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Thread: Stanley Lamar Griffin - Texas

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    Stanley Lamar Griffin - Texas


    Jennifer Hailey


    Stanley Lamar Griffin


    Search for jury begins in capital murder trial

    Prosecutors and defense attorneys Monday began questioning potential jurors for the capital murder trial of a 47-year-old man accused of killing a College Station mom and seriously injuring her son.

    District Attorney Bill Turner and Assistant District Attorney Brian Baker plan to seek the death penalty if Stanley Lamar Griffin is convicted. Police said Griffin strangled 29-year-old Jennifer Hailey and stabbed her 9-year-old son in the neck inside their College Station apartment in September 2010.

    Griffin sat quietly next to his attorneys, Lane Thibodeaux and Stephen Gustitis, as six potential jurors were called on throughout the day.

    Each side was given about 30 minutes to question juror candidates, and most of the discussions were aimed at gauging the person's ability to fairly and objectively follow the law in reaching a verdict.

    Prosecutors allege that Griffin kidnapped Hailey's son, making the crime a capital murder, which is punishable by either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

    Proving the kidnapping is key for the state to secure a capital murder conviction. If jurors find no kidnap occurred but that Griffin did kill Hailey, he'll be convicted of murder and face five to 99 years in prison.

    Turner walked potential jurors through the three questions that would determine whether Griffin, if found guilty, would receive life in prison without parole or the death penalty: Is there is a probability the defendant would commit future acts of violence; are there mitigating circumstances that make life in prison more appropriate than the death penalty; and is the defendant mentally retarded?

    If the answer is "no" to any of the questions, under Texas law, the defendant automatically would receive life in prison.

    Judge Steve Smith approved a defense strike against a juror who indicated that, in general, he viewed police officers more credible than average civilians and that he didn't agree with the law stating defendants found to be mentally retarded couldn't receive the death penalty.

    The strike does not count against the defense team's use of pre-emptory strikes, of which each side is given 15 to remove a juror without reason.

    About 200 potential jurors are part of the candidate pool and individual questioning will resume at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

    Officials expect the process to take three to five weeks with testimony scheduled to begin June 18.

    http://www.theeagle.com/local/Search...trial--7146618
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    3 join jury pool in capital murder trial

    Two men and one woman Thursday were added to the list of potential jurors for the capital murder trial of the 47-year-old College Station man accused of killing 29-year-old Jennifer Hailey in September 2010.

    The state is seeking the death penalty for Stanley Lamar Griffin, who they allege strangled Hailey to death and kidnapped her 9-year-old son inside their south College Station apartment.

    After four days of individually questioning 26 potential jurors, 19 have been added to the qualified list.

    Once at least 45 are approved, lawyers will begin the strike process to narrow the pool to 12 jurors and two alternates.

    Much of the discussions this week have centered around the prospective jurors' feelings about the death penalty and if their opinions would impact their ability to remain impartial.

    Almost all who've been called so far have been white and most above the age of 45.

    As part of their defense, Griffin's attorneys are asserting that the defendant qualifies as mentally retarded.

    If they're able to convince the jury of that and assuming he's found guilty, Griffin will be ineligible for the death penalty and will automatically receive life in prison.

    Attorneys on both sides repeatedly have rephrased their questions to make sure they have a clear understanding of what each member of the jury pool means.

    For example, a prospective juror was asked the same question at least five different ways on Thursday by prosecutors, defense attorneys and District Judge Steve Smith.

    The lawyers and judge were trying to clarify if the woman would be able to consider mitigating evidence, assuming Griffin is found guilty and the jury is asked to assess punishment -- which they eventually concluded she could do.

    The process will resume at 8 a.m. Friday and is expected to last three to five weeks.

    Griffin's trial is slated to start June 18.

    http://www.theeagle.com/local/3-adde...-pool--7153074
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    Jury pool for capital murder trial up to 39

    Three more Brazos County residents Monday were put into a pool of prospective jurors in the capital murder trial of Stanley Lamar Griffin, bringing the total to 39.

    The state is seeking the death penalty for the 47-year-old College Station resident who’s accused of strangling to death Jennifer Hailey, 29, and kidnapping her 9-year-old son inside their College Station apartment in September 2010.

    After 11 days of individual questioning — a process required for selecting jurors for death penalty trials — about 75 juror candidates have been interviewed out of 300 or so residents who received jury summons for Griffin’s case.

