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Post by mindy on Feb 12, 2009 22:10:56 GMT
www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Wayne-Tompkins-executed-for-murdering-Tampa-teen/SY2flCr-p0SEsb1gEI2Ufw.cspxWayne Tompkins executed for murdering Tampa teen Last Update: 3:00 pm STARKE, Fla. (AP) -- A rapist convicted of murdering his girlfriend's teenage daughter 26 years ago was executed Wednesday after the courts refused to reconsider his claims of innocence. Wayne Tompkins, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m. at Florida State Prison. The execution started at 6:24 p.m. He had been condemned for the murder of 15-year-old Lisa DeCarr, who disappeared from the Tampa home she shared with Tompkins and her mother on March 24, 1983. "I'm good," Tompkins replied when officials asked if he had any last words. At the start of the execution, Tompkins breathed deeply and closed his eyes and then opened them again. The victim's mother, Barbara Wallace, and three of her daughters and her son witnessed the execution, as did Tompkins' attorney Neal Dupree. "It didn't bring her back," Wallace said of the execution. DeCarr's sister, Michelle Hayes, said she had hated Tompkins for many years, saying "I have wanted to do it myself many, many times." "We are glad this long journey is over now. We feel it was humane. Lisa can now rest in peace. That's what this day was about, justice for her, not anybody else," Hayes said. Tompkins requested a sedative before the execution by lethal injection. "Some of the family thought it was too easy," Hayes said. Wallace and others thought DeCarr had run away, but her body was found a year later under the home's porch. She had been strangled with the belt of the pink bathrobe she had been wearing. Tompkins, who had been arrested in early 1984 after he robbed and sexually assaulted two convenience store clerks in separate attacks, was charged with her murder. A cellmate testified that Tompkins confessed, saying he had strangled the girl after she kicked him in the groin while rebuffing his advances. That cellmate, Kenneth Turco, now says a prosecutor told him to lie to the jury. The state Supreme Court has ruled Turco's recantation a harmless error that would not have affected the outcome of the trial. Attorneys Martin McClain and Neal Dupree filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court and an application for a stay of execution Wednesday morning, but it was denied. The appeal raised many of the same issues already turned down by Florida courts, including whether Gov. Charlie Crist had the right to schedule the execution because he let four years pass before setting a new execution date. Tompkins also had appealed the Turco action. Tompkins had a final visit with his mother, Gladys Staley of Brooksville, on Wednesday morning and ordered a final meal of fried chicken and banana split ice cream, said Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections. Across a highway outside the prison, about 40 death penalty opponents gathered for a prayer vigil. The Florida Supreme Court, in a one-page order, denied all of Tompkin's appeals Wednesday morning. His attorneys had asked the court to delay the execution, saying more time was needed to complete testing on DNA evidence found on and near the girl's body. The court said it would not entertain any motions for rehearing. Also turning down Tompkins was the trial court in Tampa, which denied his motion to vacate his judgment and sentence and his motion for a stay of execution. Crist was the third Florida governor who has sought to execute Tompkins. He did not have to sign a death warrant because the state moved to a non-expiring death warrant, so the final warrant signed by Gov. Jeb Bush was still in effect. Gov. Bob Martinez signed two in 1989 and Bush signed a third in 2001. Courts stopped each one. The Innocence Project of Florida had filed a motion Wednesday to preserve the evidence in Tompkin's case, arguing that more DNA testing is needed to "banish all doubt." It asked that a robe, sash and samples of the victim's bones be preserved for additional DNA testing. On Tuesday, the Innocence Project had asked the governor to delay the execution so more testing could be done. Two other inmates have been executed since Crist took office in January 2007: Mark Dean Schwab on July 1 and Richard Henyard on Sept. 23. Tompkins was the 67th inmate executed by Florida since it resumed the death penalty in 1979, 23 by lethal injection and 44 of them in the old electric chair. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Post by mindy on Feb 13, 2009 2:38:22 GMT
Quote- "The Innocence Project of Florida had filed a motion Wednesday to preserve the evidence in Tompkin's case, arguing that more DNA testing is needed to "banish all doubt." It asked that a robe, sash and samples of the victim's bones be preserved for additional DNA testing."
