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    Margaret Ann Allen - Florida Death Row


    Wenda Wright


    Margaret Ann Allen


    September 11, 2010

    Titusville woman may meet death row

    The state thinks 44-year-old Margaret Allen deserves to die for her role in the 2005 torture and murder of an acquaintance she thought stole her purse and $2,000.

    Prosecutors will pursue a conviction for first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping, saying the Titusville woman hit Wenda Wright, 39, again and again -- then poured bleach, nail-polish remover and ammonia over her face and choked her with a belt.

    Allen's trial is scheduled to begin as early as Monday, with jury selection. A guilty verdict could send Allen to death row, where she'd be one of only two women currently facing execution, compared with 390 men.

    Although female death-row inmates are rare, their executions are even rarer.

    Experts say the system doesn't favor women: They just commit fewer crimes that make them eligible.

    "You have to commit an aggravated murder," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C.

    He said women commit about 10 percent of murders in the country, but only about 1 percent of those executed are women.

    Women rarely kill a stranger, or torture and kill someone, Dieter said.

    "They have only had 11 executions of women since 1976. It is a rare phenomenon."

    According to the Florida Department of Corrections, two women have been executed in the state, including suspected serial killer Aileen Wuornos -- the subject of the 2003 movie "Monster," starring Charlize Theron.

    Sixteen women have been sentenced to death in Florida, dating back to 1926, according to the department, but 13 of the original sentences were commuted.

    Nationwide, there are 61 women facing execution, making up less than 2 percent of the total death row population.

    Theft accusation

    Wright was reported missing on Feb. 8, 2005, and Titusville police began their investigation.

    Two days later, two people not involved with the crime went to the police department and told officers Wright had been murdered.

    Then Quinton Allen, Margaret's nephew who is now 24, came forward and told police Wright was killed in his presence.

    Police served a search warrant at Margaret Allen's house, 415 S. Robbins Ave., where the murder allegedly occurred. She and James Martin, now 60, were arrested.

    Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to discuss the Allen case with FLORIDA TODAY, but court and police documents paint a grisly picture.

    Allen's purse was missing and she suspected Wright, her housekeeper, who kept denying she had taken it.

    At some point during the confrontation, according to documents, Allen started hitting Wright: "Quinton Allen said he was directed to help hold the victim, while Margaret Allen used a cloth belt to bind the victim's legs, and then he was instructed to hold the victim's hands and keep her from getting up . . ."

    Police said he feared for his safety because his aunt was carrying a semi-automatic handgun.

    Allen then put her knee on the victim's neck and started pouring the bleach and other chemicals on Wright's face.

    "The victim was gagging on the chemicals, crying and begging for her life," the documents said.

    Margaret tried to put adhesive on her mouth but "the tape would not stick due to the chemicals," Quinton Allen said during a prior hearing.

    Wright stopped moving. She was unconscious, Margaret Allen told her nephew, according to records. A day later, she picked up Quinton Allen and told him he would have to help dispose of the body.

    A medical examiner's report said the primary cause of her death was homicidal violence and cocaine intoxication.

    Shallow grave

    According to reports, Margaret Allen, her nephew and Martin had trouble getting rid of Wright's body, which weighed more than 300 pounds. They buried it in a shallow grave near State Road 46 in North Brevard.

    "Quinton Allen took us to the scene and the grave was located," a police report said.

    Quinton Allen pleaded to a second-degree murder charge and is expected to be released from prison in 2019, while Martin pleaded to a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and served about five years. He was released in October 2009, but is back in jail on a violation of probation charge.

    Both received reduced charges and sentences for agreeing to testify against Margaret Allen, whom police believe was the ring leader in the Wright slaying.

    She had been convicted of numerous felony charges before the homicide, including possession and sale of drugs and aggravated assault.

    In 1991, she faced a charge of first-degree murder, but was found guilty of battery and aggravated battery. Records on that case weren't available.

    http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...316/1006/rss01

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    Trial of Titusville woman accused of killing maid gets under way

    A defense attorney cast doubt on the credibility of a key witness during opening statements Wednesday in the death penalty trial of Margaret Allen.

    Allen, a 44-year-old Titusville woman, is accused of torturing and killing Wenda Wright, her friend and housekeeper, before burying her body near a dirt road off State Road 46 in North Brevard in February 2005.

