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Thread: Clarence Rozell Goode, Jr. - Oklahoma Death Row

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    Clarence Rozell Goode, Jr. - Oklahoma Death Row


    Clarence Rozell Goode, Jr.


    Facts of the Crime:

    Convicted and sentenced to death in the murders of fifth-grader Kayla Burchett; her mother, Tara Burchett-Thompson, 25; and the slain woman's husband, 28-year-old Mitch Thompson, Jr. Their bodies were found on the morning of August 26, 2005 in the couple's bedroom at 9707 North 112th East Avenue in Owasso.

    Goode was sentenced to death on December 14, 2007.

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    December 14, 2007

    A man described by a prosecutor as an "executioner" was sentenced to death Thursday after being found guilty of committing a 2005 Owasso triple homicide. A 10-year-old girl was killed, along with her mother and the mother's husband.

    Clarence Goode Jr., 31, received the punishment for all three counts of first-degree murder from the same Tulsa County jury that returned guilty verdicts against him Wednesday.

    Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told the jury Thursday that Goode deserves "no other punishment than death" after being convicted of the killings of fifth-grader Kayla Burchett; her mother, Tara Burchett-Thompson, 25; and the slain woman's husband, 28-year-old Mitch Thompson Jr.

    Their bodies were found on the morning of Aug. 26, 2005, in the couple's bedroom at 9707 N. 112th East Ave. in Owasso.

    Tessa Amaro, aunt of Kayla Burchett and sister of Tara Burchett-Thompson, said after Thursday's sentencing verdict "there's no celebrating today, but justice was served for our family."

    Her husband, 37-year-old Mark Amaro of Broken Arrow, added "We're happy for the verdict, but we're very sad for the loss of our loved ones."

    Mark Amaro invited prayers not only for his family, but for Goode's.

    "We feel their pain, too," he said.

    Mark Amaro commended the Owasso Police Department for its efforts on the case, which also has yielded pending first-degree murder charges against Kenneth D. Johnson, 26, and Ronald "Bunny" Thompson, 27.

    The prosecution is seeking the death penalty against Johnson, who is scheduled to go to trial in February, but not against Thompson.

    Thompson testified Dec. 7 that Goode threw him a .22-caliber handgun on the night of the killings and told him that "we were going to take care of business."

    Assistant District Attorney Mickey Hawkins said during his portion of Thursday's closing arguments that Goode is a "a wanna-be Scarface, a wanna-be gangster" who made a choice to kill.

    "Everyone paid a price as a result," Hawkins said. "Now it's time for him to pay the price."

    Jim Burchett Jr., 58, of Broken Arrow testified Thursday that he vividly recalls the sense of disbelief he felt when he first heard what had happened to his granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law.

    Burchett told the jury "every day and night I will be tormented. I will push on, but I'll never forget, and I'll still wonder why it all happened."

    Kunzweiler said during his part of Thursday's closing that Goode placed his shots "in the fashion of an assassin" and was looking to settle a score without any thought about who might be in the way -- even a "10-year-old cheerleader."

    Mitch Thompson's sister Gwen Davidson testified, "When I lost my brother, I lost my best friend. Ever since I lost my brother, I feel so alone in this world."

    Co-defense attorney Stan Monroe said during his closing argument that imposing the death penalty on Goode would not erase the pain of the victims' families.

    Monroe asked for life sentences -- the minimum punishments possible after Wednesday's guilty verdicts -- and told the jurors that they must not let the sentences be the product of emotion.

    The defense introduced testimony Thursday from Goode's fiancee, who asked the jurors to spare his life so he could at least talk to his children as they grow up and see pictures of their lives, as well as Goode's mother.

    Margaret Goode, 59, of Tulsa testified Thursday that Goode has been "all anyone could want in a son."

    "I really need him," she said.

    Tulsa County District Judge Tom Gillert is scheduled to impose formal sentencing Jan. 7.

    Jim Burchett Jr. said after Thursday's verdict was read, "I'm just relieved."

    Mark Amaro said, "I'm glad this part's over," but he noted the family will "have to relive the memories" again during Johnson's trial next year.

    (Source: The Associated Press)

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    The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Goode's death sentence on direct appeal in an opinion dated June 9, 2010.

    Opinion is here:

    http://www.oscn.net/applications/osc...?citeid=458967

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    June 10, 2010

    A state appeals court has affirmed three death sentences for a man who was convicted of a triple murder in Owasso in 2005.

    By a 4-0 vote, the Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the verdicts reached at a 2007 trial for Clarence Goode Jr.

    Tulsa County jurors found Goode, now 34, guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Kayla Burchett, 10, a Collinsville fifth-grader; her mother, Tara Burchett-Thompson, 25; and Burchett-Thompson's husband, Mitch Thompson, 28.

    Their bodies were found Aug. 26, 2005, at the slain couple's Owasso home.

    Goode received a death sentence for each murder.

    Numerous rounds of appeals spanning many years are not uncommon in cases in which the death penalty is imposed.

    At a 2008 trial, another Tulsa County jury spared co-defendant Kenneth Dominick Johnson from the death penalty. Johnson, 28, was sentenced to three no-parole life prison terms after being convicted of three counts of first-degree murder.

    The state appeals court previously has affirmed the outcome of Johnson's trial.

    Ronald "Bunny" Thompson, who testified for the prosecution at the trials of the other two defendants, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and received three consecutive life prison terms for his role in the killings. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty for Thompson, 30.

    District Judge Tom Gillert designated that one of Thompson's sentences preclude any possibility of parole. That sentence was for the murder of Kayla, who lived with her grandparents in Collinsville but who was spending the night at her mother's home when the three were killed.

    Prosecutors asserted that all three defendants carried guns and fired shots inside the house.

    Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said a baseball-bat beating that Mitch Thompson inflicted on his cousin, Bunny Thompson, and other disputes were the basis of a feud that eventually led to the killings.

    http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...095&rss_lnk=11

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    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    In today's United States Supreme Court orders, Goode's petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis was DENIED.

    Order here

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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On March 10, 2011, Goode filed a habeas petition in Federal District Court.

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/okl...cv00150/30947/

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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On July 11, 2016, Goode's habeas petition was DENIED in Federal District Court.

    https://docs.justia.com/cases/federa...00150/30947/53

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    Administrator Aaron's Avatar
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    On August 11, 2016, Goode filed an appeal before the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

    https://dockets.justia.com/docket/ci...s/ca10/16-5124
    Don't ask questions, just consume product and then get excited for next products.

    "They will hurt you. They will hurt your grandma, these people. The root cause of this is there's no discipline in the homes, they don't go to school, you know, they live off the government, no personal accountability, and they just beat people up for no reason, and it's disgusting." - Former Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters

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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On March 20, 2018, oral argument will be heard in Goode's appeal before the Tenth Circuit.

    https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/sites/...h_2018_Cal.pdf

  10. #10
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Goode's panel will be made up of Judges Briscoe (Clinton), Hartz (G.W. Bush) and Phillips (Obama).

    https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/sites/...2018_Final.pdf

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