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Thread: Richard Burgin, Jr. Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 AL Murder of Anthony Jackson and Terry Jackson

  1. #1
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Richard Burgin, Jr. Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 AL Murder of Anthony Jackson and Terry Jackson


    Anthony Jackson, left, and Terry Jackson


    Richard Burgin, Jr.


    Man charged in Huntsville church pantry slayings had life sentence overturned in 2001

    By Brian Lawson
    al.com

    HUNTSVILLE, Alabama
    -- The man charged in the slaying of two elderly brothers last summer at a church food pantry avoided a life sentence for a 1997 robbery after the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the life term on procedural grounds.

    As a result of the appeals court ruling Richard Burgin Jr., 50, was given a 23-year sentence and released from the Alabama Department of Corrections custody in November 2010.

    He is now charged with capital murder in the May 21, 2013 slayings of Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69, at the food pantry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church, where the brothers volunteered to clean up and help distribute food.

    Burgin, who was already in custody at Draper Correctional Facility in Elmore after a parole violation, was brought to Huntsville today to face the capital murder charges.

    [Related story: 'Saints' of West Huntsville Methodist Church cut down as they volunteered in church's food pantry]


    According to court records Burgin pleaded guilty to robbery in 1997 in Tuscaloosa County and due to prior felony convictions in Florida, and was given a life sentence. He challenged that sentence on procedural grounds, arguing prosecutors did not give proper notice they intended to introduce his criminal history at sentencing.

    The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals agreed in 2001 and ordered him resentenced.

    Court records indicate he was given a 23-year sentence for the robbery. Burgin was released from the Alabama Department of Corrections custody in November 2010. He violated parole last summer and was returned to state custody in August 2013, a DOC spokeswoman said today.

    The probation revocation appears to stem from a June 10, 2013 robbery charge in Huntsville, about three weeks after the pantry slayings. In the robbery case he was alleged to have stolen more than $1,000 in clothes from Belk.

    http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...l#incart_river
    "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

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    Man charged in Huntsville church pantry slayings now also facing unrelated rape, sodomy charges

    By Brian Lawson
    al.com


    HUNTSVILLE, Alabama
    -- The man charged with fatally stabbing two brothers at a church food pantry in 2013 is now facing additional charges of rape and sodomy in an unrelated case.

    Richard Burgin Jr., 50, was charged today with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy for alleged offenses on July 15, 2012, according to court records.

    The records provide no details, but Burgin's arrest in the May 21, 2013 stabbing deaths of of Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69, at the food pantry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church, came after the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences matched his DNA to a cup found near the crime scene, according to the Huntsville Police Department.

    The brothers routinely volunteered to clean up and help distribute food at the church. Anthony Jackson, who was severely handicapped by cerebral palsy, died at the scene. Terry Jackson, who had looked after his brother all of his adult life, was pronounced dead on arrival at Huntsville Hospital.

    Burgin was in the Draper Correctional Facility on an unrelated robbery charge when police were notified of the reported DNA match.

    Huntsville Police Department investigator Charlie Gray said investigators went to see Burgin at Draper and collect his DNA. When Burgin was shown pictures from the crime scene, he said he needed a lawyer and the interview ended, Gray said last week during Burgin's preliminary hearing on the capital murder charges.

    The new DNA sample was also a match, Gray said.

    Burgin was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 due to prior convictions, but successfully appealed on procedural grounds and had that sentenced overturned. He was released from prison in Alabama in November 2010. Following his arrest on a robbery charge in June 2013 his probation was revoked and he was returned to prison.

    http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...l#incart_river
    "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

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Man indicted on capital murder charge in brutal Huntsville church pantry killing of two brothers

    A Huntsville man has been indicted in the brutal stabbing deaths of two elderly brothers who were killed while volunteering at a church food pantry in May 2013.

    Richard Burgin, 51, was indicted by a Madison County grand jury on a charge of capital murder and prosecutors may seek the death penalty.

    Burgin is charged in the May 21, 2013 stabbing deaths of Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69, at the food pantry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church, where the brothers volunteered to clean up and help distribute food.

    Burgin had a life sentence overturned in 2001 on procedural grounds following a robbery conviction.

    In August during Burgin's preliminary hearing, Huntsville Police Department investigator Charlie Gray testified police linked Burgin through DNA to a cup found near the crime scene.