Reasonable doubt, yet he was executed anyway.
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♫anna♫
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Post by ♫anna♫ on Feb 13, 2009 10:28:15 GMT
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Post by mindy on Feb 13, 2009 14:49:56 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life.
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Post by chefmate on Feb 13, 2009 15:26:11 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life. I have to agree with your point. What is the extra time going to do to anyone? If it proved his guilt, then the sentence must be carried out, if it had proved innocence, then we as a society are better for it but now he is gone and we are still asking questions. Let's answer those questions for once and for all and put it to bed.
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Post by mindy on Feb 13, 2009 15:45:29 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life. I have to agree with your point. What is the extra time going to do to anyone? If it proved his guilt, then the sentence must be carried out, if it had proved innocence, then we as a society are better for it but now he is gone and we are still asking questions. Let's answer those questions for once and for all and put it to bed. Exactly. Thanks for your support on this chefmate. I'm not claiming he's innocent. I'm claiming that more dna testing should have been done to prove one way or another. Might isn't good enough when it comes to a life.
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Post by mindy on Feb 13, 2009 16:38:59 GMT
Florida Scheduled to Execute Defendant with Strong Claim of Innocence Posted: February 11, 2009 Wayne Tompkins is scheduled to be executed in Florida at 6 pm on February 11 despite evidence that he could be innocent. Tompkins was sentenced to death for a murder in which even the victim’s death is in question. The body used as evidence in the case was identified by partial dental records matching one tooth, and several individuals have signed affidavits saying they saw the victim alive after the alleged murder. Gov. Crist could stay the execution. Update: Wayne Tompkins was executed on February 11. (Press Release, “Innocence Project of Florida Urges Governor to Stay Wayne Tompkins' Execution,” Innocence Project of Florida, February 10, 2009). This would be Florida's first execution in 2009. There have been 10 executions in the U.S. this year, all in the South, including 7 in Texas. Florida has had the most inmates from death row exonerated since 1973. See Innocence. www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/florida-scheduled-execute-defendant-strong-claim-innocenceOf cource, he's already been executed now.
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♫anna♫
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The Federal Reserve Act is the Betrayal of the American Revolution!
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karma:
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Post by ♫anna♫ on Feb 14, 2009 3:40:38 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life. I admit i'm very biased against violent sex offenders and his assaults on the 2 convenience store clerks show he had this history! I would be really shocked if it could be shown that the dna testing matching the executed accused was shown to be invented to frame him! I'd give scott peterson and Larry Griffin a seat on a lifeboat on the Titanic before i'd let this person escape death! Sorry folks! The "conspiracy theory" doesn't sway me! The dna evidence should of course be preserved and retested! I'm confident that any further testing will again show that the executed accused was indeed Lisa DeCarr's murderer!
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 1, 2009 18:23:43 GMT
Quote- "The Innocence Project of Florida had filed a motion Wednesday to preserve the evidence in Tompkin's case, arguing that more DNA testing is needed to "banish all doubt." It asked that a robe, sash and samples of the victim's bones be preserved for additional DNA testing." Reasonable doubt, yet he was executed anyway. there was, nor is, ANY reasonable doubt. dna testing has been available since tompkins committed the crime. they have had over twenty years to test it. no one has a right to wait until execution time and try to get a stay to test anything. you snooze, you lose. tough shyt. max nix anyway. it's going to be funnier than hell to see these imbeciles eat it again. can we say roger coleman?
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 1, 2009 18:26:17 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life. "could have" or "might" or any of the other idiocies like it do not come remotely close to creating a reasonable doubt. there is NOTHING, zip, zilch, nada, to give any reasonable doubt in the case. a witness recanting doesn't even come close
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 1, 2009 18:28:20 GMT
There was enough reasonable doubt in this case that further dna testing should have been allowed before he was executed. But unfortunately, this was denied. True, this man wasn't your average citizen. He was a criminal no doubt. But did he commit the crime he was executed for? He might have. But might isn't good enough for me. Further dna testing should have been allowed in this case before he was executed. What would that have hurt? It might have saved a life. I have to agree with your point. What is the extra time going to do to anyone? If it proved his guilt, then the sentence must be carried out, if it had proved innocence, then we as a society are better for it but now he is gone and we are still asking questions. Let's answer those questions for once and for all and put it to bed. as i said, they had twenty years to do it. there was simply NO rational reason to delay putting this garbage in hell where he should have been twenty years ago
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Post by mindy on Mar 1, 2009 22:27:45 GMT
Hi Jumbo, Nice to see you back again!
