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

Thread: Jeffrey Jay Nichols Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 MO Murder of 92-Year-Old Carmelita Kaser

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

    Jeffrey Jay Nichols Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 MO Murder of 92-Year-Old Carmelita Kaser


    Carmelita Kaser, 92


    Jeffrey Jay Nichols


    Prosecutor wants death penalty for manhunt targets

    The Randolph County prosecutor will seek the death penalty against two men accused of a crime spree that ended in the murder of a 92-year-old Moberly woman.

    Mike Fusselman filed the notice of intent Friday in Randolph County Court.

    Jeffery Nichols, 18, and Christopher Lewis, 22, were charged Monday with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of a Carmelita Kaser.

    The two then went on a crime spree that included shooting two other people, assaulting a woman to steal her car, shoplifting and stealing guns.

    Nichols and Lewis are being held on a $1 million bond.

    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
    Trial dates set for Lewis, Nichols

    Trial dates have been set for the two men accussed of killing an elderly Moberly woman, and committing several acts of burglary and assault in the area on Easter night of this year.

    Jury selection will begin in the State of Missouri v. Jeffrey Jay Nichols on Nov. 12, 2014. It is expected to last until Nov. 14, 2014.

    The trial itself is set for Nov. 17-21, 2014, at the Marion County Courthouse, in Hannibal.

    Pretrial hearing has been set for May 19, 2014. Judge Rachel Bringer Shepherd is the trial judge.

    In the case of State of Missouri v. Christopher Demond Lewis III, trial has been set to begin on March 4, 2014, in Boone County, with a hearing prior, on Feb. 24, 2014. Jury selection will take approximately two days. Several more will be required to put in evidence.

    Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Fusselman told the MMI on Monday, October 28, afternoon he believes "that there's a lot more work to do before they're ready to try [Lewis]," and said that the noted date is only preliminary in nature, and that, at this time, he expects for it to be pushed back further into 2014.

    Kevin M J Crane is the presiding judge for the Lewis trial.

    Juries in both cases will be coming from Green County.

    Nichols, 22, and Lewis, 18, are facing the death penalty on 19 felony charges, including those for the shootings of two people in the rural Huntsville area, for the physical assault of another, and for the stabbing death of 92-year-old Moberly resident Carmelita Kaser, as well as for several felony thefts. These crimes all took place on Easter night of this year (2013).

    On May 19, 2013, the duo pled "not guilty" to all charges.

    Nichols is currently being held at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center. Lewis is being housed at the Randolph County Justice Center.

    http://www.maconch.com/article/20131....oiu081D1.dpuf
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  3. #3
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    March 10, 2014

    Moberly Man Accused of Murder Gets New Trial Date

    BOONE COUNTY - A trial date has been set for a Moberly man accused of murdering a 92-year-old woman, along with 18 other felonies stemming from a day-long crime spree in April 2013.

    Christopher D. Lewis, of Moberly, is accused of murdering Moberly resident Carmelita Kaser. He and an accomplice, Jeffery Jay Nichols, allegedly stabbed the woman with a machete before hitting her with the butt-end of a pistol and leaving her for dead.

    His trial will be held May 19, 2015 at the Boone County Courthouse. Judge Kevin Crane will preside over the case.

    Lewis' defense team motioned to delay his original trial in a hearing late last month. This came after his original trial was previously moved from Randolph County to Boone County last year.

    Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Michael D. Fusselman is seeking the death penalty in the case.

    Lewis' accomplice will face trial in November in Marion County.

    http://www.komu.com/news/moberly-man...ew-trial-date/

  4. #4
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    2016 trial dates set for Moberly murder suspects

    Randolph County prosecutor seeking death penalty against both men

    COLUMBIA, Mo. - The courts have scheduled 2016 trial dates for Moberly murder suspects Jeffrey Nichols and Christopher Lewis.

    Nichols and Lewis are each charged with 19 felonies. The charges include first degree murder, four counts of first degree robbery and three counts of armed criminal action. They're accused of the Easter Sunday 2013 killing of 92-year-old Carmelita Kaser.

    Nichols' trial is set to begin May 11, 2016, in Hannibal, on a change of venue. Lewis' trial is scheduled to start Aug. 23, 2016, in Boone County, on a change of venue. In Lewis' case, the jury will be selected in northwest Missouri's Buchanan County and will be transported to Columbia.

    Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office are handling the case. Fusselman is working with Assistant Attorney General Kevin Zoellner. Fusselman tells ABC 17 News he's seeking the death penalty against both suspects.

