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Thread: Dustin Ford Briggs - Pennsylvania Death Row

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    Dustin Ford Briggs - Pennsylvania Death Row


    K9 Deputy Michael Van Kuren


    Deputy Christopher Burgert




    Summary of Offense:

    Convicted of killing two Bradford County sheriff's deputies, Michael VanKuren and Chris Burgert, in 2004. The deputies were trying to serve a warrant on a suspected meth lab when Mr. Briggs opened fire.

    On March 15, 2006, Briggs was sentenced to death in Bradford County.

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    Court denies Briggs appeal

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last week rejected the latest appeal by convicted murderer Dustin Ford Briggs and upheld his 2006 death penalty sentence.

    The court handed down its decision on Jan. 19. Briggs’ appeal was officially filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Aug. 6, 2007.

    Briggs was represented on his appeal by George Edward Lepley Jr. of Williamsport. The commonwealth was represented by Patrick J. Blessington, Amy Zapp and James Patrick Barker of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.

    The appeal was heard by a panel consisting of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Ronald D. Castille, Michael J. Eakin, Max Baer, Seamus P. McCaffery and Joan Orie Melvin.

    it is unknown if Briggs’ attorneys will take his appeal to a higher court.

    Briggs, 33, was convicted in Bradford County Court in the 2004 fatal shooting Bradford County Sheriff’s Deputies Michael VanKuren and Christopher Burgert while they were attempting to serve him with a bench warrant at his father’s residence on Congdon Road two years earlier.

    Briggs is currently incarcerated at the Greene County State Correctional Facility in Waynesburg, Pa.

    Briggs is the third Bradford County defendant to be placed on death row in 17 years. In 1994 Terry Chamberlain was given the death penalty after being convicted of murdering his wife and her boyfriend in 1991. In 1996 John Kohler was sentenced to death for the so-called “Hit Man Killings,” which involved Kohler training Bradford County resident William Curley to be a hit man. A woman and her child were murdered in the Kohler case.

    Both Chamberlain and Kohler remain on death row, although orders of executions have been signed by the governor. Chamberlain is also appealing his case.

    http://abcnews.go.com/US/shortage-de...2770923&page=1

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    In Monday's (October 3, 2011) United States Supreme Court orders, Briggs' petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis was DENIED.

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    On November 17, 2011, Briggs filed a habeas petition in Federal District Court.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/pen...cv02156/87360/

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    Gov. signs Briggs’ execution warrant

    Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday signed the execution warrant for 34-year-old Dustin Ford Briggs, who was convicted in the 2004 shooting deaths of Bradford County Sheriff’s Deputies Michael VanKuren and Christopher Burgert.

    Briggs, of Gillett, was sentenced to death in Bradford County Court after being convicted of first-degree murder. His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for March 8.

    Briggs shot both VanKuren and Burgert while they were attempting to serve with a bench warrant at his father’s residence on Congdon Road in Wells Township.

    Briggs is currently incarcerated in the Greene County State Correctional Facility in Waynesburg, Pa.

    Briggs’ warrant was the 11th execution warrant that Corbett has signed since taking office in 2011.

    The last execution to take place in Pennsylvania was on July 6, 1999, when Gary M. Heidnik was executed by lethal injection for his conviction in the murders of Sandra Lindsay and Deborah Dudley.

    Briggs is the third Bradford County defendant to be placed on death row in 18 years.

    In 1994, Terry Chamberlain was given the death penalty after being convicted of murdering his wife and her boyfriend in 1991. In 1996, John Kohler was sentenced to death for the socalled “Hit Man Killings,” which involved Kohler training Bradford County resident William Curley to be a hit man. A woman and her child were murdered in the Kohler case.

    Both Chamberlain and Kohler remain on death row, although orders of executions were signed by previous Pennsylvania state governors.

    http://www.morning-times.com/news/20...n_warrant.html

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    Dustin Briggs Attorney Says Appeals Process Will Be Long

    On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed an execution warrant for 34 year old Dustin Briggs dated for March 8th.

    But Bradford County District Attorney, Dan Barrett says that date will likely change.

    He says there are multiple appeals available to Briggs.

    "The courts still remain open if a person presents a claim to the court that has not been looked at yet. The court will usually be accepting and open. That in itself takes time,” Barrett said.

    Barrett says the appeal process could take more than 3 years.

    Briggs shot and killed Bradford County Sheriff's Deputies Christopher Burgert of Sayre and Michael Vankuren of Warren Center in March of 2004.

    The two deputies were serving Briggs with a warrant on his father’s property in Wells Township, when Briggs shot them.

    Another thing to consider: there hasn't been an execution in Pennsylvania since 1999.

    Besides Briggs, there are two other men from Bradford County on death row.

    Terry Chamberlain, who killed his ex-wife and her boyfriend in 1991, has been on death row since 1994.

    And John Koehler killed a mother and her son in 1995.

    Brigg's attorney thinks Briggs has a possibility of getting a new trial, or of being re-sentenced because of problems with potential jurors.

    "Somewhere between 30% and 40% of the people we questioned said they had already formed an opinion and/or did not think they could be fairly impartial,” Lepley said.

    Deputy Burgert's widow spoke to WETM off camera.

    She doubts Briggs will be executed soon, but says this is a step in the right direction.

    Briggs is currently being held at the State Correctional Facility in Greene.

    http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/sto...jWlCMDh2A.cspx

  7. #7
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    On January 26, 2012, Briggs was granted a stay of execution by the U.S. District Court for Middle Pennsylvania.

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    Why does the governor sign execution warrants? I think there will not be any execution in PA in the future.

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    It's part of Pennsylvania's appeals process. After an appeal is lost the Governor signs an execution warrant to move the appeals process along.

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    In spite of this, though, factually, no executions have occurred in Pennsylvania since 1999. And virtually all of those executions that were stayed (looking at recent information) were to allow more time for appeals.

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