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Thread: Willie Jerome Manning - Mississippi Death Row

  1. #41
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Judge Denies Death Row Inmate Manning New Trial

    A judge has denied death row inmate Willie Jerome Manning's request for a new trial in the 1993 slayings of a 90-year-old woman and her 60-year-old daughter in Starkville.

    Oktibbeha County Circuit Judge Lee Howard handed down his ruling Tuesday. Manning's attorney, Robert S. Mink of Jackson, said he will appeal.

    Mink said prosecutors' case against Manning rested on the testimony of an alleged eyewitness who later recanted.

    "This is just astonishing," Mink said of Howard's ruling.

    Manning had been set for lethal injection May 7 in a separate case — the December 1992 slayings of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller. The state Supreme Court blocked the execution hours before it was scheduled. Justices didn't explain their action, but Manning had argued that DNA tests would prove him innocent.

    In 1996, Manning was convicted and sentenced to death in the slayings of Emmoline Jimmerson and her daughter Alberta Jordan. They were beaten and their throats slashed during a robbery attempt at their Starkville apartment. Their bodies were found Jan. 18, 1993. The Supreme Court upheld Manning's conviction and two death sentences in 2000.

    By the time Manning was brought to trial in the deaths of the elderly woman and her daughter, he already had been convicted in the students' slayings and sentenced to death.

    In his 1996 trial in the women's deaths, one of Manning's friends, Kevin Lucious, testified he saw Manning at Brooksville Gardens apartments around 6:30 p.m. on the day of the killings. After their conversation, Lucious testified he returned to his apartment and saw Manning go to the women's apartment.

    Lucious testified he watched Manning knock on the door, and when one of the women opened the door, he pushed it open, went in and closed the door behind him. Other witnesses also testified they saw Manning at the apartments, but he denied he had been there.

    The prosecutor in the case was District Attorney Forrest Allgood.

    In the ruling issued Tuesday, Howard wrote: "The court finds that Lucious' testimony that he was threatened into testifying at the petitioner's trial and that Allgood knew his testimony to be false is unreliable and should be given no weight in the present proceedings."

    In 2004, the Supreme Court gave Manning limited approval to try to convince a judge he deserved a new trial. In his request to the Supreme Court to pursue a post-conviction claim, Manning cited 16 issues. The justices allowed three — whether prosecutors withheld certain evidence, whether prosecutors presented false evidence and whether Manning was denied effective assistance of counsel at trial and on appeal.

    Howard conducted hearings on the post-conviction petition in January and April 2011.

    In February, the Supreme Court asked Howard why no ruling had been issued. In his response, the judge said his decision had been delayed because lawyers on both sides asked for more time to file briefs, which he had to review while continuing his own court schedule.

    http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news...ing-new-trial/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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  2. #42
    CaliHornia
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    There's DNA to test? Test it. Period. Some of the best anti-death penalty arguments out there have been handed to opponents by hard-headed (or worse) prosecutors.

  3. #43
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Mississippi high court allows death row inmate to argue for DNA testing

    The Mississippi Supreme Court has given death row inmate Willie Jerome Manning the chance to argue before a judge for DNA and fingerprint testing that he alleges will show him innocent in the deaths of two college students.

    The high court on Thursday gave Manning 60 days to file a brief in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court, where he was convicted, to support his motion for DNA testing and fingerprint analysis.

    The order reversed an earlier decision in which the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Manning’s request for DNA testing.

    Manning argues that technological strides in the past two decades in DNA testing could lead to proof that he is innocent of killing two Mississippi State University students in 1992.

    The Supreme Court had stopped Manning’s execution on May 7 so it could further review his arguments.

    The bodies of Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller were found in rural Oktibbeha County in December 1992. Manning, now 44, was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to death. Prosecutors said Manning was arrested after he tried to sell some items belonging to the victims.

    Manning’s efforts to stop his execution were supported by the U.S. Justice Department. The department had said there were errors in FBI agents’ testimony about ballistics tests and hair analysis in the case.

    The FBI said its microscopic analysis of evidence, particularly of hair samples found in the car of one of the victims, contained erroneous statements. The FBI also said there was incorrect testimony related to tests on bullets in the case.