    Moberly police say Lewis and Nichols stole a “machete-like instrument” from Moberly’s Walmart Supercenter before the murder. The Moberly Police Department’s probable cause statement quotes both men as admitting that they entered Kaser’s house to steal money. The court documents say the men assaulted the woman with a “machete-type knife” in her neck, then struck her with the butt of a pistol. The men also allegedly robbed Kaser and "left her for dead", before taking her vehicle.

    http://www.abc17news.com/news/2016-t...pects/35880196

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Arguments sent for appeal in accused Moberly killer's case

    An appeals court will soon decide whether prosecutors in a Moberly murder case can use certain statements the suspect made.

    Missouri's Attorney General's Office filed its final brief Thursday with the Eastern District Court of Appeals to allow prosecutors to use things Jeffrey Nichols told Moberly police in 2013. Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman wants the death penalty for Nichols, who's accused of killing 92-year-old Carmelita Kaser on Easter Sunday three years ago. In March, the state appealed Judge Rachel Bringer's decision to disallow 90 minutes worth of Nichols' first interview with police, when the interview continued after he asked for a lawyer.

    Nichols was arrested with 21-year-old Christopher Lewis in Macon County, accused of numerous shootings, thefts, and Kaser's murder in her Moberly home. Lewis pleaded guilty in May to 19 felonies, including first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Fusselman had wanted the death penalty for Lewis, as well, but withdrew that at the Boone County plea hearing.

    Nichols' lawyer claims police tried to "elicit an incriminating response" when he first asked for the interview to end. Moberly detectives Tracy Whearty and Mark Arnsperger spoke with Nichols for 19 minutes, according to legal briefs ABC 17 News obtained, about the various crimes they suspected Nichols of committing. While Nichols "admitted that he stole a knife" from the Moberly Wal-Mart on March 31, 2013, he eventually stopped to ask for a lawyer.

    "Honestly, from this point on, I want a lawyer present," Nichols said, according to the briefs.

    "OK," Det. Arnsperger replied. "Well you're getting charged with murder."

    Robert Steele, Nichols' attorney, considered that comment, and others, as "badgering" by Arnsperger to get more information, despite Nichols' request for legal help. The conversation went on for a bit, when Arnsperger asked, "Do you want to continue, or do you want to stop?"

    "I'm -- I want to continue. This is crazy. Who the hell did I murder?" Nichols asked.

    The interview went on for 90 more minutes, with Nichols making "various inculpatory statements, including admitting to various thefts and assaults, and the possibility that one of his assaults might have killed one of the victims," according to the Attorney General's brief, filed by Nathan Aquino. He argues that Nichols clearly agreed to continue talking to police, even after asking for a lawyer.

    Steele argues that "all questioning must cease" once a defendant asks for a lawyer. While the "Miranda" decision stops officers from asking explicit questions of a defendant without consent, Steele cites other cases that deal with officers making comments to defendants, such as police "having powerful evidence against him" or that "a statement would be in his best interest."

    As of Thursday, the Eastern District Court of Appeals had not scheduled a day to hear the arguments. Nichols' eventual trial will take place in Marion County, after a 2013 change of venue from Randolph County.

    http://www.abc17news.com/news/argume...-case/39877254
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  6. #6
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    4,795
    August 23, 2016

    Trial delayed in elderly woman's machete death

    RANDOLPH CO., Mo. - Jeffrey Nichols is one of two suspects charged in a 2013 Easter Sunday crime spree that left a 92-year-old woman dead. On Thursday Nichols' upcoming trial date on May 11 was delayed, pending an appeal.

    Officials claim Nichols and another man, Christopher Lewis, killed Carmalita Kaser using a machete-like knife they stole from Moberly's Wal-Mart Supercenter.

    Investigators believe they stole at least four vehicles during the crime spree and also shot two men.

    Prosecutors want the death penalty for both men.

    http://www.abc17news.com/news/crime/...death/55238223
    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

  7. #7
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    FRANCE
    Posts
    3,073
    Trial date set in 2013 Moberly murder

    By Pat Pratt
    Moberly Monitor Index

    A Huntsville man accused of killing a 92-year-old Moberly woman in 2013 will go on trial in June of next year.

    Jeffrey J. Nichols, 26, will appear 8 a.m. June 18 in Randolph County Court with Judge Scott Hayes presiding. Nichols is one of two men accused of murder in the death of Carmalita Kaser following what was described as a day-long crime spree March 31, 2013.

    During a hearing on Nichols’ case Friday in Randolph County Court, prosecuting attorney Mike Fusselman said a number of motions were filed in anticipation of the upcoming trial.

    “A lot of those dealt with the manner in which the trial will be conducted,” Fusselman said. “There are a few that are routinely filed in a capital case that address the death penalty issues. Basically, we are just trying to set the groundwork for appeals in advance of the trial.”

