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Thread: Jeffrey Garrett Thurman Sentenced to LWOP in 2007 MO Murder of Ricky Haynes

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    Jeffrey Garrett Thurman Sentenced to LWOP in 2007 MO Murder of Ricky Haynes

    A murder case involving the death penalty has been scheduled for trial a year from now.

    St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Wendy Wexler Horn said Jeffrey Garrett Thurman’s trial has been scheduled for Sept. 22 through Oct. 10 of 2010 before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte.

    Jury selection is scheduled for those first three days in Rolla. Jurors will come from Phelps County and will be brought to St. Francois County for the trial, which should officially begin Sept. 27.

    Thurman, 24, who is incarcerated, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of stealing a vehicle. He and David Lee Bradley of Park Hills are accused of murdering Ricky Haynes of Park Hills in January of 2007. Bradley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

    According to court records, Thurman confessed to choking Haynes and then stomping and kicking him in the head.

    While Thurman was initially very reluctant to say anything incriminating against Bradley, he told them they loaded the body into the back of Haynes’ truck. He said they stopped at Buford Mountain because they had heard Haynes making gurgling noises. He said one of them struck the man with a tool to make sure he was dead. They then dumped his body in a rural area near Lesterville.

    Soon after Haynes disappeared, police began looking for the men to question them about the man’s disappearance and the theft of his vehicles. After being spotted in Desloge in Haynes’ vehicle, they led police on a chase, crashed the vehicle and took off running. They were arrested days later in Jefferson County after being found in another of Haynes’ vehicles.

    After speaking with police twice, Thurman went with police to Reynolds County and helped them find the body.

    In March of 2007, two months after they were charged, Thurman, with an attorney present, spoke to detectives again — this time detailing more of Bradley’s involvement in the case.

    He had initially told police that he “choked out” Haynes because Haynes gave him a look he didn’t like and he had been told Haynes was a child molester. He said Bradley wanted to kill Haynes because of Haynes’ involvement with Bradley’s mother.

    Thurman is serving four years in prison for violating the probation he received for possession of a meth precursor drug. He was sentenced in May.

    [IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Officemax/My%20Documents/Poss%20DP/Jeffrey%20Thurman_files/doc4ac6178aaa150610720251.htm[/IMG]

    http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2009/10/03/news/doc4ac6178aaa150610720251.txt

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    Jeffrey “Garrett” Thurman’s attorneys are fighting a judge’s recent decision that granted the prosecutor’s request for a psychiatric examination.

    Thurman, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of stealing a vehicle in connection with the beating death of Ricky Haynes of Park Hills. If found guilty, prosecutors have planned to ask for the death penalty.

    Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte granted the prosecutor’s request for a mental exam in August after Thurman’s attorneys, Thomas Marshall and Donald Catlett, announced Thurman is “mentally retarded” and therefore, not eligible to receive the death penalty. However, the judge agreed to stay the order for a mental exam for 30 days to give Thurman’s attorneys time to file an appeal.

    On Aug. 30, Thurman’s attorneys asked the Eastern Appellate Court of Missouri to intervene and rule against the judge and the state.

    The higher court ordered the judge to file an answer to the attorneys petition and to refrain from all action in the case “until further order.”

    In August, the attorneys filed a medical report which states Thurman meets the qualifications of being mentally retarded.

    Marshall said Thurman’s mental abilities throughout his lifetime are well documented. He said they have IQ scores from when he was tested as a child in school. He emphasized they are not at this time alleging Thurman is incompetent or suffering from a mental disease or defect that “excludes responsibility.”

    Since a person who is found to be mentally retarded can not be given the death penalty, Assistant Attorney General Kevin Zoellner asked Judge Pratte to allow the state to conduct a psychiatric evaluation.

    With the new issue, both parties agreed to postpone the trial which was scheduled for Sept. 22-30.

    David Lee Bradley of Park Hills was also accused of murdering Haynes in January of 2007. Bradley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

    According to court records, soon after Haynes disappeared, police began looking for the Thurman and Bradley to question them about the man’s disappearance and the theft of Haynes’ vehicles.