    The FBI has offered to conduct the DNA testing.

    Manning’s lawyers said in filings with the Mississippi Supreme Court that the execution should be blocked based on the Justice Department’s disclosures and until further testing could be done.

    The Mississippi attorney general’s office rebutted that testing wouldn’t exonerate Manning because the evidence is so overwhelming.

    Also Thursday, the state Supreme Court denied Manning’s request for a hearing on the Justice Department’s filings on the reliability of expert testimony. It also denied Manning’s request to have his convictions set aside.

    http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...th-row-inmate/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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  4. #44
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JimKay's Avatar
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    Why would a guilty man argue for DNA testing? The murders occurred in 1992, more than 20 years ago. It's possible any DNA samples have degraded, and no DNA evidence will link Manning to the murders. That in itself wouldn't justify overturning his sentence, but it gives his legal team another excuse to argue against his execution.

    Death-sentence appeals are never about evidence or justice. They're wars of attrition against underfunded and overworked government attorneys and courts.

  5. #45
    Moderator MRBAM's Avatar
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    Where is this case stuck ??

  6. #46
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Willie Manning death row case conviction back before Mississippi Supreme Court

    JACKSON, Mississippi -- A Mississippi death row inmate is back before the state's high court to challenge the evidence and his lawyer's performance during his trial in the slayings of two elderly women.

    Willie Jerome Manning is appealing an Oktibbeha County judge's denial of his post-conviction challenges related to evidence in his trial and his lawyer's performance. The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Oct. 27 in Jackson.

    In 1996, Manning was convicted and sentenced to death in the slayings of Emmoline Jimmerson, 90, and her daughter, Alberta Jordan, 60, during a robbery attempt at their Starkville apartment in 1993. The women were beaten and their throats were slashed.

    The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld Manning's conviction and two death sentences in 2000. But four years later, the high court granted Manning approval to pursue three post-conviction claims: that prosecutors withheld evidence; that they presented false evidence; and that Manning was denied effective counsel at trial and on appeal.

    Circuit Judge Lee Howard ruled against Manning on all three issues in 2013. But Manning's attorneys appealed, claiming Howard's ruling denied Manning "an opportunity to develop a number of claims challenging the reliability of his conviction."

    During the initial trial, one of Manning's friends, Kevin Lucious, testified that he spoke to Manning at the Brooksville Gardens apartments on the evening of the slayings and then saw Manning force his way into the women's apartment. Other witnesses also testified they saw Manning at the apartments. Manning denied he had been there.

    Manning argued Lucious later recanted. Lucious said he was coerced by prosecutors into implicating Manning, according to court documents.

    Howard, the Oktibbeha County judge, said he found no reliable proof that Lucious was threatened by law enforcement officials. Howard said law enforcement officials testified Lucious was never threatened or pressured for testimony in the case.

    Howard said he could not find that Manning's lawyer was ineffective for failing to attack Lucious testimony.

    Special Assistant Attorney General Melanie Thomas said in court documents that Lucious gave several statements to authorities about the slayings. She said it was only six years after the trial that Lucious argued he was coecered by prosecutors and the story changed each time Lucious was asked to describe how he was coerced.

    "The only time his story ever made sense ... was when Lucious testified at Manning's trial," Thomas said.

    Emily Maw, an attorney for the New Orleans-based Innocence Project, argued in a friend of the court brief that it was clear Lucious lied while testifying at Manning's trial. She said the very least the Supreme Court should do is reverse Manning's conviction so the case may be reinvestigated.

    In May 2013, Manning had been set for lethal injection in a separate case -- the December 1992 slayings of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller. The state Supreme Court blocked the execution hours before it was scheduled. Justices didn't explain their action, but Manning had argued that DNA tests would prove him innocent. That case was sent back to Oktibbeha County.

    http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi..._row_case.html
    "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

  7. #47
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Mississippi Death Row Case Back before Mississippi Supreme Court

    A Mississippi death row inmate will argue before the state's high court that he deserves a new trial because his lawyer's poor performance and faulty evidence contributed to his conviction in the slayings of two elderly women.

    Willie Jerome Manning is appealing an Oktibbeha County judge's denial of his post-conviction challenges.