    Fusselman said a motion to dismiss statements made by Nichols to Moberly Police is under advisement by the courts.

    “On Friday, the original motion to suppress the statements by Jeff Nichols to Moberly Police was also taken up,” Fusselman said. “We filed a transcript in response to the motion to dismiss and the court will simply take that under advisement. But the district court of appeals has already ruled the statement is admissible.”

    There was also some question over whether the victims of the crime would be allowed in the courtroom during the trial.

    “I think they (the defense) are trying to argue specifically in this case the victims should be restricted in the courtroom until after they testify,” Fusselman said. “Then, there was a bit of an argument that we are not going to argue so much about the victims family in the homicide, but we don’t think the other victims — from the burglary, robbery and assault — should be allowed to be in.”

    Fusselman said however, the law does not differentiate victims’ rights based on the type of crime committed.

    “There is no distinction in the constitutional provision or statutes that deal with victims’ rights. So the court has given the state an opportunity to file a response to the defense and we will be getting that out this week,” Fusselman said.

    Christopher Lewis, 21, was sentenced in May 2016 to life in prison for the murder. Both men were charged with a number of other crimes in what was described at the time as a day-long crime spree on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013.

    According to reports, police first identified the duo after responding to a shoplifting call from the Moberly Walmart. Workers said two men had stolen items including a “machete-like instrument,” according to court documents.

    The men were seen leaving in a vehicle reported stolen from Macon. The vehicle was found and turned over to Macon Police.

    Randolph County authorities then responded to several incidents in which Nichols and Lewis were believed to be involved, including a vehicle fire, a robbery, an assault and a shooting.

    Police went to Kaser’s home on Morehead Street in Moberly after learning her vehicle had been burned off County Road 2515 and there they found her body.

    According to court documents, Lewis and Nichols told investigators they entered Kaser’s home to steal money, assaulted her, robbed her and left in her vehicle.

    http://www.moberlymonitor.com/news/2...moberly-murder

  8. #8
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    FRANCE
    Posts
    3,073
    Nichols found guilty of murder, first-degree

    By Erik Cliburn
    Moberly Monitor Index

    A Huntsville man was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of 92-year-old Moberly woman Carmelita Kaser.

    In total, Jeffrey Nichols was found guilty of 17 of the 19 crimes he was charged for, including several counts of robbery, burglary and assault. The sentencing phase of the trial will begin today. Prosecuting attorney Mike Fusselman and the Missouri Attorney General’s office are seeking the death penalty for Nichols.

    An associate of Nichols, Christopher Lewis, was sentenced in May 2016 to life in prison for Kaser’s murder. Both men were charged with a number of other crimes in what was described as a day-long crime spree on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013.

    Yesterday, the prosecution and the defense both argued their cases to the jury before they entered into deliberation. The prosecution was arguing that Nichols should be found guilty of first-degree murder, claiming that Nichols and Lewis deliberated on the murder beforehand. The prosecution argued Nichols was the leader during the crime spree. The defense told jurors that Nichols was guilty of felony murder, but he should only be charged as second-degree murder.

    The jury took nearly eight hours to come to a verdict on the 19 charges Nichols faced.

    During testimony Thursday in court, the defense called Dr. Thomas Bennett, 65, to the stand to testify. Bennett is currently a private forensic pathologist from Wyoming, who frequently assists in conducting autopsies with coroners throughout the state. Prior to testifying, Bennett was hired by the defense to examine the evidence of the case, including photos and video of the crime scene along with the autopsy reports. He was asked to determine whether or not the assailant was right or left handed, being that Nichols is right handed and Lewis is left handed. Bennett claimed that “more likely than not” the assailant was left handed, but confirmed with the prosecution that “more likely than not” meant a probability of only 51 percent.

    According to the evidence of the case, three drops of blood were found on a tan coat Nichols was wearing on the night of Kaser’s death. Bennett said that the blood found on the coat could have been from blood “flinging” back during the stabbing process, meaning that it wasn’t necessarily him doing the stabbing. The prosecution, however, claimed that Nichols could have used his left hand just as easily and been as equally effective. The prosecution pointed out Bennett is not a blood spatter expert and could not definitively say how blood was transferred between the victim and the accused.

    According to reports, police first identified the duo after responding to a shoplifting call from the Moberly Walmart. Workers said two men had stolen items including a “machete-like instrument,” according to court documents.

    The men were seen leaving in a vehicle reported stolen from Macon. The vehicle was found and turned over to Macon Police.

    Randolph County authorities then responded to several incidents in which Nichols and Lewis were believed to be involved, including a vehicle fire, a robbery, an assault and a shooting.

    Police went to Kaser’s home on Morehead Street in Moberly after learning her vehicle had been burned off County Road 2515 and there they found her body.