    2 men -- Quinton Allen, 24, and 60-year-old James Martin -- were alleged to have played a role in the killing and body disposal but were given plea deals in return for their testimony against Allen.

    Following nearly 3 days of jury selection and the seating of a 14-member panel, opening statements began late Wednesday. Defense Attorney Frank Bankowitz asked the jurors to weigh the credibility of the witnesses expected to testify.

    "What Quinton Allen says has to be taken with the proverbial grain of salt," he said.

    The state says Quinton Allen was present during the killing of Wright.

    He pleaded to second-degree murder and is expected to be released from prison in 2019.

    Martin, who confessed to helping dispose of Wright's body, served five years in prison and is back in jail on a violation of probation charge. Prosecutor Russ Bausch said Quinton Allen confessed to police "because he could not let it go. It was weighing on his conscience." In his opening statement, Bausch painted a gory picture of the crime, in which Allen is accused of beating and choking Wright because she suspected her of stealing a purse that contained about $2,000.

    He described how Wright was choked with a belt and how Allen poured nail polish remover and other cosmetic fluids on her face. Foam came out of Wright's mouth, Bausch said.

    "And then she didn't move anymore," he added.

    Johnny Dublin, Wright's common-law husband, testified in court Wednesday about how Allen came to his house and offered him $200 for the missing purse. Dublin said he told her he did not know anything about the purse.

    (Source: Florida Today)

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    Brevard groups attempt to save woman from death penalty

    Two Brevard organizations this week made a move seeking to spare the life of convicted killer Margaret Allen. The Titusville woman was found guilty in September of first-degree felony murder in the killing of Wenda Wright and faces a possible death sentence.

    The Central Brevard chapters of the NAACP and the National Organization for Women want to file an amicus brief in the case. Such motions are filed by interested parties that have no direct connection with a case.

    A 12-member jury unanimously recommended death for Allen, 44, and it is now up to Judge George Maxwell to decide whether he will agree or sentence her to life in prison. No sentencing date has been set.

    "In this state and nation, the imposition of capital punishment is fraught with improper discrimination, inequality, and other forms of justice," read the motion filed by attorney Mark Tietig.

    "It is an argument against capital punishment," he said.

    This week, both the prosecution and defense filed additional memos to support arguments already presented in court.

    Allen, who lived in Titusville, beat and strangled Wright in 2005 because she suspected her of taking a missing purse containing about $2,000. She then helped bury Wright's body in northern Brevard with the help of two men who testified against her during the trial.

    If Allen gets the death penalty, she will become the second woman on Florida's death row.

    Defense attorney Frank Bankowitz said in the sentencing memorandum that Allen had been physically and sexually abused as an adult, as he presented mitigating factors against a possible death sentence.

    Prosecutor Russ Bausch said in his memo that the aggravators in the case -- meaning the heinousness of the crime -- far outweighed any mitigating factors.

    http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...t|Local%20News

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    September 17, 2010

    Witness offers graphic testimony in Titusville housekeeper's slaying

    A key witness in the death penalty trial of Margaret Allen recounted the slaying of a Titusville housekeeper in sometimes excruciating detail Thursday.

    Quinton Allen, who isn't related to the defendant, told investigators he saw Allen kill Wenda Wright in February 2005, and then -- along with another man--helped her bury the body in north Brevard.

    He testified Thursday he helped hold Wright down as Allen choked her with a belt and poured nail polish remover and other chemicals on her face.

    He said Allen was upset about losing a purse containing about $2,000 and kept asking Wright about it.

    Quinton Allen accepted a plea deal in the case in return for his testimony. The 24-year-old is scheduled to be in prison until 2019 on a second-degree murder charge.

    James Martin, another man who helped bury the body, also accepted a plea deal and served about five years in prison. He is back in jail on a violation of probation charge.

    On Thursday, Quinton Allen said Allen used a semi-automatic pistol to threaten him into complying during the crime.

    Prosecutor Russ Bausch asked if he feared for his life.

    "Yes, sir, I was," he said, occasionally looking over at 44-year-old Allen, who has been charged with first-degree felony murder and kidnapping.

    Wright's common law husband, Johnny Dublin, quietly cried as Quinton Allen recounted the details of the gruesome killing.

    "She began to shake and after about three minutes, she did not move anymore," he said.

    At another point in his testimony, Quinton Allen said the hole they dug for Wright's body near a dirt road off State Road 46 in north Brevard wasn't big enough. A piece of plywood was then placed on the body and Martin was asked to jump on it, he said.