    In 1996, Manning was convicted and sentenced to death in the slayings of 90-year-old Emmoline Jimmerson and her daughter, 60-year-old Alberta Jordan, during a robbery attempt at their Starkville apartment in 1993. The women were beaten and their throats were slashed.

    http://www.wtok.com/news/headlines/M...2.html?ref=882
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  8. #48
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Death row inmate lawyers to Miss. high court: Witness lied

    BY JEFF AMY
    THE SUN HERALD

    JACKSON, MISS. — Lawyers for a Mississippi death row inmate told state Supreme Court justices Monday that he deserves a new trial because evidence that defense lawyers did not obtain the first time shows that a key state witness lied Willie Jerome Manning is appealing an Oktibbeha County judge's denial of his post-conviction challenges. Manning came within hours of being put to death last year on separate charges before the state high court halted it.

    Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the 1993 slayings of 90-year-old Emmoline Jimmerson and her daughter, 60-year-old Alberta Jordan. Police and prosecutors say the women were beaten and had their throats slashed. They were killed during a robbery attempt at their Starkville apartment.

    Manning was convicted and sentenced to death in the case in 1996, but lawyers argued Monday that the conviction should be overturned because of questions about a witness who put Manning at the scene. Current lawyers also argued that either the state concealed evidence from Manning's original lawyers or the defense was too ineffective to find it.

    "Not only was Mr. Manning denied a fair trial, but his case has all the characteristics of a wrongful conviction," said lawyer David Voisin.

    The attorney general's office disputed the claims, saying the testimony should stand and the records wouldn't have affected the outcome.

    Voisin zeroed in on the testimony given by Kevin Lucious, who said he lived in the Brookdale Gardens complex at the time and saw Manning approach the apartment door. Lucious also testified that Manning later twice discussed the killing with him. He has since recanted.

    Voisin said notes from when police knocked on doors at the complex showed the apartment where Lucious claimed to live was vacant at the time of the shooting.

    Special Assistant Attorney General Melanie Thomas said just because no records showed Lucious lived at Brookdale Gardens doesn't mean he wasn't living with someone else or squatting. Justice David Chandler noted that others testified that they saw Manning at the complex on the day of the killings.

    Voisin said the police records, as well as a state crime lab report showing a bloody size 8 shoe print were improperly withheld. Manning's feet are size 11.

    Thomas said defense lawyers didn't have the exact report of the shoe print at trial, but did discuss it in testimony.

    Justice James Kitchens questioned what proof there is that the state suppressed the evidence, saying lawyers could have found the reports if they had tried. Voisin said that the lawyers should have been able to rely on prosecutors to turn over evidence, or alternately said justices should rule the trial team had been ineffective.

    In May 2013, Manning had been set for lethal injection in a separate case — the December 1992 slayings of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller. The state Supreme Court blocked the execution hours before it was scheduled. Voisin said after the hearing that DNA test results are pending.

    http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/27/...ml?sp=/99/184/


    "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

  9. #49
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Death row inmate gets new trial

    Willie Jerome Manning, convicted of two double murders, had his conviction overturned by Mississippi Supreme Court and a new trial ordered. Manning, 46, was on death row for the deaths of 90-year-old Albertha Jordan and her 60-year-old daughter Emmoline Jimmerson in Starkville in 1993. The murders were committed during a robbery attempt.

    Manning appealed the convictions, claiming the state withheld evidence that would have been favorable to the defense. The court agreed and overturned his conviction.

    The evidence was index cards the police used gathering information from witnesses the day of the murders. The cards apparently show the apartment where a key witness claimed to live when he saw Manning enter the apartment was vacant at the time of the crime.

    The court says those cards were not given to the prosecutors or defense attorney, but should have been included in the evidence police investigators submitted.

    Manning's new trial will take place in Oktibbeha County.

    Manning has also been convicted of the double murder to two Mississippi State students in December of 1992.

    http://www.wdam.com/story/28097016/d...gets-new-trial
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  10. #50
    Senior Member CnCP Addict Stro07's Avatar
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    We should move him back to the Stays thread as his conviction and sentence on the college students seems to be intact.

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