    According to court documents, Lewis and Nichols told investigators they entered Kaser’s home to steal money, assaulted her, robbed her and left in her vehicle.

    http://www.moberlymonitor.com/news/2...r-first-degree
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

  9. #9
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Sentencing phase continues for Huntsville man convicted of 2013 murder

    Convicted of murdering 92-year-old woman

    By Kristie Crawford
    ABC17News.com

    RANDOLPH COUNTY, Mo. - The sentencing phase in a murder trial is set to continue Saturday morning in Randolph County.

    A jury convicted Jeffrey Nichols, 27, on Thursday in the murder of Carmelita Kaser, 92, in 2013.

    The sentencing phase began Friday. Jurors will be deciding if Nichols should be given the death penalty or life in prison. The jury heard testimony from seven people, including Kaser's daughter and law enforcement.

    Prosecutors said the trial would continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. Prosecutors plan to have experts testify about Nichols' social influence, how it shaped his decision-making and any physical impairments that might affect the execution process, if jurors choose the death penalty.

    http://www.abc17news.com/news/sentencing-phase-continues-for-huntsville-man-convicted-in-2013-murder/757471052
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #10
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    At sentencing, attorneys paint different pictures of convicted murder

    By Erik Cliburn
    Columbus Daily Tribune

    The sentencing phase of the Jeffrey Nichols murder trial continued Monday, with the prosecution attempting to convince jurors that Nichols should receive the death penalty for his role in the 2013 murder of an elderly Moberly woman. The defense argued Nichols came from a troubled childhood and is leaning on medical experts who say Nichols’ brain functions may have prevented him from controlling his impulses.

    Nichols was found guilty last week of first-degree murder in the death of 92-year-old Carmelita Kaser, and since Friday jurors have been weighing punishment: either life in prison without a possibility of parole or probation, or death.

    During the opening statements of the sentencing phase, Assistant Attorney General Kevin Zoellner and the rest of the prosecution emphasized Nichols’ violent nature by calling several witnesses who had been in contact with Nichols while he was in holding for the trial, along with one of Kaser’s family members.

    Assistant Public Defender David Kenyon asked the jury to show mercy to Nichols by giving him a life sentence. He claimed that, while it was no excuse for the murder, Nichols’ troubled childhood was what led him down the wrong path. The defense also brought in professional psychologists and neuroscientists who have analyzed Nichols to explain to the jury how Nichols’ brain functionality is not normal and effects his ability to reason in stressful situations.

    The prosecution first called Phyllis Self, Kaser’s daughter, to the stand. Self told the jury that her mother had three wishes as she got into her later years: to avoid being put in a nursing home, to die in her sleep and to die in no pain. She said that since her mother’s murder she has never felt completely safe and even had outside lighting and blinds installed in her house.

    The prosecution also called on Kevin Coates, a sergeant with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and administrator for the county jail. Coates recounted an incident where Nichols was in holding and assaulted another inmate. The prosecution showed jurors video footage of Nichols beating another inmate before guards detained him. Coates mentioned that Nichols didn’t like the particular inmate and had warned Coates that the assault would happen if they were placed in the same cell block.

    The defense called witnesses to testify about Nichols’ childhood and the conditions of his family growing up. The defense’s witnesses all agreed that Nichols’ mother was unfit as a parent and that, as a child, Nichols was often seen as being dirty and hungry. Nichols was eventually put into foster care by the state, where he bounced around in the system for several years before being adopted by the Nichols family. Andy Nichols and Jenny Penta, Nichols’ adoptive siblings, said Nichols was a sweet child, and it wasn’t until Nichols got older and became surrounded by negative influences that his personality changed. Andy Nichols said his brother often would defend other children from bullies.

    Dr. Ruben Gur, a neuropsychologist and neuroimaging specialist, testified on behalf of the defense. The majority of Gur’s testimony was background knowledge for the jury of how the brain functions and how neuro-imaging systems are able to measure the data they get form the brain, using Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Based on scans that Gur and his team had conducted on Nichols, he determined that Nichols had significant damage to his frontal cortex, which contextualized the impulses sent to the brain, affecting how a person reacts to certain situations. He also said Nichols’ amygdala and hippocampus, parts of the brain responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response and recognizing new and old information, respectively, were damaged as well.

    Based on his findings, Gur said that Nichols’ ability to control impulses and handle stressful situations is likely adversely affected. Although he could provide no certain answer to how the damage occurred, he suggested that damage to the frontal cortex was often due to multiple head injuries, while the damage to the amygdala and hippocampus seen in Nichols’ brain is often seen in those who experience fetal alcohol syndrome.

    http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/...nvicted-murder
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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
  •