    Once at least 45 are considered qualified to serve, prosecutors and defense attorneys will begin issuing the 15 strikes each side is allowed to eliminate jurors for any reason, except for race, until a panel of 12 jurors and two alternates is formed.

    Griffin’s trial is scheduled to start June 18.

    http://www.theeagle.com/article/2012.../BC0101&slId=1
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    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Jury set in Stanley Lamar Griffin’s capital murder trial

    For the last three weeks, prosecutors and defense attorneys in the capital murder trial of Stanley Lamar Griffin have been meeting individually with potential jurors to question them about a range of matters, including their favorite movie, who most influenced them, what an average day was like for them and, arguably most importantly, how they felt about the death penalty.

    On Friday, attorneys and District Judge Steve Smith finalized the jury selection process, impaneling 11 women and three men — 12 jurors and two alternates.

    One Hispanic was selected to serve, while the remainder are white. The panel will be tasked with assessing whether or not Griffin, 48, of College Station, is responsible for strangling to death Jennifer Hailey, 29, and kidnapping her 9-year-old son while inside their south College Station apartment in September 2010.

    If Griffin is found guilty of capital murder, jurors will be asked to answer three questions in the punishment phase of the trial: Does the defendant pose a future risk to society, are there mitigating circumstances in his case, and is the defendant mentally retarded? If the answer to the first question is “yes” and the answer to the second and third questions is “no,” then jurors are instructed to sentence the defendant to death.

    Forty-two potential jurors had been qualified Friday, three less than attorneys had originally planned for.

    As a result, District Attorney Bill Turner and assistant district attorney Brian Baker agreed they wouldn’t be using all 15 of their allotted strikes when selecting jurors and instead used 10.

    Defense attorneys Lane Thibodeaux and Steve Gustitis used all 15 of their strikes, which can be used to eliminate jurors for any reason aside from race.

    After noting that the state used strikes against three of the four Hispanics on the qualified list, Thibodeaux asked Smith to request prosecutors to give an explanation for cutting the three potential jurors.

    Turner explained that two of them were eliminated because, under questioning, they gave responses indicating they’d likely have a hard time giving the death penalty because of personal beliefs.

    A third Hispanic was struck based on his previous experience as a jury foreman in a high-profile Brazos County murder case when jurors told prosecutors after the case that they had concerns about how the mentally ill defendant would be cared for in jail, Turner said.

    Jury selection for Griffin’s trial began on May 7, with the summoning of 400 residents for jury duty.

    Smith dismissed 200 people that morning, and fewer than 100 were called in for the individual questioning process.

    Attorneys will get a brief break from the case before the trial begins June 18.

    http://www.theeagle.com/article/2012...79/1004&slId=1
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

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    Griffin Capital Murder Trial Begins Monday

    Did Stanley Griffin kill a College Station mother in front of her nine-year-old son? If so, did he commit capital murder? If so, should he die as a result?

    These are the questions that could potentially come from Griffin's trial, which begins Monday morning at the Brazos County Courthouse in Bryan with opening arguments. A jury was selected last month.

    Early on September 20, 2010, College Station police believe the now-47-year-old entered the Pedernales Drive home of Jennifer Hailey and strangled her to death in her bed, her son watching after walking in on the incident. Griffin later allegedly stabbed the boy three times in his neck in his bedroom with a garden tool. The child survived the attack, and is thought to be the lone witness to his mother's murder.

    Griffin was arrested shortly after the crime. Through their investigation, authorities believe the suspect, a homeless man, had asked Hailey if he could live with her, but the 29-year-old had refused.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, but obviously must gain a conviction from a jury of 11 women and three men -- two of whom are alternates -- before they can argue for the ultimate punishment.

    A murder charge can be elevated to a capital level by certain standards under the law, but the attack on Hailey's son does not elevate it. Had the boy died, it would have. Griffin was charged with injury to a child.

    State law reads capital murder is the charge if "the person intentionally commits the murder in the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction or retaliation, or terroristic threat."

    The State of Texas will argue Hailey's son was, according to the legal definition, kidnapped by Griffin while inside the home.

    If prosecutors can convince jurors Griffin was the murderer but cannot prove to them he kidnapped the boy, the jury would convict the defendant of a lower level of murder, one not punishable by death. For example, first degree murder's punishment is life in prison or between five and 99 years behind bars.

