Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 72

Thread: William Clyde Gibson III - Indiana Death Row

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217

    William Clyde Gibson III - Indiana Death Row


    Stephanie Kirk (left) and Christine Whitis (right)


    William Clyde Gibson


    At a press conference on Monday, prosecutors said they are looking to other law enforcement agencies to send information about missing persons cases.

    They are waiting on reports to see how Stephanie Kirk died to find out if she is connected to the current charges against William Clyde Gibson.

    Prosecutors are saying the case is death penalty eligible.

    On Saturday, human remains found in the backyard of murder suspect William Clyde Gibson were identified as belonging to 35-year-old Stephanie Kirk, who had been reported as missing from Charlestown, Indiana since March 25.

    The registered sex offender is charged with the murders of 75-year old Christine Whitis, who he is accused of strangling in his home on April 19, and 44-year old Karen Hodella, who police say he admitted to killing following his arrest.

    http://www.whas11.com/news/New-infor...149535815.html


    Prosecutor says William Gibson implicated himself in new, old cases


    • Christine Whitis
    • Karen Hodella



    NEW ALBANY — A New Albany man is facing two murder charges, one from a recent case and another from a 2002 cold case.

    William Clyde Gibson III, 54, was charged in Floyd County Superior Court on Tuesday with two counts of murder in the deaths of 75-year-old Christine Whitis, of Clarksville, and 45-year-old Karen Hodella, of Jeffersonville. He is also charged with being a habitual offender.

    Whitis was found Thursday strangled in Gibson’s home in the 800 block of Woodbourne Drive, near University Woods Apartments off Grant Line Road, in New Albany, according to Prosecutor Keith Henderson. Henderson said her body was discovered in the garage of the home by a relative of Gibson’s.

    Gibson was named as a person of interest in that case early on. He was found driving Whitis’ van and was initially arrested in the Walmart parking lot along Grant Line Road for operating while intoxicated and resisting law enforcement.

    Henderson said during questioning, Gibson not only implicated himself in that crime, but also in the murder of Hodella, who was reported missing in October 2002. Her body was found in Clark County in January 2003.

    Henderson said bloody clothes were found in Corydon, but he believes Hodella’s murder happened near University Woods Apartments, but added that he doesn’t think it happened in Gibson’s home. Hodella’s case became cold until just a few days ago.

    Clarksville Police Department Maj. Darrell Rayborn had worked the case from the beginning.

    “You think about these cases all the time and I haven’t forgotten about it,” he said. “We had no place to go. Then we got a call from New Albany with some information that leads us to this.”

    Henderson said both victims were with Gibson voluntarily. He said Hodella had met him at a bar.

    FAMILY’S CONNECTION

    Mike Whitis, Christine’s son, said his mother and Gibson’s mother were close friends for decades. He said Gibson’s mother passed away recently. He said Gibson was like a close cousin, since the families spent so much time together.

    “My mother loved them all very much and would have done anything she could for any of them,” he said.

    Mike Whitis said he isn’t sure why his mother went over to Gibson’s home that night, but said he is sure he will find out she was there to help him.

    “There’s no good that comes from something like this — ever. But finding out today that this case was linked to another homicide that is almost 10 years old, I think my family will take some solace in knowing that somehow my mother’s death may have put some closure to some other family grieving and help bring a monster to justice where he will never plague the community again.”

    Mike said his mother is survived by himself, his wife Julie, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He described his mother as a “saint on Earth,” who was young-spirited and loved to travel.

    Henderson said investigators are having difficulty contacting family of Hodella.

    If convicted, Gibson faces 45 to 65 years in prison for each murder charge and an additional 30 years for the habitual offender charge.

    Gibson has previously been convicted of the following felonies: second degree assault; first degree wanton endangerment; second degree robbery; first degree sexual abuse; receiving stolen auto parts; auto theft (two cases); receiving stolen property (two cases); and theft.

    Gibson does not have an attorney at this time, but will be appointed a public defender.

    Henderson said the OWI and resisting law enforcement charges are on hold right now.