    During cross examination, defense attorney Frank Bankowitz concentrated on possible discrepancies in Quinton Allen's deposition to law enforcement authorities and his testimony in court.

    When Bankowitz pressed for some details, he said: "I can't remember at this moment sir, I can't remember."

    "Did she pour the ammonia in her mouth?" Bankowitz asked.

    "I told you she poured the chemicals on her face," Quinton Allen said.

    In initial police reports of the incident, Quinton Allen is referred to as Allen's nephew. But it is likely that they are not blood relatives, according to court testimony.

    The only other witness testifying Thursday was a Lowe's employee who reportedly saw Allen and the two men buying a piece of plywood used to help move Wright's body.

    http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...318/1006/rss01

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    Margaret Allen: Judge to decide life or death for Titusville friend, mother?

    The 1989 photograph shows 22-year-old Margaret Ann Allen holding her newborn girl, happy and proud as only a new mother can be.

    Allen and her daughter, Alvinia, were featured on the front page of FLORIDA TODAY, the birth celebrated as the first in Brevard County that year.

    "I had just what I wanted both times. I said I wanted a boy and a girl," Allen was quoted in the article, referring to her baby and her 16-month-old son, Carlos.

    On Thursday, Allen will be the subject of much greater, and much different, media attention as Circuit Judge George Maxwell decides whether the 45-year-old Titusville woman should be sentenced to death for the slaying of friend Wenda Wright in 2005.

    A jury found her guilty of murder and kidnapping in September, and all 12 jurors unanimously recommended she get the death penalty.

    If the judge agrees, Allen would become the third woman on Florida's death row. Only two women have been executed in the state in the past 100 years.

    Behind Allen's journey from a happy mother to possible death row inmate lies a wrenching life story of growing up in one of Titusville's most crime-infested neighborhoods, a mostly absent father and violent boyfriends, according to relatives.

    Her dad spent time in jail, and two of her siblings are in prison.

    The baby in the photo, Alvinia, now 22, and Carlos, 23, are in prison on gun and drug charges, respectively. Alvinia Ragoo is scheduled to be released in 2014, Carlos Ragoo in 2021.

    She has another younger daughter who lives in Titusville.

    "Some people get out, some people do not," said Myrtle Hudson, Allen's aunt, talking about the relentless cycle of crime and drugs that enveloped the Allen family.

    Prosecutors contend that Allen's crime deserves nothing less than death: She poured bleach and other cosmetics on Wright's face as she tried to find out how $2,000 had gone missing. She tried to strangle her with a belt until she lost bladder control and urinated. And she buried Wright's body in north Brevard with the help of two acquaintances.

    "With 10 or so blows to the face, arm, chest, knees and a belt tightened around Wenda Wright's neck so tight that the blood flow to her brain stops, that is terror," Assistant State Attorney Russ Bausch said during Allen's trial in September. "This is the terror that Wenda Wright experienced during the last few minutes of her life. No one should die like that."

    'Wanted a dad'

    Allen's mother, Alvinia Strozier, who lives in Titusville, used to work as an assembler at the former McDonnell Douglas Space Systems plant in Brevard.

    Allen was enrolled in Titusville schools, but relatives are not sure whether she graduated high school. Brevard Public Schools officials did not find a graduation record.

    Later, Allen worked for a janitorial service, records show.

    "Her dad, William Allen, was in trouble a lot," said Hudson, who is Allen's maternal aunt. "She always wanted a dad."

    But William Allen, now in his early 60s, wasn't around. Relatives said he now lives in DeLand.

    "The last time I saw him, it seemed he weighed only 120 pounds or less," Hudson said.

    Margaret Allen started attracting attention from Titusville police about 1988.

    Almost every year since, she has faced serious criminal charges, the accusations mapping a life of alleged felonious behavior: Beatings with injuries, the possession and use of firearms including a short-barreled gun, an attack on a pregnant woman, missiles thrown into houses, sale of cocaine and tampering with evidence.

    Despite Allen's numerous brushes with the law, she was convicted of only a few drug-related offenses. She was charged with attempted first-degree murder in 1991, but was found guilty of aggravated battery and battery in that instance.

    2 brothers in prison

    In addition to two of Allen's three children currently serving time in prison, two of her three brothers, James Strozier and Dave Strozier, are in prison.