    Gray testified police took DNA samples from several transients in the area around the church following the slayings but none matched the DNA found on the cup.

    In December the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences informed police they had found a match with Burgin, who was in prison at the Draper Correctional Facility.

    Gray said investigators went to Draper, took a DNA sample from Burgin and tried to interview him. Gray said he described the church killings and showed Burgin some photos. Burgin said he thought he needed a lawyer, Gray said, and the interview ended.

    The new DNA sample matched the cup and the DNA on file, Gray said.

    A witness who lived across the street from the church said on the day of the stabbings he saw a black male come to a door of the church, speak to a white male then enter the building. A few minutes later the black man emerged carrying a number of items, including a red cup.

    No trial date has been set.

    Burgin is represented by Huntsville attorneys Chad Morgan and Larry Marsili.

    Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill is prosecuting the case.

    http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...l#incart_river
    "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

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Death penalty trial date set in Huntsville church food pantry murders

    The Huntsville man charged with killing two brothers doing volunteer work at a church food bank now has a trial date set for April 18, 2016.

    Richard Burgin, 52, is charged with capital murder and Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard said the state is seeking the death penalty for the killings.

    The trial date was set Friday by presiding Madison County Circuit Judge Karen Hall, according to Burgin's attorneys.

    He is accused in the May 21, 2013 stabbing deaths of Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69, at the food pantry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church, where the brothers volunteered to clean up and help distribute food. Both men had been stabbed several times, investigators said.

    The Huntsville Police Department tied Burgin to the killings after the state crime lab found his DNA on a cup picked up near the murder scene.

    Investigator Charlie Gray described the case against Burgin a year ago at his preliminary hearing:

    A witness who lived across the street from the church told police that on the day of the stabbings he saw a black male come to a door of the church, speak to a white male then enter the building. A few minutes later the black man emerged carrying a number of items, including a red cup.

    The witness said the man moved at a steady pace on foot down 6th Street then turned onto 8th Avenue.

    Other witnesses told police they saw a black male running down 8th Avenue, looking back while he ran.

    A K-9 unit was called and it found a church bulletin, the cup, a bloody knife and bloody rag in some bushes.

    Gray said police took DNA samples from several transients in the area around the church following the slayings but none matched the DNA found on the cup.

    In December 2013 the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences informed police they had found a match with Burgin, who was in prison at the Draper Correctional Facility.

    Gray said investigators went to Draper, took a DNA sample from Burgin and tried to interview him. Gray said he described the church killings and showed Burgin some photos. Burgin said he thought he needed a lawyer, Gray said, and the interview ended.

    The new DNA sample matched the cup and the DNA on file, Gray said.

    Burgin was in Draper because of a parole violation, but he'd already escaped a life sentence.

    The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the life sentence he received in 1997 on a robbery charge in Tuscaloosa County was in error, after determining prosecutors didn't give proper notice they intended to introduce his criminal history at his sentencing hearing.

    Burgin is represented by court-appointed attorneys Larry Marsili and Chad Morgan.

    Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill is prosecuting the case.

    http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/201...l#incart_river
    "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

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    Trial date pushed back to September for suspect in 2013 Huntsville food pantry murders

    The capital murder trial of a man accused of stabbing to death two church pantry volunteers in 2013 has been pushed back from April to September.

    Richard Burgin Jr., 52, of Huntsville is charged with capital murder in the stabbing deaths of brothers Anthony Wayne Jackson, 76, and 69-year-old Terry Bradford Jackson. Burgin, who is facing the death penalty, is being held without bond in the Madison County jail until his Sept. 26 trial.

    Burgin's defense lawyer, Larry Marsili, said a delay in forensic testing being conducted at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences led to the move.

    The Jackson brothers were found dead and dying the morning of May 21, 2013, inside the food pantry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church, where they volunteered to clean up and help distribute food. The brothers, who had little themselves, volunteered each week as a way of returning the help they sometimes received from the church.

    The brothers lived together because Terry Jackson cared for his older brother, who was disabled by cerebral palsy. When the food pantry director found them shortly after the attack, Terry Jackson was still alive; he died a short time later at Huntsville Hospital.

    Anthony Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The slayings went unsolved for about a year until investigators tied Burgin to the scene through DNA found on a cup picked up nearby. The cup was found near a bloody butcher knife and other items in some bushes near the church, Huntsville Police Investigator Charlie Gray testified during Burgin's August 2014 preliminary hearing.

    A witness who lived across the street from the church told police that on the day of the stabbings, he saw a black man come to a door of the church and speak to a white man before going inside. A few minutes later, the black man emerged carrying a number of items, including a red cup.

    The witness said the man moved at a steady pace on foot down 6th Street then turned onto 8th Avenue.

    Other witnesses told police they saw a black male running down 8th Avenue, looking back as he ran.

    Gray said that a K-9 unit called to the scene found the cup and the items in the bushes, which also included a church bulletin and bloody rag.

    Burgin was in custody at Draper Correctional Facility in Elmore County on a parole violation when he was charged with the brothers' slayings in June 2014.

    Court records show that Burgin, who has a lengthy criminal history, already escaped a life sentence in a previous case. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2001 ruled that the life sentence he received in 1997 on a robbery charge out of Tuscaloosa County was given in error because prosecutors didn't give proper notice they intended to introduce that history at his sentencing.

    Burgin was charged in 2014 - after his arrest on the capital murder charge - with rape and sodomy in connection with alleged offenses he committed in July 2012.

    The Madison County District Attorney's Office filed to have those charges dropped three months later, however, based on a lack of evidence in the case, court records show.

    Burgin had received a life sentence in the 1997 robbery case due to prior felony convictions in Florida, court records show. When he was re-sentenced on appeal in 2001, he was given a 23-year sentence for the robbery.

    Burgin was released from the Alabama Department of Corrections in November 2010, but violated his parole and was returned to state custody in August 2013.

    The probation revocation appeared to stem from a June 10, 2013, robbery charge in Huntsville, about three weeks after the pantry slayings. In the robbery case he was alleged to have stolen more than $1,000 in clothing from Belk.

    http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...k_for_sus.html
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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Edited:

    Madison County DA’s office seeking death penalty in two upcoming murder trials

    By Brian Lawson
    whnt.com

    Richard Burgin has a May 1 trial date in the May 2013 stabbing deaths of two elderly brothers, Terry and Louis Jackson. The two men were volunteering at a church food bank when they were fatally stabbed.

    Burgin’s trial had been set for September, but has since been moved back to May 1.

    Madison County Assistant DA Jay Town said the killing of the two brothers at West Huntsville United Methodist Church on May 21, 2013 meets the state’s definition of “heinous, atrocious and cruel.”

    “It was operated by two brothers, Terry and Louis Jackson,” Town said. “And Mr. Burgin is accused of coming into that church early, prior to the kitchen opening, and literally slaughtering these two brothers in a very heinous way.

    Town said the manner of their deaths justifies seeking the death penalty for Burgin.

    “They did so slowly and with fear of impending death,” he said.

    Unlike in the Stone case, where he admitted the killings to investigators, Burgin maintains his innocence.

    Defense attorney Larry Marsili, who represents Burgin with co-counsel Chad Morgan, said the defense is straightforward.

    “Mr. Burgin has been very clear from the beginning that he didn’t commit the crime and that he denies that he had any involvement in it, and that’s why we’re going to forward on trial with this,” Marsili said.

    http://whnt.com/2017/01/13/madison-c...murder-trials/
    "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

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    UPDATE: Judge denies defendant's motion to dismiss case in Huntsville food pantry murders

    WAAY News

    UPDATE: Judge Karen Hall has denied Burgin's motion to throw out the case.

    Jury selection will begin Monday at 10 a.m.

    Previous Story: A man charged with killing two elderly brothers volunteering at a food pantry is asking a judge to throw out the case after discovering a witness picked someone else out of a photo lineup.

    Richard Burgin Jr.'s attorney filed the motion Wednesday in Madison County Circuit Court.

    Burgin, 53, is charged with capital murder for the deaths of Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69, at West Huntsville United Methodist Church in May 2013. Police say Burgin stabbed the brothers to death.

    In the motion filed Wednesday, Burgin's attorneys state a detective in the case showed a photo lineup to at least one of the witnesses in the case. Burgin wasn't in the lineup, and the witness identified someone else in the picture. The investigator said the photo was discarded and wasn't reported in any case reports or any other evidence discovery, according to the motion.

    Burgin's attorneys claim the discarded photo amounts to suppressing evidence favorable to Burgin's case.

    There's been no decision on the motion.

    Burgin is being held in the Madison County Jail without bond.

    His jury trial is scheduled to begin Monday.

    http://www.waaytv.com/appnews/update...e59cb31c0.html
    "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

  8. #8
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Jury selection begins in death penalty trial of Richard Burgin, charged with Huntsville church pantry double murder

    WHNT News

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Jury selection began today in the double-murder trial of Richard Burgin, who is accused of killing two elderly brothers working at a Huntsville church food bank in May 2013.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Burgin in the stabbing deaths of Terry and Anthony Jackson at West Huntsville United Methodist Church.

    Because it is a death penalty case, the jury pool of 80 is larger than for most cases. The prospective jurors were given a questionnaire with 67 questions to fill out this morning.

    Madison County Circuit Judge Karen Hall also asked the pool whether they had any issues of conscience in deciding a death penalty case, or if they’d been exposed to pre-trial coverage of the case.

    The prospective jurors who answered “yes” to either of those questions were then questioned by Judge Hall about their ability to fairly decide the case.

    Once jurors filled out their questionnaires they were released for the day.

    The prosecution team of Madison County Chief Trial Attorney Tim Gann and Assistant DA Randy Dill and the defense team of Larry Marsili and Chad Morgan were expected to review the would-be jurors answers today.

    Jury selection is expected to resume Tuesday. The trial is expected to last into next week.

    http://whnt.com/2017/05/01/jury-sele...double-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

  9. #9
    Administrator Aaron's Avatar
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    Trial opens in church pantry double murder, K-9 located knife, cup with defendant’s DNA

    By Brian Lawson
    WHNT 19 News

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The capital murder trial of Richard Burgin opened Wednesday morning with the prosecution telling jurors that four key pieces of evidence link Burgin to the May 2013 murders of two elderly brothers at West Huntsville United Methodist Church.

    The defense used its opening statement to urge jurors to consider the lack of evidence in the state’s case against Burgin.

    Burgin, 53, could face the death penalty if convicted in the stabbing deaths of Anthony and Terry Jackson.

    Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill said in his opening statement that a police K-9 followed a scent from the church and located, not far from the church, a plastic cup that had Burgin’s DNA on it, a towel with Terry Jackson’s blood, a bulletin from the church with Burgin’s fingerprints and a knife stained with the blood of both brothers.

    Burgin was arrested several months after the killings. Prosecutors say his DNA found on the cup matched his DNA sample contained in a database.

    The prosecution’s first witness was James Alexander, who testified he lived on 9th Avenue at the time of the killings, directly across the street from the church.

    Alexander testified he and his wife were sitting on their porch, with his chair facing the church, on the morning of May 21, 2013. He said he saw a black male go to the side door of the church and knock. One of the brothers opened the door and let the man inside.

    Alexander said the man was only inside for a few minutes before he came back out, carrying a “Red solo cup” with a folded-up paper in his other hand. Alexander testified the man turned and glared at him and his wife, before hurrying off in the other direction toward 8th Avenue.

    Alexander wasn’t asked if Burgin was the man he saw and he never identified Burgin during his testimony.

    Defense attorney Chad Morgan argued the prosecution’s case was based on getting jurors to infer that Burgin was guilty and there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove his guilt.

    The crime scene included a lot of spilled blood, Morgan noted, but no blood was on the church bulletin found by the K-9. Burgin’s DNA wasn’t on the knife or the bloody towel, Morgan said, questioning how cross-contamination didn’t occur given the allegation against Burgin.

    The items were located by the K-9 unit’s dog “Boone.” His then-handler Cory Upton, now the K-9 unit’s head trainer, explained the dogs go through rigorous and regular training and have been certified by independent judges.

    He said Boone followed a scent from the church and eventually ended up at near a home on 8th Avenue where he first lighted on a cup, then located the towel and bulletin tucked down into some bushes.

    The dog continued to follow the trail down the street, through an alley and all the way to Seminole Drive and Governors Drive, before losing the trail. They walked back to the scene, the dog then located the knife in a bush near where the cup was found, Upton testified.

    Jacqueline Cobb, who was the director of the church food bank, also testified. She said the brothers, who were in their 70s when they were killed, were almost always together and that Terry began taking care of Anthony after their mother died years ago.

    She said Terry managed the food bank and Anthony helped get the church’s fellowship hall ready for the food bank opening each week.

    She said on the day they were killed, she pulled up to the church and honked, like she normally did, but Terry didn’t come out to help her get the food she had in the trunk.