    Gibson’s trial on the murders is scheduled for Aug. 27. He is being held in the Floyd County Jail on no bond.

    http://newsandtribune.com/local/x164...murder-charges
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  2. #2
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Expert: More victims likely

    Clarksville police investigating if William Clyde Gibson III is tied to another case


    • Stephanie Marie Kirk

    A world-renowned serial killer expert said the New Albany man charged in two murders with a third victim found buried in his backyard likely had more victims.

    William Clyde Gibson III, 54, has been charged with the deaths of 75-year-old Christine Whitis, of Clarksville, and 45-year-old Karen Hodella, whose family is from Florida and was visiting Jeffersonville at the time of her death.

    Whitis was found strangled in Gibson’s garage April 19. Hodella’s body was found in a wooded area near the Ohio River in January 2003. The body of Stephanie Kirk, 35, of Charlestown, was found buried in his backyard in the 800 block of Woodbourne Drive, in New Albany, on Friday night.

    Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson has not yet filed charges against Gibson for the third victim.

    Ron Holmes, emeritus professor at University of Louisville, has written 28 books on crime, with many focusing on serial killers. He has also completed more than 500 psychological profiles for police departments across the United States.

    “I would feel certain there’s more victims,” Holmes said. “I would feel certain that he’s done something in-between 2002 and his second victim. That’s a long time. They don’t stop that long. They may stop for a few months or something like that, but not ... 10 years.”

    Holmes said serial killers are people who have killed three or more people in a more than 30-day period. He said they typically have cooling off periods between kills. Holmes said they tend to kill with their hands, such as by strangulation. He said Gibson is “definitely” a serial killer.

    Holmes said there are four basic types of serial killers, and he feels that Gibson fits the third — the hedonistic type, who kills for fun, with often a sexual motivation. He said the first two victims, who met Gibson at a downtown New Albany bar, fit that description.

    Whitis, who was a long-time family friend, doesn’t fit that description, he said.

    “It’s very unusual,” he said of serial killers attacking someone close to them. “Something happened where he felt threatened by her. It might have been the risk of discovery. It might have been she suspected something. She was so much different than the other two.”

    Holmes, who has met 20 serial killers, said none of them ever want to get caught.

    “They get sloppy. They stop paying attention to details,” he said, explaining that they get away with it for a while, and they feel powerful, like they can’t get caught.

    http://newsandtribune.com/clarkcount...victims-likely
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  3. #3
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Special Report: William Clyde Gibson III


    1. William Clyde Gibson III | Is this the face of a Serial Killer?

      Ex-convict William Clyde Gibson III, 54, is charged with capital murder for allegedly killing three women over a 10-year span and cutting off a breast of his most recent alleged victim, a 75-year-old widow who was his mother’s best friend. (Get an interactive timeline of Gibson's live and criminal history, plus complete coverage at courier-journal.com/gibson)







    2. Video: Interview with Gibson's former girlfried Kelly Bailey

      Kelly Bailey dated William Clyde Gibson III in 1999 and 2000. She says he told her in 2001 that he wanted to try to get away with murder. The first of three women Gibson is charged with killing was murdered a year later.
      • Jun 16, 2012



    3. Document | Court-ordered psychological exam of Gibson


      In 1992 this psychological report of William Gibson was submitted to Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Ken G. Corey.
      • Jun 16, 2012



    4. Document | Gibson's Floyd County Jail evaluation


      This 2002 document outlines his general psychological condition.
      • Jun 15, 2012



    5. Document | Gibson's Madison State Hospital admission exam


      This 2003 document details William C. Gibson's voluntary admission to Madison State Hospital in Indiana.
      • Jun 15, 2012



    6. Document | Gibson sex offender risk assessment


      This document from the Kentucky State Reformatory - Division of Mental Health details the risk assessment for William C. Gibson prior to his release on April 1, 1999, according to the report.
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  4. #4
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Attorneys dismiss possible jurors in Gibson trial

    William Clyde Gibson III, 55, a New Albany man charged in three unrelated area murders, appeared in a Floyd County court Wednesday.