    One, serving a 20-month sentence for cocaine possession and fleeing and eluding, is scheduled to be released this year. The other is scheduled for release in 2036, serving 35 years for grand theft, burglary and aggravated battery with deadly weapon.

    Tara Posley, who is Allen's first cousin, wondered if Allen ever had a chance to escape the rampant crime in her neighborhood, around Robbins Avenue in Titusville.

    "They shoot guns, they smoke drugs. It is pretty depressing," Posley said. "It is considered the ghetto."

    Posley, a certified nursing assistant, said she was in trouble herself, some of it related to writing bad checks and grand theft.

    "I kept looking at my kids. And I said no. I want to give them a chance to live," Posley said.

    As for Allen, there was violence all around her.

    Relatives said a boyfriend beat her unconscious and put her in the trunk of a car in the mid-1990s.

    Allen, they said, could be capable of showing incredible kindness, even to strangers. As evidence, they point to Quintin Allen, no relation, who is in prison for the Wright slaying as well.

    "She took Quintin off the streets," Hudson said. "She did anything for anybody."

    But it was Quintin Allen who testified against her in September, telling the court how he held Wright down as Allen choked her with a belt. He said Allen had threatened to shoot him to get him to comply.

    "She began to shake and after about three minutes, she did not move anymore," he said, describing what likely were the last few minutes of Wright's life.

    Quintin Allen accepted a plea offer of second-degree murder and is scheduled to be released from prison in 2019.

    Wright's body in hole

    During the September trial, Quintin Allen described how he saw Allen kill Wright.

    He also described how the hole dug for Wright's 300-pound body near a dirt road off State Road 46 wasn't big enough.

    James Martin, an acquaintance, then jumped on a piece of plywood to force the body into the hole.

    Martin was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of accessory to first-degree murder.

    At the trial, defense attorney Frank Bankowitz concentrated on discrepancies between what Quintin Allen originally told detectives and what he said later in court.

    He pointed out that Wright's autopsy listed cocaine intoxication as one of the causes of death. Later, when the 12 jurors were deciding whether to recommend life or death, he said Allen acted the way she did because she suffered from brain damage and is not able to control her emotions.

    "My client has brain damage, there is no question about it," Bankowitz said.

    All through the trial, Allen's family sat behind her, sometimes telling her to "stay strong" as she left the courtroom each day.

    Another constant was Johnny Dublin, Wright's common-law husband, with whom she had two sons. During a hearing in December, Dublin was asked by a prosecutor if Allen should be given the death penalty.

    "I'm not recommending anything because it is not my decision to make," Dublin said.

    It was at the same hearing that Allen herself pleaded for a life sentence.

    "I just feel like I shouldn't have to get the death penalty for something I didn't do," Allen said.

    She declined FLORIDA TODAY requests for an interview.

    Success stories

    John Lau, Titusville's assistant police chief, said Allen's neighborhood on Robbins Avenue and some surrounding streets are a high crime area, but there are many success stories, as well.

    "To us, it seems Margaret Allen made poor choices throughout her life," he said. "It was also a family problem, it is what she had as a role model."

    Outdoor drug sales continue to be a problem in the area, Lau said.

    The Rev. Glenn Dames, who heads the North Brevard NAACP, said crime in the area is a reality, but not the only reality.

    "There are people who live there and make their children accountable," Dames said.

    Posley, Allen's first cousin, found the challenge of living in the neighborhood overwhelming. She's moved across town to what she describes as a quiet neighborhood.

    "I was trying to save my children from the streets," Posley said.

    http://www.floridatoday.com/comments...friend-mother-

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    September 20, 2010

    Judge ponders admission of evidence in Allen murder trial

    Judge George Maxwell sent jurors to an early lunch Monday giving him time to rule on whether to allow a medical report into evidence of Margaret Allen’s death penalty murder trial.

    At issue is whether the report – stating cocaine intoxication as one of two causes of death – be allowed when the doctor is not present to be cross-examined.

    Allen, 44, is charged with first-degree felony murder and kidnapping in the slaying of housekeeper Wenda Wright in February 2005.

    According to court testimony, Allen was upset about a missing purse containing about $2,000 and suspected Wright of taking it. She beat up Wright and tortured her with a belt around her neck and then buried her with the help of James Martin and Quinton Allen, prosecutors say.

    Both Martin and Quinton Allen have pleaded guilty in the case and testified against Margaret Allen.

