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Thread: Donnie Lee Harris, Jr. - Oklahoma Death Row

  1. #1
    Jan
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    Donnie Lee Harris, Jr. - Oklahoma Death Row



    Kristi Ferguson




    Okla. man charged in burning death turns away plea

    A man accused of killing his girlfriend by setting her on fire has turned down a proposed plea agreement offered by prosecutors in LeFlore County.

    Trial for 30-year-old Donnie Lee Harris Jr. of Talihina is set for Sept. 16 in the death last year of 25-year-old Kristi Ferguson of Pocola.

    The Southwest Times Record reports (http://is.gd/1V26WK) that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

    Prosecutors say Harris threw gasoline on Ferguson the night of Feb. 18, 2012, then set her on fire. An autopsy report says Ferguson suffered second- and third-degree burns over most of her body and died of pneumonia on March 9, 2012.

    At a Wednesday hearing, Harris said he would go to trial rather than plead guilty and accept a sentence of life without parole.

    http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/art...ea-4788454.php

  2. #2
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Jury Recommends Death For Man Convicted Of Burning Girlfriend To Death

    A LeFlore County, Okla., jury on Wednesday night recommended the death penalty for a man convicted of burning his girlfriend to death in 2012.

    After more than two hours of deliberations, the jury that convicted Donnie Lee Harris of murder the day before recommended the man be sentenced to death. The recommendation came after the victim’s family members testified in court Wednesday.

    Formal sentencing for Harris is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2014.

    Harris, 31, was found guilty Tuesday of covering his girlfriend Kristi Ferguson, 25, with gasoline, then lighting her on fire. Ferguson suffered severe burns and later died from her injuries at a burn center in Oklahoma City, officials said.

    Ferguson’s family said the ruling brings them closure they’ve been waiting for for nearly two years. Family members said Harris never came across as a good person, and they tried to help Ferguson leave the relationship.

    Court documents state Ferguson ran from the home after Harris’ family tried to put the fire out with water, but it only caused the flames to spread. She ran to a neighbor’s home, where she received help, according to court documents. The neighbor testified during the trial that Harris yelled and cursed at Ferguson after he burned her.

    An autopsy report showed Ferguson suffered second and third-degree burns to her body.

    During his arraignment, Harris refused to enter a plea, so the judge entered a not guilty plea for him. Not guilty pleas are standard in criminal cases, as they allow the judicial process to continue.

    The last Oklahoma man executed was Johnny Dale Black, who was put to death on Tuesday after being convicted in a 1998 fatal stabbing.

    http://5newsonline.com/2013/12/18/ju...iend-to-death/

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    Senior Member CnCP Addict Stro07's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jan View Post
    Prosecutors say Harris threw gasoline on Ferguson the night of Feb. 18, 2012, then set her on fire. An autopsy report says Ferguson suffered second- and third-degree burns over most of her body and died of pneumonia on March 9, 2012.
    I bet Harris gonna claim in his appeals she didn't directly die of the burns and that he is therefore innocent.

  4. #4
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    He's certainly more than welcome to try that line of argument. However, I really doubt it'll do him much good in the Sooner State. He picked the wrong state to burn someone alive in.

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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Talihina man sentenced to die for burning death of girlfriend

    POTEAU, Oklahoma (AP) — An Oklahoma man has been sentenced to death for the burning death of his girlfriend.

    The Times Record reports (http://bit.ly/1esD2Fb) that 31-year-old Donnie Lee Harris of Talihina was formally sentenced Wednesday in Le Flore County District Court.

    Harris was convicted in December of first-degree murder in the burning death of 25-year-old Kristi Ferguson of Poteau. The jury then recommended the death penalty.

    Prosecutors say Harris poured gasoline on Ferguson on Feb. 18, 2012, then set her on fire. Ferguson died nearly three weeks later as a result of the burns.

    Defense attorneys said the fire started accidentally.

    http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/sto...Burning-Death/

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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On February 12, 2019, oral argument will be heard in Harris' direct appeal before the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

    http://www.okcca.net/online/

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    Senior Member Frequent Poster NanduDas's Avatar
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    In today’s orders, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Harris’ conviction and death sentence on direct appeal.

    http://www.oscn.net/applications/osc...?CiteID=486228
    "The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer." -Theodore Roosevelt

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Distributed for conference June 18, 2020.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....c/19-8229.html
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    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    On June 22, 2020, the United States Supreme Court DENIED Harris' petition for a writ of certiorari.

    Lower Ct: Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
    Case Numbers: (D-2014-153)
    Decision Date: September 26, 2019
    Rehearing Denied: November 4, 2019

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....c/19-8229.html

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    Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Denied Request for New Hearing

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — AN Oklahoma appeals court has rejected a request for a new hearing by a death row inmate convicted in the 2012 burning death of a woman he had dated.

    The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday turned down the request by Donnie Harris Jr. for post-conviction release because of lost evidence, including a cigarette lighter prosecutors allege was used to set 25-year-old Kristi Ferguson of Pocola on fire, causing her death.

    The court said information about missing evidence would have made no difference in the outcome of the trial because of the strength of other evidence against Harris.

    The court previously rejected an appeal of his conviction and sentence, noting testimony of his threats to kill Ferguson and her statements as she was being taken to an ambulance that Harris “threw kerosene on me and set me on fire.”

    An attorney listed for Harris did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Friday.

    https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...or-new-hearing
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