    During the hearing, court officials reviewed about 75 returned juror questionnaires that have been selected for exemption of further consideration for Gibson’s July 15 trial, during which Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson will seek the death penalty.

    Nearly 800 questionnaires have been sent out to residents of Dearborn County, located near Cincinnati. About 400 returned questionnaires will be evaluated by attorneys and another 300 or so have yet to be returned.

    The trial, for which Gibson is charged in the murder Christine Whitis, 75, a Clarksville resident, will be held in Floyd County, but because the case has received so much media attention, a jury is being pulled from Dearborn County. Whitis was found strangled to death in the garage of Gibson’s New Albany home April 19, 2012.

    Those nearly 75 prospective jurors were dismissed from the vast jury pool primarily because they either no longer live in the county or they suffer from health-related issues. A small group was excluded because of their mature age, three were found to be deceased and one is incarcerated. Attorneys will continue to remove prospective jurors until they reach a consensus on a jury of 12, with several alternates, before the start of the trial.

    Floyd County Superior Court No. 1 Judge Susan Orth presided over the hearing.

    Henderson was accompanied by Floyd County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Steve Owen. Gibson is being represented by lead counsel George Streib Jr. and Andrew Adams and Patrick Biggs, who are serving as second chair. Henderson said after the hearing that he anticipates the case will remain on track and trial will take place on the scheduled July date.

    He also said the long process of orchestrating a trial is often tough on the families standing by awaiting justice.

    “It is always difficult for the families,” Henderson said. “Not just because, obviously, of the loss, but it is difficult with the delays that sometimes get built into the system. There is not really closure for anyone until this part of it is over with.”

    He said two to three weeks time has been allocated for the trial.

    “We are still in that process of looking at witnesses and putting together our trial calendar,” Henderson said.

    Following the Whitis trial, the court is expected to proceed to the trial of Stephanie Kirk, 35, of Charlestown, who was found buried in Gibson’s backyard in the 800 block of Woodbourne Drive on April 27, 2012. The Kirk trial is also expected to be capital case.

    Gibson also faces charges in the death of 45-year-old Karen Hodella, who was found murdered near the Ohio River in January 2003.

    Attorneys are expected to meet again for a hearing in Orth’s court May 24 leading to Gibson’s murder trial.

    http://newsandtribune.com/local/x437...n-Gibson-trial
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Jury recommends death for southern Indiana man convicted of killing mother's best friend

    A jury has recommended a southern Indiana man's execution for the murder of his late mother's best friend.

    The jury of eight women and four men deliberated less than four hours Tuesday before recommending death for William Clyde Gibson of New Albany in the April 2012 slaying of 75-year-old Christine Whitis. The judge has the final say in Gibson's sentence.

    Prosecutors say Gibson lured Whitis to his home to perform "a perverse sexual fantasy."

    The same jury took less than 20 minutes Friday to convict Gibson. The jury was brought in from Dearborn County, about 100 miles northeast of New Albany, because of extensive media coverage.

    Gibson still faces murder trials in connection with the slayings of two other women. The death penalty is possible in one of those cases.

    http://www.therepublic.com/view/stor...na-Women-Slain
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  6. #6
    Jan
    Guest
    Jurors convict killer William Clyde Gibson of being habitual offender

    Jurors on Wednesday returned a guilty verdict on an additional habitual offender charge for William Clyde Gibson, who they recommended receive a death penalty in the murder and brutal sexual assault of 75-year-old Christine Whitis.

    The charge could mean an additional 30-year sentence, which prosecutors say is needed to make sure he never leaves prison.

    Defense attorney Patrick Biggs called the extended deliberations — which required 12 jurors and four alternates from Dearborn County to remain sequestered in Floyd County another night — the “overkill phase of the trial.”

    “He sits over there as a condemned man and now they want to pile on more years,” Biggs said of his client’s pending death sentence.

    Chief deputy prosecutor Steve Owen said he agreed that once the death penalty is implemented, the additional prison sentence would have no meaning.

    “But the death penalty hasn’t been implemented,” he told jurors.

