Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Joseph Martin Danks - California Death Row

  1. #1
    Guest
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    5,534

    Joseph Martin Danks - California Death Row


    Joseph Danks gives two thumbs up after receiving the death penalty


    Joseph Martin Danks


    Facts of the Crime:

    In January 1987, transients in Los Angeles were falling prey to yet another random slayer -- the fifth to prey on homeless men within a decade. Like his predecessors in the latter 1970s, this stalker favored knives, which he employed with speed and deadly skill. His victims were selected from among the drifters in Koreatown and its immediate vicinity, invariably cut down from behind. According to police, the killer struck "with such force that it's almost instant death. He's vicious and he's fast."

    The first known victim was Christopher Forsblade, age 40, found dead on January 6. Eight days later, the slasher killed Isaac Davis at high noon, rebounding with the murder of 55-year-old John Coble less than three hours later. A "John Doe" victim in his early forties, unidentified, was slain on January 16, but the killer missed his mark the next day, leaving Almond Lord alive.

    Another near-miss, with 58-year-old James Lyons, marred the stalker's record on January 20, but he struck back with a vengeance that afternoon, claiming his second "John Doe" in a downtown alley. This time, there were witnesses, and they pursued the killer for five blocks, finally hailing a patrol car. Cornered by police, the suspect dropped his knife, submitting to arrest without resistance. A drifter from Michigan, 26-year-old Joseph Danks confessed to the series of stabbings after his knife blade was matched to the wounds of his victims. He received a term of 156 years to life for the six murders.

    On September 20, 1990, Danks strangled to death Walter Holt, a 67-year-old cellmate at Tehachapi prison.

    Danks was sentenced to death in Kern County on April 2, 1993 for murdering Holt.

  2. #2
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    On February 9, 2011, Danks filed a habeas petition in Federal District Court.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/cal...v00223/219686/

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    2,740
    Danks' habeas petition has been fully briefed before the California Supreme Court since June 22, 2012.

    http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.g...NRMCAgCg%3D%3D

  4. #4
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    Diagnosis

    Schizophrenia, paranoid type

    Competence

    Untreated until 2011, Danks refused to leave his cell, screamed vitriolic rants all night, threw urine on guards and believed rats gnawed his teeth.

    Legal

    Danks’ current state appeal, which contends he is unfit for execution, has been awaiting a decision since 2012.

    http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-ln-death-row-20/

  5. #5
    Senior Member CnCP Addict
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    702
    Habeas corpus relief denied by the California Supreme Court on January 5, 2022.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketP...Certiorari.pdf

  6. #6
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    7,318
    Distributed for conference September 28, 2022

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....c/21-8046.html
    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

  7. #7
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mastro Titta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Prato, Italy
    Posts
    1,275
    In today's orders, the United States Supreme Court DENIED Danks' petition for certiorari.

    Lower Ct: Court of Appeal of California, Fifth Appellate District
    Case Numbers: (F083411)
    Decision Date: October 22, 2021
    Discretionary Court Decision Date: January 5, 2022

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/...22zor_fcgj.pdf

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •