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Thread: John Charles Lesko - Pennsylvania Death Row

  1. #11
    Senior Member Frequent Poster Fact's Avatar
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    There are few people in America more deserving of a lethal injection than John Lesko and Michael Travaglia.

    Here's a link to the opinion. Geez, some of these claims are spurious. Notable that the judge (an Obama appointee) was pretty quick to shoot them down. I really don't see any room to find reversible error here.

    https://cases.justia.com/federal/dis...?ts=1421872500

  2. #12
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On March 25, 2015, Lesko filed an appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/cir...ts/ca3/15-9005

  3. #13
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Western Pennsylvania 'kill for thrill' murderer Michael Travaglia dies in prison

    By Rich Cholodofsky
    Tribune Review

    Michael Travaglia, one of Pennsylvania's longest-tenured death row inmates, has died.

    Pennsylvania Department of Corrections officials confirmed that Travaglia, 59, formerly of Apollo, died Sunday from natural causes. He had been on death row at the State Correctional Institution in Greene County.

    Travaglia, one half of the notorious “kill for thrill” murderers along with John Lesko, has been on death row since 1981, following his conviction in the fatal shooting of Apollo police officer Leonard Miller.

    The 21-year-old rookie was working his third day on the job when he was gunned down by Travaglia as he and Lesko returned from an icy Indiana County lake where they killed and dumped the body of another man.

    Together, Lesko and Travaglia were convicted of killing four people over an eight-day murder spree that ended on Jan. 3, 1980.

    “In the past 50 years, certainly, it is the most serious crime we've had simply because of the number of victims who were killed in essentially a week,” said Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck.

    Lesko and Travaglia, drifters who came together in downtown Pittsburgh, first picked up Peter Levato, 49, at a strip club and tortured him during a drive out to the Loyalhanna Dam, where they eventually shot and killed him on Dec. 27, 1979.

    Days later, on New Year's Eve, Lesko and Travaglia were hitchhiking back to Pittsburgh from Delmont. They were picked up by 26-year-old Marlene Sue Newcomer of Connellsville. Her body was found in a Pittsburgh parking garage.

    William Nicholls, a 32-year-old organist from Mt. Lebanon, was drowned by Lesko and Travaglia in an Indiana County lake.

    As Lesko and Travaglia drove back towards Pittsburgh, they attempted to lure Miller away from a convenience store they planned to rob. As the young policeman approached their car, Travaglia shot and killed him at Lesko's urging.

    Lesko was resentenced to death in 1995. He continues to appeal that sentence.

    Travaglia was resentenced in 2005. Last year, his new lawyer sought to again have the death penalty overturned.

    http://triblive.com/local/westmorela...00114-74/story
    "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
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    On May 17, 2022, the Third Circuit denied Lesko’s appeal and affirmed the district court’s denial of his habeas petition.

    https://law.justia.com/cases/federal...022-05-17.html
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

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  5. #15
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    The panel was made up of Judge Krause (Obama), Senior Judge Roth (G.H.W. Bush) and Senior Judge Fisher (G.W. Bush).

  6. #16
    Senior Member Frequent Poster Fact's Avatar
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    From the docket on PACER:

    On June 21, 2022, the Third Circuit denied Lesko's petition for panel rehearing and rehearing en banc. Senior Judge Roth would have granted panel rehearing.

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