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Thread: Listing of US Death Row Inmates That Have Been Resentenced or Released in 2010

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    Listing of US Death Row Inmates That Have Been Resentenced or Released in 2010

    The following US DR inmates have been resentenced, released, or commuted during 2010 and are no longer on DR:

    Arizona
    Gary Wayne Snelling (AZ Supremes Resentenced to LWOP)

    Arkansas
    Robert Robbins (Resentenced to LWOP)

    California
    Richard Grant (Resentenced to LWOP)

    Connecticut
    Robert Courchesne (Resentenced to Life)

    Federal
    Richard Stitt (Resentenced to LWOP)

    Florida
    Omar Loureiro (Resentenced to Life)
    Jason Mahn (Resentenced to Life)
    Dwayne Parker (Resentenced to Life)
    George Porter (Resentenced to Life)
    Dieter Riechmann (Resentenced to Life)
    Kirk Williams (Resentenced to LWOP)
    Ronnie Ferrell(Resentenced to Life)

    Georgia
    Larry Lee (Resentenced to Life)

    Idaho
    George Junior Porter (Resentenced with Possible Parole 2013)

    Indiana
    Mark Wisehart (Resentenced to 60yrs)

    Kansas
    Gavin Scott (Resentenced to Life)

    Kentucky
    Phillip Brown (Judge ruled Death Sentence not Appropriate due to Life in first trial)

    Mississippi
    Kristi Fulgham (Resentenced to LWOP)

    Missouri
    Gary Black (Resentenced to LWOP)
    Travis Glass (Resentenced to LWOP)
    Andrew Lyons (Resentenced to Life due to Retardation)

    Nevada
    Ronnie Milligan (Released from Prison(

    North Carolina
    Kyle Berry (Resentenced to 2 Life Terms)
    Jamey Cheek (Resentenced to Life)
    George E. Goode Jr. (Resentenced to 2 Life Terms)

    Ohio
    Michael Bies (Resentenced to 30yrs - Life)
    Sidney Cornwell (Governor Commuted to LWOP)
    Joseph D'Ambrosio (Released)
    Nicole Diar (Resentenced to LWOP)
    Gary Johnson (Resentenced to Life)
    Kevin Keith (Governor Granted Clemency from Execution)
    Alfred Morales (Resentenced to Life with Mandatory 30 Years)
    Richard Nields (Governor Granted Clemency from Execution)
    William A. Thomas (Resentenced to Life due to Retardation)

    Oklahoma
    James Fisher Jr. (Pleads Guilty in Retrial, Released from Prison)
    Richard Tandy Smith (Governor Commutes to LWOP)

    Pennsylvania
    Beth Markham (Resentenced to Life)
    Ramon Sanchez (Resentence to 25-50 Year)
    Ernest Simmons (Plea Deal, Released from Prison)
    Connie Williams (Resentenced to LWOP Due Retardation)

    South Carolina
    Edward Elmore (Resentenced to LWOP due to Retardation)

    Tennessee
    Gaile Owens (Governor Commutes to Life)

    Texas
    John Adams (Resentenced to Life)
    Timothy Cockrell (Resentenced to LWOP due Retardation)
    Ted Cole (Resentenced to Life)
    Gabriel Gonzales (Resentenced to Life)
    Jimmy Lucero (Resentenced to LWOP)
    Eric Moore (Resentenced to Life due Retardation)
    Anthony Graves (released from prison)

    US Military
    James Murphy (Resentenced to Life)
    Jessie Quintanilla (Resentenced to Life)
    Wade Walker (Resentenced to Life)

    Virginia
    William Morrisette (Resentenced to Life)

  2. #2
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    Nevada man on death row for 30 years granted parole

    CARSON CITY – A man who sat on death row for 30 years for the killing of a Las Vegas woman has been granted parole.

    The state Parole Board said Thursday that Ronnie Milligan has a solid release plan, but he must abide by standards and conditions such as getting a job and making periodic reports to his parole officer.

    The board also directed that Milligan not drink or go to bars because it appears alcohol was involved in the slaying of 77-year-old Zolihon Voinski, who was stabbed with a screwdriver, hit over the head with a sledgehammer and robbed of $20 in July 1980 in rural western Nevada.

    The board said Milligan, while on death row in the state prison in Ely, had a “positive record” and he had no prior major criminal record.

    Milligan will be evaluated to determine if he needs counseling for alcoholism.

    He will face standard restrictions, such as no weapons or drugs or travel outside Nevada without permission. And he will be required to pay the supervision fees of his parole officer.