    If the jury finds Griffin guilty of capital murder, there are only two punishment options: life in prison without possibility of parole or the death penalty. For the latter to be issued to a defendant, all jurors on the panel must believe he or she will be a danger to others in the future, and that there are no extenuating circumstances that would keep the state from executing him or her, such as mental handicaps.

    Griffin would be a free man were the jury to find him not guilty after a trial that has been tentatively scheduled to last no more than two weeks. He has been in the Brazos County jail since his arrest the day of Hailey's death.

    Since 1982 when the first Texas execution took place following a period where the practice was considered unconstitutional, 11 defendants convicted in Brazos County have been executed, eighth most of any county in the state.

    Currently, there are four people convicted in Brazos County on death row, though Christian Olsen recently had his punishment (not his conviction) overturned by an appeals court. He is awaiting a decision from the district attorney's office as to whether they will seek a new punishment phase to argue for death again. If not, he will automatically receive life in prison without parole and leave death row, where he has been since March 2009.

    John Thuesen (on death row since 2010), Marcus Druery (2003) and Carl Blue (1995) are the others from Brazos County awaiting lethal injection. Thuesen has an automatic appeal in progress. Druery is scheduled to die August 1. Blue has no execution date as of yet, but an appeal arguing he was mentally handicapped and ineligible for execution was denied in late 2011.

    http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/G...159354385.html
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

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    Victim’s best friend, brother testify in capital murder trial

    Four witnesses — including the victim’s best friend and her brother — testified Monday morning in the capital murder trial of Stanley Lamar Griffin.

    Griffin, 47, is accused of murdering Jennifer Marie Hailey, 29, and kidnapping and injuring her son inside their College Station apartment Sept. 19, 2010.

    If he’s convicted, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Griffin, who has remained quiet throughout the trial.

    Hailey’s brother was the first to arrive on scene after receiving a frantic call from their mother and testified that he found his sister motionless on her bedroom floor.

    He attempted CPR, but couldn’t proceed because her tongue was blocking her airway and protruding from her mouth.

    Hailey’s best friend told jurors that when she heard the description Hailey’s son had given police of the killer, Griffin immediately came to mind.

    The friends knew Griffin through a mutual co-worker who had dated him before the killing, she testified.

    A College Station detective and the medical examiner who performed her autopsy also testified on behalf of the state.

    http://www.theeagle.com/article/2012...9520/1003/BC01
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  7. #7
    Jan
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    Footprints, Hat at Murder Scene May Point to Griffin

    Footprints found in blood in Jennifer Hailey's home were extremely similar to those that would be left by shoes Stanley Griffin was wearing when he was arrested for Hailey's murder, a crime scene investigator testified to Tuesday.

    In addition, a white ball cap recovered in Hailey's home on September 20, 2010 appeared similar to the one Griffin was seen wearing in surveillance video at a Navasota convenience store as he returned to College Station the night of September 19. Griffin's friend testified Monday that he dropped Griffin off near Hailey's home at Griffin's request.

    Earlier Tuesday, a forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Hailey told a jury Tuesday that the 29-year-old mother died of strangulation.

    Dr. Satish Chundru from the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office took jurors through pictures of Hailey's body. She was allegedly killed by Griffin, who is on trial for capital murder.

    Chundru said injuries on Hailey's neck and face, including bruises and burst blood vessels, were consistent with blood (and therefore, oxygen) being deprived to her head and brain.

    The pathologist also looked at pictures of Hailey's son, who authorities believe was attacked by Griffin after he watched his mother's strangulation in their home. While he didn't examine the then-nine-year-old in person, Chundru said some of his injuries also appeared to be from strangulation.

    The child also suffered significant wounds to his throat, believed to be from a garden trowel. That item was shown to the jury for the first time, and Chundru confirmed it could have easily caused the injuries seen in the photographs.

    Monday, the boy testified he saw Griffin on top of his mother around 10:30 p.m. on September 19, 2010. He said Griffin ordered him to return to his room. When the boy emerged 15 minutes later, he said Griffin choked him, then struck him in the face. He said he blacked out, awoke later and found his mother dead.

    Jennifer Hailey’s brother, Jason, also testified Tuesday, recalling his arrival at his sister’s home the next morning after his nephew’s call for help to his grandmother. Jason tried to do CPR on Jennifer, but to no avail.

    When discussing his conversation with his nephew soon after his arrival, Jason said the boy told him the attacker had physically put him in his bedroom.

    Later, a College Station police detective told the jury about his investigation that day, including how police eventually found Griffin at a family home with fresh scratch marks on his arm, which would be consistent with a struggle.