    Cobb testified she went inside and found a bloodied Terry on his back. She asked him what happened, and he could only manage, “Stabbing,” over and over. She asked about Anthony and Terry pointed her to where his brother was, also on his back, not breathing.

    She called 911 and Terry died in the emergency room.

    The case before Circuit Judge Karen Hall is expected to run into next week.

    http://whnt.com/2017/05/03/trial-ope...efendants-dna/
    Last edited by Helen; 05-03-2017 at 03:42 PM. Reason: added journalists name & news outlet
    Don't ask questions, just consume product and then get excited for next products.

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    'There was blood everywhere:' Testimony underway in church food pantry killings trial

    By Ashley Remkus
    AL.com

    During the first day of trial in the Huntsville church food pantry killings, prosecutors told the jury about four key pieces of evidence: a red plastic cup, church bulletin, bloody dish towel and butcher knife.

    Richard Burgin, 53, is on trial for capital murder in the May 21, 2013 slayings of brothers Anthony Jackson, 76, and Terry Jackson, 69. The Jackson brothers were at West Huntsville United Methodist Church preparing to help with a food bank distribution when they were fatally stabbed. Burgin could face the death penalty if convicted.

    Despite putting four witnesses on the stand this morning, prosecutors have yet to place Burgin at the crime scene with an eye witness or physical evidence.

    Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill told the jury during his opening arguments that DNA evidence found on the cup and fingerprints found on the church bulletin will link Burgin to the crimes during later testimony. Dill also told the jury that testimony from DNA experts will show Terry Jackson's blood was found on the dish towel and the knife, and Anthony Jacksons' blood was found on the knife.

    The first witness called by the prosecution was James Alexander, who lived across the street from the church and saw a black man walk up to a side entrance on the day of the killings. Alexander testified he saw one of the Jackson brothers answer the door and the black man go inside.

    Under cross examination by defense Attorney Larry Marsili, Alexander testified that he wasn't sure which of the brothers answered the door because they looked alike.

    "I'd have to be talking to them to know which one it was," Alexander testified.

    However, Alexander testified he could see the white man -- one of the Jackson brothers -- look across the street at him "with some distress on his face."

    Alexander, who has a history of drug and theft convictions, testified the black man left the church about three or four minutes later carrying a red cup and a rolled up white piece of paper.

    He testified the black man glared at him from across the street then ran away from the scene.

    Alexander was not asked if the man he saw at the church was Burgin.

    Also called to testify was Jacqueline Cobb, a local pastor who served as the church's food pantry director at the time of the killings.

    "There was blood everywhere," Cobb testified about the "traumatizing" experience of finding the Jackson brothers in the church fellowship hall after they'd been stabbed.

    Cobb testified she arrived at the church before noon and honked her horn expecting the brothers to come out and help her unload food for the afternoon distribution event. That's what they did every Tuesday, she testified.

    But, when the brothers didn't come outside, Cobb testified, she went into the front entrance of the church and headed toward the fellowship hall. Eventually she heard "moaning" sounds and found Terry Jackson lying at the top of two steps leading into the fellowship hall, Cobb testified.

    "He was all covered in blood and I asked what happened," Cobb told the court. "He kept saying 'stabbing, stabbing.' When I asked where Anthony was, he said 'over there' and pointed."

    Cobb told the jury she found Anthony Jackson lying on his back with his feet draped over a chair.

    "He was lying in a pool of blood," Cobb testified. "I didn't touch him, but I could tell he wasn't alive. There was blood everywhere. I managed not to step in any of it."

    Cobb called 911 and police responded to the scene. Terry Jackson was taken by medical workers to Huntsville Hospital. He died shortly after reaching the emergency room.

    The prosecution's third witness was one of the first Huntsville police officers to arrive on the scene. His testimony primarily dealt with how he secured the crime scene and made sure it was safe for medical personnel to enter the church.

    A second Huntsville police officer, Cory Upton, who is the department's lead K9 trainer, spent an hour this morning explaining how tracking works with police dogs.

    Upton, who explained how K9 "Boon" found the four main pieces of evidence, will return to the stand at 1:15 p.m. following a lunch break. At that time, he will be cross examined by the defense.

    Chad Morgan handled opening statements for the defense, and Assistant District Attorney Tim Gann also is prosecuting the case.

    http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/in...rt_river_index
    "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

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