    At his parole hearing last month, Milligan said he would live with the Brothers of the Holy Rosary in Reno and attend Truckee Meadows Community College.

    Milligan, now 60, was one of three people charged with the crime but he was the only one to receive the death penalty.

    He told the parole board he didn’t remember the killing, but he was apparently drunk during the slaying of Voinski near Valmy in Humboldt County.

    District Judge Richard Wagner overturned Milligan’s death penalty in September last year. He held that there was an error in using the “aggravating circumstances” in both the trial and the penalty hearing.

    He cited a 2006 Nevada Supreme Court decision that prohibited district attorneys from using one set of “aggravating circumstances” to seek the highest conviction level and then the same set to get the death penalty.

    http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011...ranted-parole/

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    Death sentence taken off the table in 1980 Hampton slaying



    William W. Morrisette III, shown in this August 1999 photo, was sentenced to death in 2001 for raping and killing Dorothy White in June 1980. After courts cited problems with the sentencing hearing, he was set for a re-sentencing in December. But before that hearing, he and prosecutors agreed to a deal in which he will stay in prison for life and end all his appeals.

    http://www.wtkr.com/news/dp-nws-deat...,7645746.story

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    Ex Death Row Inmate Challenges Sentencing



    A defense attorney for convicted murderer Ernest “Ernie” Simmons is challenging a county judge’s sentencing of the defendant to six months to 10 years in state prison for “assaultive behavior” for making threats to kill a man who had an affair with Simmons’ girlfriend.

    Attorney Thomas Dickey of Altoona has filed a motion asking Judge Timothy Creany either to throw out his probation-violation decision or reduce the period of incarceration.

    As of Monday, Simmons had not yet been transferred to a state prison. He remains at the county prison, where he’s been since being picked up Jan. 6 by a state parole agent on the probation violation.

    At a hearing Feb. 17, Creany ruled that even though the threats were not made directly to the other man and there was no evidence that the other man knew of them, those threats amounted to assaultive behavior.

    When Simmons was released from state prison last May on 10 years’ probation, the release conditions include his refraining from assaultive behavior.

    Dickey is alleging that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence for Simmons to have been found in violation of the probation condition.

    But District Attorney Kelly Callihan said Monday, “We feel we presented sufficient evidence, and the judge made a decision on the evidence.

    “We feel it was a proper decision.”

    Dickey also is contending that there was no evidence that Simmons “was inclined toward or disposed to commit an assault.”

    In addition, Simmons has not been convicted of any new crimes, and there was no evidence of any likelihood of future offenses, Dickey said.

    The court administrator’s office said that a hearing has not yet been scheduled on the defense’s petition.

    Simmons, 53, had been living at the Just for Jesus shelter in Brockway, Jefferson County, after being released from state prison for third-degree murder last May after serving 18 years.

    He originally was on death row for the 1992 killing of 80-year-old Anna Knaze of Johnstown, but won a new trial on appeal.

    But rather than going ahead with a new trial, he pleaded no contest to third-degree murder and got time served, plus the 10 years probation on his release.

    http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x7...ges-sentencing

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    Quote Originally Posted by Heidi View Post
    Death sentence taken off the table in 1980 Hampton slaying



    William W. Morrisette III, shown in this August 1999 photo, was sentenced to death in 2001 for raping and killing Dorothy White in June 1980. After courts cited problems with the sentencing hearing, he was set for a re-sentencing in December. But before that hearing, he and prosecutors agreed to a deal in which he will stay in prison for life and end all his appeals.

    http://www.wtkr.com/news/dp-nws-deat...,7645746.story
    It's not as if the Peninsula has tons of capital cases. Couldn't The Daily Press have reported on this case and perhaps informed readers why prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain?

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    Former death row inmate Gaile Owens takes step toward freedom

    Gaile Owens minced no words. No denials. No excuses. No maudlin pleas for mercy.

    She spelled it out: She arranged for the murder of her husband in 1985. And on Wednesday, she told a board member with the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole that it has haunted her since then.

    “It is with immeasurable regret and remorse that I admit that I’m responsible for the death of my husband, Ron Owens. I ultimately put, was responsible for putting the wheels in motion that caused his death,” said Owens, now 58. Her voice shook and the tears fell. “I bear the full responsibility.”

    They were some of the first public words uttered by Owens since she was convicted of killing her husband in 1986. And her words, along with those of nearly 60 supporters who joined her at the Tennessee Prison for Women, persuaded board member Patsy Bruce to cast the first crucial vote that could set Owens free within months.