    Detective Travis Lacox also discussed a conversation he had with the boy, who was in the hospital. Lacox said the child told him Griffin had attacked him in the living room of the home. Blood was found in a hallway of the home leading from the living room to the bedrooms.

    The state is seeking a capital murder conviction for Griffin. They say DNA evidence -- expected to be presented Wednesday as the state's presentation wraps up -- will prove he committed the murder of Jennifer Hailey. To elevate the crime to capital murder, they allege Griffin, by the letter of the law, kidnapped the boy.

    The defense has tried to emphasize inconsistencies in the boy's statements in the days and weeks following the murder, including where he said he was in the home at the time of the incidents and how they took place. They have also questioned the state's kidnapping assertion.

    If convicted of capital murder, the state will seek the death penalty. If the jury does not believe a kidnapping took place, they can convict Griffin on a lesser murder charge, which takes the death penalty option off the table. A not guilty decision frees Griffin. He has been jailed since the day of the murder when he was arrested for it.

    Previous witnesses have shown Griffin was in the area of the Pedernales Drive home of Hailey at the time of the incident.

    A friend of Jennifer Hailey testified that Griffin had been dating a former colleague at a doctor's office in College Station, and that Griffin had been around the office a number of times, including when Hailey's son was there.

    A police report from just after the incident describes Griffin as having asked Hailey if he could live with her, but that she refused. Beyond that possibility, motive for the murder has not been discussed in court.

    http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/G...159556725.html

  8. #8
    Jan
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    Day 3: DNA Ties Griffin to Murder Victim, Her Son; State Rests Case

    With a rare possibility of exceptions, the DNA of Stanley Griffin was found under the fingernails of Jennifer Hailey, according to a DPS Crime Lab analyst.

    Griffin is on trial for the September 2010 murder of Hailey in her College Station apartment. Griffin faces a capital murder charge, and the State of Texas is seeking the death penalty if they secure a conviction. They rested their case after two hours of witnesses Wednesday morning.

    The defense began calling witnesses around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday.

    On the third day of testimony in the trial, analyst Allison Heard also told the jury a garden trowel found in an outdoor trash can near the Hailey home the morning of the murder was covered in the blood of Hailey's son. Heard could match any DNA on the handle.

    Authorities allege Griffin attacked the then-nine-year-old shortly after he saw his mother being strangled in her bedroom. Monday, the child testified that he saw Griffin on his mother's back choking her out, then ordered him to go back to his room. When he reemerged 15 minutes later, the boy said Griffin choked him and struck him in the head and neck with the trowel.

    Again with a rare possibility of exceptions, the blood of the child was found on the shoes Griffin was wearing when he was arrested hours after the murder, this according to Emma Becker, a second crime lab analyst who testified Wednesday morning.

    Prosecutors contend Hailey used her right hand to try and rip Griffin's left arm from around her neck. When authorities found Griffin later the day of the murder, he had fresh scratch marks on his left arm. He said they were caused two days earlier from riding his bike through brush.

    A baseball cap found in the Pedernales Drive home of Hailey and her son was also tested for DNA. Hailey's DNA almost certainly was found on it, Heard testified. With other DNA found on the cap, Griffin could not be excluded as a possibility, but it was not as conclusive.

    Shortly before the murder, Griffin was seen in surveillance video at a Navasota convenience store with a friend, who testified to dropping Griffin off near Hailey's home. He was wearing a similar hat.

    Prosecutors elevated a murder charge against Griffin to capital because they allege he kidnapped Hailey's son. By the letter of the law, they claim the kidnapping was by virtue of Griffin's order to the boy to go back to his room as Griffin attack the boy's mother.

    The jury can find Griffin guilty of a lesser murder charge if they don't believe a kidnapping took place. That would take the death penalty off the table.

    A not guilty verdict frees Griffin, who has been in the Brazos County Jail since his arrest the day of the murder.

    http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/G...159706465.html

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    Closing arguments under way in College Station’s capital murder trial

    Closing arguments are underway in the capital murder trial of Stanley Lamar Griffin, a 47-year-old accused of strangling a single mother and kidnapping her son inside her College Station apartment almost two years ago.

    http://www.theeagle.com/article/2012...3/bc20/&slId=1
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  10. #10
    Jan
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    Jury begins deliberations in Griffin capital murder trial. Defense concedes he is the murderer.

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