    After being spotted in Desloge in Haynes’ vehicle, the men led police on a chase, crashed the vehicle and took off running. They were arrested days later in Jefferson County after being found in another of Haynes’ vehicles.

    After speaking with police twice, Thurman went with police to Reynolds County and helped them find the body. Thurman confessed to choking Haynes and then stomping and kicking him in the head.

    While Thurman was initially very reluctant to say anything incriminating against Bradley, he told officials they loaded the body into the back of Haynes’ truck. He said they stopped at Buford Mountain because they had heard Haynes making gurgling noises. He said one of them struck the man with a tool to make sure he was dead. They then dumped his body in a rural area near Lesterville.

    In March of 2007, two months after they were charged, Thurman, with an attorney present, spoke to detectives again — this time detailing more of Bradley’s involvement in the case.

    He had initially told police that he “choked out” Haynes because Haynes gave him a look he didn’t like and he had been told Haynes was a child molester. He said Bradley wanted to kill Haynes because of Haynes’ involvement with Bradley’s mother.

    http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/16c775b8-bd41-11df-98a2-001cc4c002e0.html

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    FARMINGTON — Jeffrey “Garrett” Thurman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the 2007 beating death of Ricky Haynes.
    Thurman’s case had been scheduled for a trial setting and motion hearing during Judge Kenneth W. Pratte’s regular law day Wednesday. Instead, his attorneys, Tom Marshall, and Don Catlett, announced Thurman was going to take a plea agreement.
    As part of the plea agreement, the prosecutors — St. Francois County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Pat King and Assistant Missouri Attorney General Kevin Zoellner — agreed to withdraw their intent to seek the death penalty. They also agreed to dismiss two stealing charges.
    Thurman, 26, of Park Hills, admitted that he and David Lee Bradley, 32, of Park Hills, strangled Haynes. He admitted it was his purpose to kill or help Bradley kill Haynes.
    After Thurman pleaded guilty, and with the death penalty off the table, the judge only had one sentencing option and that was to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
    Last year, Thurman’s attorneys had announced their intent to argue Thurman was “mentally retarded” and therefore, not eligible to receive the death penalty. The defense’s doctor supported this conclusion. They said he was born with brain damage.
    They were not alleging Thurman was incompetent or suffering from a mental disease or defect that “excludes responsibility.”
    Thurman and Bradley were both charged with murder in connection with the death of Haynes. Bradley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in December of 2007.
    According to court records, soon after Haynes disappeared in January of 2007, police began looking for Thurman and Bradley to question them about the man’s disappearance and the theft of Haynes’ vehicles.
    After being spotted in Desloge in Haynes’ vehicle, the men led police on a chase, crashed the vehicle and took off running. They were arrested days later in Jefferson County after being found in another of Haynes’ vehicles.
    After speaking with police twice, Thurman went with police to Reynolds County and helped them find the body. Thurman confessed to choking Haynes and then stomping and kicking him in the head.
    While Thurman was initially very reluctant to say anything incriminating against Bradley, he told officials they loaded the body into the back of Haynes’ truck. He said one of them struck the man with a tool when they stopped at Buford Mountain to make sure he was dead. They then dumped his body in a rural area near Lesterville.
    In March of 2007, two months after they were charged, Thurman, with an attorney present, spoke to detectives again — this time detailing more of Bradley’s involvement in the case.
    He had initially told police that he “choked out” Haynes because Haynes gave him a look he didn’t like and he had been told Haynes was a child molester. He said Bradley wanted to kill Haynes because of Haynes’ involvement with Bradley’s mother.
    While Thurman’s agreement to the plea agreement came as somewhat of a surprise Wednesday, King said the victims knew it was a possibility.
    “It’s been a long ordeal for the family of the victim,” he said. “Perhaps they will have a measure of peace now knowing that this part of the process is over.”
    King thanked all of the detectives who were involved in the murder investigation. He also thanked Zoellner and former St. Francois County Prosecutor Wendy Wexler Horn who recently was appointed Division 3 judge. He said Horn persisted in seeking justice and stayed on top of the case.


    Read more: http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/ne...#ixzz1jfk4iLOS

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