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Thread: Derek Don Posey - Oklahoma Death Row

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    Moderator Ryan's Avatar
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    Derek Don Posey - Oklahoma Death Row




    Oklahoma double murderer headed to death row

    EL RENO — A former oil field worker on Thursday became just the fifth murderer to get a death sentence at trial in Oklahoma since executions were halted in 2015 because of a drug mix-up.

    Jurors agreed Derek Don Posey, 36, should be executed for murdering a young Calumet woman and her 5-year-old son in 2013.

    The death verdict in Canadian County District Court was the first in Oklahoma in more than a year. Formal sentencing is set for July. An appeal is automatic.

    Death sentences have become increasingly rare nationwide as opposition to the punishment grows. New Hampshire last week became the 21st state to abolish the death penalty.

    Last year, a death sentence was imposed only 42 times across the nation, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

    Only one death sentence was imposed last year in Oklahoma. Executions remain on hold in the state while officials develop a protocol to use nitrogen gas.

    Posey was found guilty in May of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of debit card theft.

    He bashed the victim, Amy Gibbins, 22, in the head after forcing his way into her home and raping her in the middle of the night, prosecutors reminded jurors Thursday. He then set the tiny home on fire, killing her trapped son, Bryor. Their bodies were found inside the home on June 16, 2013.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, this isn't about vengeance. This is about justice for Amy and Bryor Gibbins," Assistant District Attorney John Salmon told jurors Thursday.

    Defense attorneys asked for mercy, pointing to evidence Posey had been neglected and abused as a boy by his mother.

    "Derek Posey is not the worst of the worst," defense attorney Ben Brown told jurors Thursday. "We reserve the death penalty in this country for the worst of the worst."

    Posey and Amy Gibbins were acquaintances, having met in a bar. He worked on an oil rig near Calumet at the time. He was identified as a suspect because he stole her debit card and used it to drain her bank account. He was arrested in Tulsa a week later. He was further linked to the crime by DNA evidence.

    Investigators initially thought the fire was accidental, but a bank worker found the suspicious funds withdrawal. That discovery prompted further investigation.

    The trial was one of the longest in a criminal case in state history. Prosecutors put on extensive evidence in support of their request of the death penalty about other crimes by Posey, including sexual assaults. Defense attorneys called almost 30 witnesses during the sentencing phase in support of their request for a punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    The case took years to come to trial for a number of reasons including changes in defense attorneys and the retirement of the original judge.

    Jurors took only three hours to agree on the death sentences for Posey. “Six years is a long time to wait for justice," Salmon said afterward.

    https://oklahoman.com/article/563332...d-to-death-row
    "How do you get drunk on death row?" - Werner Herzog

    "When we get fruit, we get the juice and water. I ferment for a week! It tastes like chalk, it's nasty" - Blaine Keith Milam #999558 Texas Death Row

  2. #2
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mastro Titta's Avatar
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    Derek Don Posey entered Oklahoma Death Row on July 22, 2019.

    https://okoffender.doc.ok.gov/

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