National Coalition To Abolish the Death Penalty

NCADP
1436 U Street,
NW Suite 104
Washington DC
20009

National Execution Alert October 2000

Texas

Stacey Lawton (TX)-B/? stay of execution- rescheduled for Nov. 14 2000…7:00pm (EST)
“I am an African-American I have dreadlocks in my hair, I am the only one on Texas death row who has them…I love to work out and to stay in shape, I love to read, write, sing and play basketball.” (Stacey Lawton’s website at
www.ccadp.org) Stacey Lawton was 22 years-old when he was charged with the 1992 murder of Dennis L. Price.
A recent investigation by the Dallas Morning News found “that nearly 1 in 4 condemned inmates has been represented at trial or on appeal by court-appointed attorneys who have been disciplined for professional misconduct at some point in their careers. Others have been represented by court-provided attorneys who dozed in trial, failed to investigate their case or put in minimal preparation.” There are insufficient statewide standards and funding for lawyers handling death penalty cases which means that poor defendants who can’t afford a private lawyer a more likely to get the death penalty.
Stacey Lawton is one of many who did not receive adequate legal presentation and therefore was prevented from having a fair chance at trial. In the direct appeal brief filed on Mr. Lawton’s behalf to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal, his lawyers gave contradictory statements. The court noted at several points “that appellants argument is poorly, if not inadequately, briefed.”
Stacey lost the appeal and is now scheduled to be executed October 4, 2000.

Please Contact: Governor George Bush, Jr. Office of the Governor PO Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711-2428 512-463-1782–phone 512-463-1849–fax www.governor.state.tx.us/ www.governor.state.tx.us/e-mail.html Board of Pardons & Parole Attn: Gerald Garret P.O. Box 13401, Capitol Station Austin, TX 78711 512-406-5852–phone 512-467-0945–fax www.tdcj.state.tx.us/bpp/index.html Austin-American Statesman P.O. Box 670 Austin, TX 78767 512-445-3500–phone 512-445-3679–fax [email protected] The Dallas Morning News 2726 South Beckley Dallas, TX 75224 214-977-8462–phone 214-977-8019–fax [email protected] www.dallasnews.com The Houston Chronicle P.O. Box 4260 Houston, TX 77210 713-220-7491–phone 713-220-6806–fax [email protected] www.houstonchronicle.com For More Information: Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 3400 Montrose Blvd., Suite 312 Houston, TX 77006 David Atwood–contact 713-520-0300–phone [email protected]

Virginia

Bobby Lee Ramdass (VA)-B/? executed
October 10, 2000…9:00pm
“What do you think, am I going to see a light?” Bobby asked his lawyer, F. Nash Bilisoly, while having his last meal. They were sitting in the room adjacent to the one with the gurney for lethal injection, waiting to hear from the Supreme Court on August 17, 2000. Less than three hours before the slated execution the call came and a stay was granted.
Now that a new execution date has been set for October 10th, Bobby and his lawyer, who fought the state at every turn, know what is coming next. They have been through most of it before.
Bobby was sentenced to death for the robbery and murder of a 7-Eleven store clerk. He was 19 years-old at the time of the crime, Sept. 2, 1992. Bilisoly argues that Bobby has been denied a fair trial because of errors which his original trial lawyer, Leonard Piotrowski, made.
He failed for example to consult ballistics experts who might have been able to show that the gun went off accidentally and he advised his client not to take the stand.
Furthermore, he did not object to a court-appointed psychologist who was biased. Bilisoly noted that “anybody with any resources would have gotten a counter-mental health expert” to explain the effects of Bobby’s overty-stricken childhood and the abuse he suffered by his mother’s boyfriend “…but he didn’t have any resources.”
In addition, Bobby’s jury should have been told that if they would have imposed a life sentence instead of death he never would have been eligible for parole. The jury, when putting this question to the judge was told that they “are not to concern themselves with what may happen afterwards.” As Justice Stevens stated in his dissenting opinion when this issue came before court and was rejected 5 to 4: “…we know this jury would have recommended life instead of death if it had known that Ramdass was parole ineligible and we know the jury did not get a clear answer to its question. …Why does the Court insist that the Constitution permits the wool to be pulled over their eyes?”

Please Contact: Governor James Gilmore, III Office of the Governor State Capitol, 3rd Floor Richmond, VA 23219 phone: (804) 786-2211 fax: (804) 371-6351 www.state.va.us/governor/govmail.htm Virginia Parole Board c/o Department of Corrections P.O. Box 26963 Richmond, VA 23261 phone: (804) 674-3081 [email protected] www.vadoc.state.va.us/parole/ Richmond Times-Dispatch P.O. Box 85333 Richmond, VA 23293 (804) 649-6000 fax: (804) 775-8059 [email protected] www.gatewayva.com The Virginian-Pilot P.O. Box 449 Norfolk, VA 23501 phone: (757) 446-2314 fax: (757) 446-2414 www.pilotonline.com For More Information: Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty P.O. Box 4804 Charlottesville, VA 22938 phone: (804) 263-8148 fax: (804) 263-4431 [email protected] www.vadp.org

Further Upcoming Execution Dates:

November 1, 2000: Jeffery Dillingham (TX)

November 8, 2000: Gary Etheridge (TX)

November 9, 2000: Miguel Flores (TX)

November 15, 2000: Tony Chambers (TX)

December 5, 2000: Gary Miller (TX)

National Execution Alert Staff: Staff Production: Stefan Wellgraf Writers: Anja Kiessling Stefan Wellgraf Editors: Terrance Pitts Tonya McClary Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of murder victims, the families of those executed and all other victimized by senseless violence. Thanks to all of the dedicated activists and attorneys who make this important project possible!