Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Samuel Moreland - Ohio Execution - July 30, 2025

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

    Samuel Moreland - Ohio Execution - July 30, 2025




    Summary of Offense:

    On November 1, 1985, Moreland murdered his girlfriend, 46-year-old Glenna Green, her daughter, 23-year-old Lana Green, and her grandchildren, seven-year-old Daytrin Talbott, six-year-old Datwan Talbott and six-year-old Violana Green, in their Dayton home. Angry because Glenna would not give him money to buy beer, Moreland shot Glenna, Lana and Violana in their heads and pistol-whipped Daytrin and Datwan to death. Moreland was also convicted of attempted murder for shooting and pistol-whipping Glenna's other three grandchildren who were also in the house.

  2. #2
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    On May 6, 2009, Moreland filed an appeal in the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit over the denial of his habeas petition in Federal District Court.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/cir...s/ca6/09-3528/

  3. #3
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    The Sixth Circuit issued an opinion on Moreland today, but I cannot get the page to load.

    http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/newopn.pl
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  4. #4
    Moderator MRBAM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Capital Region NY
    Posts
    865
    OPINION
    _________________
    ROGERS, Circuit Judge. Samuel Moreland, an Ohio death-row prisoner, appeals a district court judgment denying his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. In 1986, a three-judge panel convicted Moreland of killing his girlfriend Glenna Green, her adult daughter, and three of her grandchildren. Moreland contends that his conviction is not supported by sufficient evidence, that the trial court did not conduct an adequate evidentiary hearing on a child eyewitness’s competence to testify, that the trial court wrongly excluded expert testimony concerning the child eyewitness, and that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. For the following reasons, the district court properly rejected Moreland’s claims and denied habeas relief.

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    6th Circuit denies habeas relief for Ohio death-row prisoner

    A federal appeals court recently rejected a man’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus after finding that an eyewitness and several pieces of evidence did connect him to the killing of his girlfriend and four of her family members.

    In the opinion, a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel stated that Samuel Moreland, an Ohio death-row prisoner, was not eligible for a writ of habeas corpus because sufficient evidence supported his conviction of aggravated murder with prior calculation and design.

    “Multiple pieces of evidence, including eyewitness testimony, Moreland’s admission that he shot a gun near the time of the murders, the drops of blood found on Moreland’s clothes that matched the blood types of two of the victims, and evidence showing that Moreland argued with Glenna (Green) immediately before the murders, support his identity as the killer,” 6th Circuit Judge John Rogers wrote for the court.

    Case summary details that Moreland was living with his girlfriend Glenna Green as well as Green’s daughter and grandchildren in November 1985.

    On Nov. 1, 1985, Green’s second daughter and her children were staying in the house. One of the daughters, her boyfriend, and one of the grandsons left the house around 10:30 p.m. Moreland then began arguing with Green because she would not give him money for alcohol, according to case summary.

    He left the argument three times and when he returned for the final time he allegedly shot Green twice in the head, and then shot her grandson. When the three family members returned, they found Moreland was not in the house and Green, her adult daughter, and three of her grandchildren were dead. Three more of the grandchildren were injured but survived.

    Moreland met with Samuel Thomas and the two drank alcohol at Thomas’ house, case summary states. After Thomas drove Moreland home, he was arrested and told the arresting officers that they were “too late.”

    When the officers tested Moreland’s hands for gunshot residue, he stated that it would not be helpful because he had been at a shooting range that day. They asked if he had signed into the range and he changed his statement, saying that he had been shooting along a river bank.

    At trial, expert testimony estimated that Moreland’s blood alcohol level at the time of the shootings would have been between .30 and .36, rendering him too intoxicated to execute the shootings. Thomas, however, questioned the intoxication defense and others who saw Moreland that night stated that he did not struggle to walk or talk.

    In April 1986, a three-judge panel found Moreland guilty of the aggravated murder of five people and attempted aggravated murder of three others. The panel sentenced him to death and the Ohio Supreme Court ultimately affirmed that ruling. The Ohio Court of Appeals found Moreland had waived his right to a trial by jury knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently.

    Moreland then filed for a writ of habeas corpus, claiming his convictions for aggravated murder with prior calculation and design were not supported by sufficient evidence and that eyewitness testimony was not properly handled. The U.S. District Court - Southern District of Ohio denied the relief and Moreland appealed to the 6th Circuit.

    “The Supreme Court of Ohio reasonably applied clearly established federal law in deciding that sufficient evidence supported Moreland’s convictions for committing aggravated murder with prior calculation and design,” Rogers stated.

    The three-judge appellate panel determined that one of the grandchildren who was shot and survived had identified Moreland as the attacker. The child also stated that Moreland left the argument multiple times, giving him time away from the argument to cool down.

    The panel maintained that Moreland’s leaving supported the conviction of prior calculation and design. It held that gunshot residue, eyewitness testimony from the child, his argument with Green and blood spots found on his clothes, supported Moreland’s conviction for the aggravated murders.

    “Because the Supreme Court of Ohio did not unreasonably apply, or rule contrary to, Supreme Court law, the district court properly denied habeas relief on this claim,” Rogers continued.

    The judges considered that the child was 11 years old at the time of the trial, old enough to be considered competent. They also determined that the trial judge evaluated the child in his chambers with all parties present and determined the boy to be competent enough to testify.

    Finding that it was within the trial court’s discretion to find the boy’s testimony credible, the appellate court rejected Moreland’s contentions against it.

    “As for (the boy’s) physical and mental status, the three-judge panel conducted an interview with (him) in chambers to consider his competence (even though he was presumed competent under Ohio law),” Rogers wrote.

    “The judgment of the district court is affirmed.”

    Fellow 6th Circuit Judges Richard Griffin and Danny Boggs joined Rogers to form the majority.

    Attempts to contact the Office of the Federal Public Defender and the Ohio Attorney General were unsuccessful prior to press deadline.

    http://www.akronlegalnews.com/editorial/5419
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  6. #6
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    On December 19, 2012, the Sixth Circuit denied Moreland's petition for an en banc rehearing.

    http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.a...s/12-10405.htm

  7. #7
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    In today's United States Supreme Court orders, Moreland's petition for writ of certiorari was DENIED.

    Appeals exhausted. Ruling could result in an execution date.
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  8. #8
    pdpvanguard
    Guest
    On October 24, 2014, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, pursuant to the Inter-American Declaration of Human Rights, to which the United States is a party, granted precautionary measures to Samuel Moreland, requesting that the United States stay his execution until the Commission investigates the merits of potential violations of Moreland's right to life, due process and fair trial. Moreland petitioned the Commission for relief earlier this year, after the Supreme Court of the United States denied to hear his appeal.

    The full decision of the Commission can be found here: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decision...PM37-14-EN.pdf

  9. #9
    Senior Member CnCP Addict Richard86's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Wiltshire, England
    Posts
    500
    I expect Ohio state will ignore this. Furthermore, the United States Federal Government has little jurisdiction over this case even if they wanted to follow this ruling.

  10. #10
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    On March 19, 2015, Moreland's amended habeas petition was DENIED in Federal District Court.

    https://cases.justia.com/federal/dis...?ts=1426859404

    On March 26, 2015, Moreland filed an appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/cir...ts/ca6/15-3306

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

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
  •