    Prosecutor Gary Beatty urged Maxwell not to allow the medical report since he would not be able to challenge any of the findings in it.

    “It’s pure hearsay and cannot be allowed into evidence,” he said.

    Earlier, the jury heard Titusville Crime Scene Technician Denise Fitzgerald testify about finding the buried body of Wright in a wooded area off of State Road 46.

    “We uncovered what we believed to be human skin,” she said. “Then we found turquoise fabric and uncovered the toes of a person.”

    http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...015/1086/rss07

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    September 20, 2010

    Trial Nears End For Woman Facing Death Row

    A Brevard County woman is on trial, accused of torturing and killing a cleaning lady by pouring chemicals down her throat. She could become just the second woman on Florida's death row.

    Monday, the defense rested without calling a single witness. Tuesday, at the Moore Justice Center, the state will make its final argument for convicting Margaret Allen of capital murder.

    Brevard County's chief medical examiner described a beating so brutal Monday it's likely 39-year-old Wenda Wright lost consciousness in the moments before she was strangled to death.

    "How long does it take," Dr. Sajid Syed Qaiser was asked in court Monday.

    "In four to six minutes they would be brain dead," he said.

    Prosecutors believe Allen was responsible for the February 2005 attack on Wright, because Allen believed her housekeeper and friend had stolen $2,000.

    Two witnesses took the stand saying they helped Allen dispose of Wright's body in a wooded area off State Road 46 in north Brevard County. Quinton Allen and James Martin described forcing Wright's body into a shallow grave.

    Wright, who was morbidly obese, also suffered from a heart ailment and cirrhosis of the liver. The victim also had traces of cocaine in her system during her autopsy. But Monday, the county's chief medical examiner was clear on the Titusville woman's cause of death.

    "Homicidal violence," Dr. Qaiser said.

    Defense attorney Frank Bankowitz has worked to cast doubt on the credibility of the state's witnesses as well as the physical evidence in the case.

    "Was there any evidence of the bleach being poured?" Bankowitz questioned.

    If convicted of first-degree felony murder, the state is seeking the death penalty for Allen. Only 16 women have ever been sentenced to death in Florida and most of their sentences were commuted.

    Only two women have been executed in Florida, including Aileen Wuornos, the subject of the 2003 movie "Monster."

    Closing arguments in this case are scheduled for Tuesday morning.

    Two other people have already pleaded guilty in the case. Quinton Allen, who is Margaret Allen's nephew, has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case and is serving a 15-year sentence. James Martin pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the murder and admitted he helped get rid of Wright's body.

    http://www.wftv.com/news/25087936/detail.html

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    Circuit Judge George Maxwell has just sentenced Margaret Allen to death for the murder of Wenda wright in 2005. He also sentenced Allen to life without parole for the kidnapping of Wright.

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    Titusville Woman May Face Death Penalty

    A Titusville woman may face the death penalty after her conviction on Tuesday for torture and murder.

    A jury found Margaret Allen guilty of killing her housekeeper in 2005 after she accused her of stealing money.

    The victim was strangled with a belt and had nail polish remover poured over her face.

    The jury returned the verdict in three hours and will now decide whether Allen should become the second woman on Florida's Death Row.

    http://www.wesh.com/r/25104848/detail.html

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    Convicted killer Margaret Allen sentenced to death

    BREVARD COUNTY -- A Brevard County convicted killer has become the third woman on Florida's death row.

    Margaret Allen, 45, was convicted last September of killing and torturing the housekeeper in 2005 who accused her of stealing $2,000. She was sentenced to death Thursday morning.

    She along with Quinton Allen, her nephew, are accused of beating and strangling Wenda Wright with a belt, then burying the body in a shallow grave in the northern part of the county.

    Quinton testified against his aunt and through a plea deal will serve 15 years behind bars.

    In earlier testimony, a medical examiner described the nearly dozen blows to Wright's face and body, and the belt tightened so severely around her neck she lost consciousness.

    The defense tried to spare Allen from the death penalty. They brought a neurologist in to testify claiming she suffers from brain damage due to previous assaults in her past and because of her condition could not plan a murder scheme.

    Two other women are currently on death row in the state of Florida.

    Tiffany Cole, convicted in 2008 in Duval County of killing a Jacksonville couple and burying them alive. And Emilia Carr was just convicted in February in Marion County for kidnapping and murder then burying the victim in a shallow grave.

    http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news...enced-to-death

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