I am very angry

[WDWHound]

Warning, the following post deals with very difficult issues and images.

Last night, a man named Kenneth Wayne Morris was supposed to be put to death in Texas. Morris murdered my wife's uncle while robbing him at gun point in his home in 1991. Morris was high on drugs and shot my wifes uncle's in the head because he did not produce the money Morris wanted quickly enough.

Over the years we have watched various anti-death penalty groups and newspapers change the story of the murder to make it sound like an "accident", or to play up the fact that he was high and therefore "did not know what he was doing". Most of the accounts of the murder you read on the internet or in the newpapers these days are so far from what really happened that that they approach the realm of fantasy, yet they are published as fact. The bias and complete distortion of the facts by the press and the anti death penalty groups to push their aggenda has been frightening to watch.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, Kenneth Morris was supposed to be executed yesterday. This did not happen. In the the last few weeks, his attorney raised a defence that Morris is mentally ********. In 12 years, no mention has been made of this and there is much evidence the Williams is quite competant, but a US Supreme Court judge decided issue a reprieve so as to allow the attorney to file additionally actions in a lower federal court based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that barred execution of mentally ******** people.

Morris is a cold blooded killer who killed for drug money and guns. Up until a few weeks ago, his mental competance was never in question. Now it looks like Morris' attorneys have finally found the loophole they have been looking for and society will have to live with the risk he represents for a very long time. Justice has not been served and I cant tell you how angry that makes me.

Sorry to post such a serious post here, but I just had to vent.
Thanks for listening.

 

[olena]

I'm sorry...

 

[SuiteDisney]

I'm so sorry.

 

[goofy4tink]

While I don't want to get into a debate here, I do want to say how sorry I am to hear of what must be a huge distress for your family. The results of violence must be so incredibly hard to live with for the left-behind loved ones. Please know that I will remember you all in my prayers. I completely understand your need to vent.

 

[tater bug]

 

[jipsy]

I'm so very sorry WDWhound

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

I am so sorry to hear that, I will not comment because I think the whole judical system is wrong

 

[poohbears5]

Sorry sometimes it seem like the justice system is set completely for the criminal and their rights it sucks.

 

[Steve H.]

I'm so sorry.

 

[WDWHound]

Here is the story from the local paper. Note the complete lack of evidence that this man is mentally ********:

Texas Man Gets Death Penalty Reprieve
By MICHAEL GRACZYK
Associated Press Writer


HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP)--A condemned killer won a reprieve about two hours before his scheduled execution for the shooting death of a Houston businessman during a botched burglary 12 years ago.

The execution of Kenneth Wayne Morris, 32, a ninth-grade dropout with a history of theft and burglary, was stopped Tuesday by order of a federal appeals court, based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that barred execution of mentally ******** people.

Morris' lawyers argued their client was ********, even though he had never been given an IQ test.

In its order, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans gave Morris' lawyers permission to file additional legal actions in a lower federal court.

Morris was identified as the gunman in a three-man gang that broke into the home of a 63-year-old man because they thought he had a gun collection.

James Moody Adams, however, had no weapons and was shot four times after he surrendered the money in his wallet. His terrified wife hid in a closet behind some clothes.

Marcene Adams and her two sons had been scheduled to watch Morris die Tuesday.

A three-judge panel of the court said the fact that Morris had never been tested was enough to justify a stay of execution.

``It is difficult to make informed judgments without the development of the facts in some form of hearing,'' Judge Patrick Higginbotham said.

Morris said last week on death row that he never thought he was ********.

``People have said I was. When I went to court, they said I was mentally slow,'' he said.

Roe Wilson, who handles capital appeals for the Harris County district attorney's office, said she was surprised by the reprieve ``based on lack of evidence presented that he was mentally ********.''

``Basically, the court is just giving them more time to try to look for something,'' she said.

 

[captin fink]

you have every right to vent.

 

[cgcw]

Very sad

 

[RUDisney]

I am so sorry about this. The judicial system made a friend of mine suffer with her family as the victims after her sister was murdered in the convenience store that she and her husband owned in the early 80s. He had gone home for a quick dinner and while she was alone in the store, a man, whom they later found was released that week from prison on parole, came in to rob her. He had done this type of thing before, also when on parole. He was sentenced to death and is still awaiting execution because his lawyers have successfully argued each time he has come up for execution. Sounds similar, huh? They have him on camera pulling the gun on her. What more do you need? But, the court still allows the family to suffer.

As someone else said... it really sucks. I'm sorry for your family's pain.

 

[Deb in IA]

Don, I heard this story on the radio as I was coming in to work. I had no idea that the murdered man was related to you.

While I have mixed feelings about the death penalty, I am so sorry about the turn of events and the pain and heartache it must have caused you and your wife's family

 

[Deb in IA]

Don, I heard this story on the radio as I was coming in to work. I had no idea that the murdered man was related to you.

While I have mixed feelings about the death penalty, I am so sorry about the turn of events and the pain and heartache it must have caused you and your wife's family

 

[suzannen]

So sorry that your family has to suffer again.

 

[m&m's mom]

I am so sorry. I can't even imagine what pain your family has been through.
I have to say I am proud that in Texas we lead the nation in carrying out the death penalty. Long protracted delays are common even here but eventually we get most of them.
Take comfort that at least here you have the best chance of the execution (and a small measure of justice being served) taking place.
My thoughts are w/ you!

 

[fklhou]

I really feel for you. I saw the story in the Houston paper. After the last US Supreme Court case, many death row inmates will be raising the retardation claim and Morris' counsel would be committing malpractice if he did not explore or raise a valid defense.

One of my client's sister was murdered here in Houston several years back. My secretary at the time had worked for the family of the victim and knew the victim very very well. Both of the people who committed these murders were convicted and my secretary took timie off to attend the trial and be with the family. One of the murderers was about to be executed and had instructed her counsel to withdraw her appeal when Rev. Jackson got involved and got the appellant section of a major Dallas firm involved. Later, the appellant attorney who is working on this appeal showed up on a contingent fee case that I had originated and was working on. It was kind of wierd introducing myself as someone who represented the family of one of his client's victims. Again, I knew that he was doing his job and duty under the code of conduct for attorneys but it was still wierd.

As far as I know that case is still on appeal. My ex-secretary is still upset about this matter and wanted me to chew out the attorney.

I did an internet search and the murderer of my client's sister is still on death row and has her own website. See http://www.ericasheppard.com/ The murderer is complaining about poor treatment on death row including not having enough toilet paper.

 

[vald1977]

So sorry you and your family have to go through this .

 

[nativetxn]

I'm sorry that you are so upset. I'm really sorry to hear that you lost a relative to violent crime.