    Jurors weren’t allowed to hear of Gibson’s nine prior unrelated felony convictions during the murder trial, including sentences he received for assault, wanton endangerment, robbery, sexual abuse, auto theft and other charges in Kentucky and Indiana between 1992 and 2007.

    To be convicted as a habitual offender, jurors had to find he was convicted of at least two separate felonies, Floyd Superior Judge Susan Orth said in her instructions. Some occurred on the same date in the same court, which Orth said would count as a single conviction.

    Orth said formal sentencing for Gibson will be at 9 a.m. November 26.

    The eight women and four male jurors also haven’t heard details of Gibson’s alleged slayings of Stephanie Kirk, 35, of Charlestown, and Karen Hodella, 44, of Port Orange, Fla. His trials for those cases are scheduled to begin in January.

    http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...itual-offender

  7. #7
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    ABOUT WILLIAM CLYDE GIBSON III

    • Moved to New Albany at 2 years old and has lived there since
    • Youngest of four children
    • 1976 New Albany High School graduate
    • Has an associate’s degree in fine arts from Lindsey Wilson College (while in prison)
    • Married in June 1980 in New Albany; divorced 12 years later
    • Long history of alcohol and cocaine abuse
    • Has used acid and heroin
    • In the military from 1976-80
    • Arrested for stealing a car in Germany while in the service
    • IQ considered “low average”
    • Lacked basic social skills
    • Has blackout episodes that can last up to a week when under the influence of alcohol and drugs

    — Jefferson County, Ky., court records
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  8. #8
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Mental evaluation ordered for murder suspect William Clyde Gibson

    A mental evaluation has been ordered for murder defendant William Clyde Gibson III to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.

    Floyd Superior Court Judge Susan Orth on Tuesday morning ordered the evaluation in response to a sealed motion filed by George Streib, Gibson’s defense attorney. Orth said she would set a date for the compentency hearing.

    Pending the evaluation, the judge granted a motion by Gibson’s attorneys to prohibit him from most communication, apparently to keep him from saying things that would make it easier to convict him of the three murder charges he faces.

    Streib asked Orth during the brief hearing to limit Gibson’s communications “to just immediate (jail) personnel until we can determine the nature of his mental illness, if any, or competency on this matter.”

    He also asked that the protective order prevent communication with “any other outside parties.”

    Gibson, 54, of New Albany, has said in a letter to The Courier-Journal that he is guilty of murdering Florida resident Karen Hodella in 2002, Charlestown resident Stephanie Kirk in March of this year and Clarksville resident and long time family friend Christine Whitis in April.

    Kirk and Whitis were both strangled and a New Albany police detective said in an earlier hearing that Gibson told them he stabbed Hodella. One of Whitis’ breasts also was cut off when her body was found in Gibson’s garage.

    Prosecutor Keith Henderson agreed with Streib’s motion, noting that “the defense would have a right to limit all those discussions with any outside law enforcement.”

    The matter of freeing Gibson to communicate as he likes will be revisited once the competency evalution and hearing are complete, Orth said.

    Orth also said she would grant a motion by Streib to delay Gibson’s trial, which was scheduled to begin Aug. 27, to an undetermined time, though the attorneys have been talking tentatively about sometime in February next year.

    http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...nclick_check=1
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  9. #9
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Preparations for William Clyde Gibson's first murder trial on schedule for October, judge told

    Prosecutors and defense lawyers preparing for triple-murder suspect William Clyde Gibson’s first trial told a Floyd County judge Wednesday morning that they are on schedule to begin in October.

    The three murder trials planned for Gibson have been delayed twice, and his public defenders had indicated that mounting a defense would involve meeting with several experts and holding extensive interviews with witnesses and police officers.

    During a hearing in Floyd Superior Court, defense attorneys George Streib and Andrew Adams said they still have to take depositions from two or three detectives but their discovery process is going well.

    Floyd Superior Judge Susan Orth told them she intended to hear arguments on final motions Sept. 6.

    “We’re pleased with where we’re at at this point,” Floyd Prosecutor Keith Henderson said afterward.

