aside>Moeckel, Kate’s mother, barricaded herself and two grandchildren in another room in the house. After shooting Kate, Emery broke down the door to that room and shot Moeckel while she was on the phone with 911 dispatchers. Before being shot and killed, Moeckel provided dispatchers with the home address and said her daughter had been murdered. She never got a chance to identify the shooter.

    The two children, Jonathan and Zoe, were the final victims to be shot.

    After the shooting, Emery left the home with the pistol and an AR-15 rifle, including 500 rounds of ammunition, and a knife.

    Emery drove away from the home as police arrived at the scene. That officer radioed colleagues to stop Emery’s truck.

    Emery was pulled over and exchanged gunfire with police. He fired seven shots and fled. Emery suffered two gunshot wounds during the shootout. He did not take the AR-15 with him.

    Prosecutors said Emery eventually came across a woman who was leaving a Christmas party. Emery, who still had his knife, carjacked the woman and attacked her. He stabbed the woman seven times, five in her chest, but ran off when the car alarm went off.

    The woman survived.

    Emery was captured the morning after the shootings at a St. Charles QuikTrip, where police found him in a bathroom, covered in blood

    After his arrest, Emery asked if the police he shot at were okay. He also asked if the woman he stabbed was okay. At no point did he ask about Kate Kasten and her family, prosecutors said.

    On the final day of testimony, Emery took the stand to say he was not in control of his actions but acknowledged he had killed Kate and her family, and accepted responsibility for their deaths.

    The start of the trial was delayed several months after Emery’s public defender died in January 2022. Public defenders from Jefferson City represented Emery during the trial.

    https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/ri...druple-murder/
    "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. #25
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said the formal sentence will be handed down by the judge. He said that will occur on Jan. 3.
    "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

  6. #26
    Senior Member CnCP Addict maybeacomedian's Avatar
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    I think this guy really sealed his own fate by taking the stand in his own defense.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Helen View Post
    St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said the formal sentence will be handed down by the judge. He said that will occur on Jan. 3.
    Are we sure it's Jan.3? I read yesterday that it was Nov. 3

  8. #28
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    SLPD said it was November 3 but the DA says January 3. So I don’t know
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

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  9. #29
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    Sentencing Thursday for St. Charles man found guilty of quadruple murder

    Richard Emery was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Kate Kasten, as well as her two children and mother in 2018

    Author: Alex Fees (KSDK)

    ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A judge will decide on Thursday whether a St. Charles man will be sentenced to death for murdering four people in 2018.

    Last month, Emery was found guilty of first-degree murder and 11 other charges in the deaths of his girlfriend, Kate Kasten; her two children; and her mother.

    Kasten and her family were found shot inside their St. Charles home in December 2018. The two children and their grandmother were dead when police arrived, and Kasten later died at a hospital.

    Following the shootings, Emery stabbed a woman during a carjacking and exchanged gunfire with St. Charles police. Officers found Emery wounded at a gas station.

    During a trial that began on Sept. 20, Emery and his defense team argued he didn't know why he shot the family but was sorry for doing it. Prosecutors contended he was aware.

    St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said Emery was living at the home with the Kasten family at the time of the incident and called it the "worst example of a domestic violence case."

    A jury found Emery guilty of first-degree murder less than two hours after beginning deliberation whether he was guilty of first- or second-degree murder. That same jury recommended the death penalty for Emery.

    Emery is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

    https://www.ksdk.com/amp/article/new...9-16746b0fbc02
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  10. #30
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    Judge sentences Richard Emery to death for 2018 quadruple murder

    Last month, Richard Emery was found guilty of first-degree murder and 11 other charges for killing his girlfriend, Kate Kasten, her two children, and her mother.

    By Justina Coronel
    KSDK

    ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A judge decided on Thursday a St. Charles man will be sentenced to death for murdering four people in 2018.

    Last month, Richard Emery was found guilty of first-degree murder and 11 other charges for killing his girlfriend, her two children, and her mother.

    A jury found Emery guilty of first-degree murder last month after less than two hours of deliberation. That same jury recommended the death penalty for Emery.

    Back in December of 2018, officers found two children, 8-year-old Zoe Kasten and 10-year-old Jonathan Kasten dead. Their grandmother 61-year-old Jane Moeckel was also found dead inside the home.

    The children's mother, Kate Kasten, was shot several times inside the house on Whetstone Drive.

    Following the shootings, Emery stabbed a woman during a carjacking and exchanged gunfire with St. Charles police.

    During the trial, Emery and his defense team argued he didn't know why he shot the family but was sorry for doing it. Prosecutors contended he was aware.

    On Thursday, Judge Michael Fargas denied a motion for a retrial.

    Emery's defense attorneys asked the court to show mercy and said Emery is remorseful.

    They said he would serve his time with four life sentences in jail without the possibility of parole.

    However, prosecutors said this is a death penalty case.

    Judge Fargas said this was a difficult decision and did not take it lightly.

    He adds, he had sleepless nights on this decision.

    He further adds, it was the witness testimonies that really stood out to him.

    Judge Fargas pointed out the testimonies from Emery's son and father.

    During the trial, the prosecutors played the 911 call that deadly night.

    In that call, you can hear gunshots go off, as Zoe Kasten asked Emery why he was doing this.

    "Those images I’ll never forget, but what haunts me and always will haunt me, is the 8-year-old girl’s voice saying 'Why? Why? Why?' and that’s the question I always had and the one I ended up with," Judge Fargas said.

    Emery's defense attorneys motioned to appeal the decision.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ksd...6-1c9df6372ffd

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