    The vote came 26 years after Owens arranged for her husband to be murdered, two years after finally reconciling with her son, and a little more than a year after former Gov. Phil Bredesen commuted her death sentence to life. Bruce did not take the vote lightly.

    Owens will still need three more votes from the six remaining board members to be freed on parole. But the dramatic reversal, from death row inmate to national cause célèbre as a battered woman who refused to bring up years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at her husband’s hands to protect her children, was not lost on Bruce. This was a remarkable case, she said.

    “You remember that no matter what happens with this vote, you had one person who thought you were ready to go,” Bruce told her. “And, if you don’t get to go this time, it’s just a matter of time.”
    'He had hurt me so much'

    Owens was convicted in the death of her husband, 37-year-old Ron Owens, who was found beaten to death Feb. 17, 1985, in their Shelby County home. Months prior, Owens had trolled the streets of Memphis, offering $5,000 to $10,000 to anyone willing to kill her husband. After being duped out of thousands of dollars during her search, she found a man willing to do the job: Sidney Porterfield, now 68. Porterfield struck Ron Owens 21 times with a tire iron, killing him. He was later convicted.

    Ahead of the trial, Owens’ attorneys had argued that she suffered from battered woman syndrome after being sexually and physically abused by her husband. But that argument — including evidence from a court-appointed psychiatrist who agreed — never made it into the trial because Owens didn’t want her children to hear those details.

    At Wednesday’s hearing, she finally aired details of that abuse, describing “the rapes, the continuous affairs and abuse, both mental and physical,” as her son, Stephen, sat behind her in support.

    Then, she detailed the moment that she decided that her husband should die.

    It was around Thanksgiving 1984 and she found her husband pulling into work with a woman with whom he was having an affair, she said. She confronted him.

    “He slapped me and told me I didn’t have any right to ask him what he was doing,” she said. “And out of anger, I just drove out of the parking lot and, as crazy and as unrealistic as it sounds, I just stopped and asked these people would they hurt — he had hurt me so much I didn’t know what else to do when he slapped me right in front of the woman he was having an affair with and told me I didn’t have any right to know.”

    Owens said she tried to call off the hit on her husband, but it was too late.

    For Stephen Owens, reconciliation with his mother came two years ago, when he first mustered the courage to visit her in prison. Their meeting, his faith in God and his mother’s apology began healing a 23-year rift.

    “I spent many years feeling angry, resentful, hurt, abandoned, lost and betrayed. I was often overwhelmed with sadness and grief as I thought of all that had been missed in my relationship with my father. Even now, not a day goes by that I do not think about my dad,” Stephen Owens told Bruce, choking back tears. “Just because I choose to forgive does not mean that I no longer miss my father. It does not mean I love him any less. It does not mean that I don’t think of him every day. I love my father, and I still desperately miss his presence in my life. But I’m also Gaile’s son, and I love my mother.”

    He pleaded for his mother’s release, asking to help continue his family’s healing.

    “I have two young sons who deserve the opportunity to meet their grandmother,” he said. “As my boys grow older, my wife and I will explain my painful past to my sons. We will also tell them of God’s healing and forgiveness.”
    Show of support

    Former Tennessean publisher and editor John Seigenthaler Sr., who has taken up Gaile Owens’ cause over the past several years, spoke not of family, but injustice, pointing out other cases in which women murdered their husbands and received far less than the death penalty — some of whom avoided prison altogether.

    “All these women now are on parole and she remains here,” he said. “I know her to be a person of intelligence, integrity, a person of courage, a person of talent who can make a real contribution to society if you grant her parole.”

    Bruce said that her decision on Gaile Owens’ fate teetered throughout the hearing. The severity of the crime weighed heavily.

    “I have decided that based on all of these things that I am going to vote to parole you today,” Bruce said, leading the crowd to give a collective sigh, a small cheer and some applause. “But again, hold on, that’s one vote. Remember, I’m still the only one person here. This is not a final vote, Ms. Owens, this is not a final vote.”

    “I understand,” Gaile Owens said in response, wiping tears from her eyes.

    That could take up to a month as notes and an audio recording of the hearing are circulated to other parole board members for their votes.

    As Gaile Owens was walked back to the prison and her supporters filed out, some handed out small keys with a ribbon that read, “Gaile Owens — September 7, 2011.” Wednesday’s vote was one small step for Gaile Owens toward the freedom symbolized by that key.

    Just three more keys to go.

    http://www.tennessean.com/article/20...text|FRONTPAGE

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    Gaile Owens granted parole

    Gaile Owens will be released on parole after the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole voted to free her after a quarter-century in prison, according to Tennessee Department of Correction records.

    A corrections database of Tennessee offenders lists the results of Owens’ parole hearing as “paroled” as of this morning.

    It’s unclear when Owens will be released from prison. Inmates typically have reentry procedures they have to go through before they are released.

    The vote comes on the same day that just one year ago was set to be when Owens would die by lethal injection. Her death penalty was commuted, however, by former Gov. Phil Bredesen.

    Owens, 58, was convicted in 1986 of arranging to have her husband killed after she said she endured years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

    Owens appeared at her first parole hearing Sept. 7 where she received her first crucial parole board vote after tearful testimony from herself, her family and her supporters. Board Member Patsy Bruce told Owens that it would be rare for her to be released during her first try at parole.

    The case has garnered national attention as details emerged that Owens may have suffered from battered woman syndrome. At her parole hearing, she testified that she suffered sexual assaults and physical abuse.

    In 1984, Owens testified at her hearing, after being humiliated and slapped in front of a woman her husband was cheating with, she decided to kill her husband. She scoured the streets of Memphis, offering $5,000 to $10,000 to anyone willing to kill her husband.

    She found a man willing to do it, Sidney Porterfield, now 68. Porterfield struck her husband, Ron Owens, 21 times with a tire iron, killing him. He was later convicted.

    Details of that abuse however never made it to her trial. She has said she wanted to spare her children from having to hear details of that abuse. She was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to die.

    http://www.tennessean.com/article/20...ranted-parole-

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    Tennessee Prison Frees Former Death Row Inmate

    A woman who spent 26 years on death row and came within two months of being executed was freed Friday from a Tennessee prison.

    Gaile Owens, 58, of Memphis was released Friday and greeted by a small group of supporters outside Tennessee's Prison for Women.

    She was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her death sentence was commuted to life in prison last year and she won parole last week.

    Supporters had urged her release, claiming she was a battered wife who didn't use that defense because she didn't want her young sons to know about the physical and sexual abuse.

    The first thing she did on leaving the prison was to hug one of those sons, Stephen Owens, who is now grown and has children of his own.

    Owens issued a written statement and then immediately left the prison.

    "I'm looking forward to leading a quiet, private but productive life," the statement said. She said she wanted to get to know her son and the grandchildren born while she was in prison.

    Her son said he was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with his mother.

    Owens' sentence was commuted to life in prison in July 2010 by former Gov. Phil Bredesen. He acknowledged the abuse claims of her supporters but gave a different reason for his decision to spare her life. Bredesen said prosecutors had agreed not to seek the death penalty if Owens pleaded guilty but then put her on trial when her co-defendant wouldn't accept the plea bargain.

    At the time she was imprisoned, a life sentence meant serving 30 years and she was eligible to be released now because of good conduct.

    http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/t...nmate-14690247

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    Elmore v. Ozmint

    A federal appeals court in Virginia has tossed out the conviction of a South Carolina man who has spent 29 years in prison, most of it on death row, in the slaying of a 75-year-old widow.

    In a 2-1 ruling Tuesday, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond said Edward Lee Elmore's trial lawyers failed to challenge forensic evidence that could have exonerated him. The court said that failure violated Elmore's constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel.

    Elmore was convicted in 1982 of the murder of Dorothy Edwards. She was stabbed 52 times at her Greenwood home.

    Elmore was on death row until last year, when a judge ruled him mentally unfit to be executed and another judge sentenced him to life without parole.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_1...n-1982-murder/

  10. #10
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    Delay denied in case of ex-SC death row inmate

    The U.S. Supreme Court has denied South Carolina prosecutors' request to delay a new trial for an inmate who spent nearly three decades on death row until justices can review an appellate decision tossing his conviction.

    Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday turned down state Attorney General Alan Wilson's request. Now, state prosecutors will need to work simultaneously on their federal appeal and a new trial for Edward Lee Elmore, if local prosecutors pursue one.

    In November, a federal appeals court tossed Elmore's conviction in the murder of Dorothy Edwards, saying trial attorneys failed to challenge evidence that could have exonerated him.

    Elmore spent 28 years on death row until a judge in 2010 ruled him mentally unfit to be executed. Another judge sentenced him to life in prison.

    http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/D...136838988.html

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