    Gibson, of New Albany, attended the hearing wearing handcuffs, leg shackles and a jail-issued orange jumpsuit. He was arrested in spring 2012 and charged in the slayings of three women — family friend Christine Whitis, 75, of Clarksville; Stephanie Kirk, 35, of Charlestown; and Karen Hodella, 44, of Port Orange, Fla.

    Whitis’ body was found in Gibson’s garage, and Kirk’s body was found buried in his backyard in April 2012. Hodella was stabbed to death in 2002, and her body was found near the Ohio River in Clarksville.

    Gibson, 55, is to stand trial starting Oct. 21 in Whitis’ murder and next year in Kirk’s death. Both are capital murder cases. Henderson is not seeking the death penalty in Hodella’s death.

    The only victim’s relative to attend the hearing, son Mike Whitis, left the courtroom and made no comment.

    During the hearing, Floyd County Clerk Linda Moeller told Orth that a pool of 400 potential jurors from Dearborn County has been chosen, so the process is on pace for choosing jurors starting Sept. 23 in Lawrenceburg, the county seat.

    The jurors and alternates will be brought to New Albany and remain sequestered during the two- to three-week trial. If they convict Gibson in the murder, the jury would remain for additional hearings to recommend his sentence.

    Orth said the court intends to arrange for a minister to hold church services for the jury during their stay.

    http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...ber-judge-told
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  10. #10
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Gibson investigation remains NAPD’s

    FBI spokesperson said they are assisting, but will not take over multiple murder case

    By TARA SCHMELZ
    The News and Tribune

    NEW ALBANY — Although the New Albany Police Department is looking to the FBI for help in the case of a man charged in multiple murders, the federal agency is not taking the lead in the investigation.

    “We wouldn’t start taking over and we’re not taking over this case,” said FBI Special Agent Media Coordinator Wendy Osborne from her Indianapolis office. “That’s not our job and that’s not our role. Our role is to assist.”

    Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson previously said that 54-year-old William Clyde Gibson III implicated himself in the murders of 75-year-old Christine Whitis, of Clarksville, and 45-year-old Karen Hodella, who had been visiting Southern Indiana from Florida, according to family.

    Whitis was found strangled in Gibson’s garage in April. Hodella’s remains were found in a wooded area along the Ohio River in January 2003. A third victim, 35-year-old Stephanie Kirk, of Charlestown, had been missing since March 25. Her body was found April 27 in the backyard of Gibson’s New Albany home along Woodboune Drive. Kirk’s preliminary cause of death is strangulation, according to Floyd County Coroner Leslie Knable.

    NAPD Chief Sherri Knight said NAPD reached out to the FBI. However, she said no one from the FBI is in town.

    “We don’t know if they will come here or not,” she said, adding that NAPD has been talking with special agents over the phone. “If they choose to come and be directly involved ... we haven’t reached that point yet.”

    Knight said the FBI is helping identify other potential victims and tracking Gibson’s activity. She said the time lapse between the discovery of Hodella in 2003 to the recent victims is a “huge concern.”

    “There’s a potential for more victims,” she said. “We don’t want to exclude that possibility.”

    Osborne said the special agents with FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit 2 — the Virginia-based group that is assisting — are specially trained to assist in investigations. She said that they may offer interview techniques, profiles of unknown subjects, access to expert testimony and more. She said that sometimes having a new set of eyes on the case can help. However, she said she cannot comment on this specific case, since it is ongoing.

    On Wednesday, a large trailer was parked in Gibson’s driveway and investigators loaded it with various items from Gibson’s home, including a couch, end tables and boxes of items. Knight said investigators will likely be searching Gibson’s home for several days.

    Floyd County Chief Public Defender Patrick Biggs has been appointed as Gibson’s attorney. His office said he could not comment on this case, but did say that he is certified to defend someone in death penalty cases. Henderson has said this is a death penalty eligible case, but didn’t say whether he would pursue that punishment.

    If convicted, Gibson faces 45 to 65 years in prison for each murder count or life without parole.

    Knight and Ron Holmes, a crime expert and professor emeritus at University of Louisville, have both said that Gibson fits the definition of a serial killer.

    http://newsandtribune.com/floydcount...remains-NAPD-s
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •