Facts of the Crime:
Sentenced to death in Philadelphia County on May 11, 2001 for the 1999 slayings of Luis Santos and William Townes.
Facts of the Crime:
Sentenced to death in Philadelphia County on May 11, 2001 for the 1999 slayings of Luis Santos and William Townes.
August 13, 2008
PA Governor Rendell Signs Execution Warrant for Bernard Cousar
HARRISBURG, Pa. (PRNewswire-USNewswire) -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today signed the death warrant for a Philadelphia man whom a jury found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the 1999 slayings of Luis Santos and William Townes.
By signing the warrant for Bernard Cousar, the Governor's 80th signed order for execution, the 28-year-old is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Oct. 7.
Now an inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, officials say Cousar shot Santos in the back during the morning of April 5, 1999. Three weeks later, on April 26, Cousar shot Townes, a drug dealer, at point-blank range. Police said Cousar had stolen drugs and money the night before from a woman who had been selling cocaine for Townes in the 3800 block of Franklin Street.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed Cousar's death sentence on Aug. 21, 2007, and denied re-argument on Oct. 22. After Cousar's petition for a writ of certiorari was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 12, the Office of General Counsel received the record of his trial and direct appeal on May 15.
http://www.zimbio.com/Governor+Edwar...cution+Warrant
On July 20, 2011, Cousar filed a habeas petition in Federal District Court.
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/pen...v04590/427195/
PCRA petition remanded to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinio...26655.pdf?cb=1
Concurring and dissenting opinion by Chief Justice Saylor (worth reading, because he usually has a pretty good feel as to which issues the federal courts will grant relief).
http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinio...26650.pdf?cb=1
Also appears that the Commonwealth has stipulated to a retrial of the penalty phase based on ineffective assistance of counsel.
Currently not listed on Pa's Official Death Row list.
https://www.cor.pa.gov/About%20Us/In...ion%20list.pdf
This guy is at Fayette prison rather than the county Jail. http://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/Result . He is also a Philadelphia inmate so I'm assuming hes been resentenced to LWOP.
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