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Post by mindy on Mar 1, 2009 23:01:34 GMT
Quote- "The Innocence Project of Florida had filed a motion Wednesday to preserve the evidence in Tompkin's case, arguing that more DNA testing is needed to "banish all doubt." It asked that a robe, sash and samples of the victim's bones be preserved for additional DNA testing." Reasonable doubt, yet he was executed anyway. there was, nor is, ANY reasonable doubt. dna testing has been available since tompkins committed the crime. they have had over twenty years to test it. no one has a right to wait until execution time and try to get a stay to test anything. you snooze, you lose. tough shyt. max nix anyway. it's going to be funnier than hell to see these imbeciles eat it again. can we say roger coleman? It's never too late for further dna testing to be done. Especially at a time before an execution. You snooze, you still shouldn't necessarily lose. Not when a potential innocent life could be at stake.
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♫anna♫
Global Moderator
Aug 18 2017 - Always In Our Hearts
The Federal Reserve Act is the Betrayal of the American Revolution!
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Post by ♫anna♫ on Mar 2, 2009 4:25:48 GMT
there was, nor is, ANY reasonable doubt. dna testing has been available since tompkins committed the crime. they have had over twenty years to test it. no one has a right to wait until execution time and try to get a stay to test anything. you snooze, you lose. tough shyt. max nix anyway. it's going to be funnier than hell to see these imbeciles eat it again. can we say roger coleman? It's never too late for further dna testing to be done. Especially at a time before an execution. You snooze, you still shouldn't necessarily lose. Not when a potential innocent life could be at stake. Welcome Back Jumbo! Dearest Mindy! I have to fully agree with Jumbo here! Apparently the defense only started clamouring about retesting the dna when the execution date was set to try to delay matters! I'm confident that the defense lawyer was certain that retesting the dna would only confirm his client's guilt and this sudden demand to retest the dna was just his stalling tactic.. More like throwing a monkey wench in the machinery of justice than a serious attempt to prove innocence! I'm sure any retesting of the dna will only confirm that Lisa DeCarr's murderer was indeed executed!
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Post by chefmate on Mar 2, 2009 5:58:27 GMT
Then the testing should have been done and put to rest any chance of discontent on the part of supporters who now can lay claim to many differnent theories.
I only wish I had as much faith in the justice system as most of you, but see, I get to talk to people who have experienced the worst our system has to offer and it isn't pretty but no one wants to hear it.
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 2, 2009 12:32:31 GMT
Hi Jumbo, Nice to see you back again! thank you. i haven't had much time to roam around. i'm just finishing a habeas petition for my ol' lady's sister, and it is very time consuming
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 2, 2009 12:38:40 GMT
there was, nor is, ANY reasonable doubt. dna testing has been available since tompkins committed the crime. they have had over twenty years to test it. no one has a right to wait until execution time and try to get a stay to test anything. you snooze, you lose. tough shyt. max nix anyway. it's going to be funnier than hell to see these imbeciles eat it again. can we say roger coleman? It's never too late for further dna testing to be done. Especially at a time before an execution. You snooze, you still shouldn't necessarily lose. Not when a potential innocent life could be at stake. the point is that these clowns make a habit of trying to save something for a last ditch attempt to stop an execution. when that is done, it should NEVER be considered. it is the same thing as with hood. the defense knew about the affair at the time of the trial. they have NO right to raise the issue now, even if it did prejudice him. as long as there's no question as to guilt, NOTHING else matters, and should be tossed as soon as its filed. other than the one witness, whose testimony only buttressed the case, and didn't make it, recanting, there is nothing at all to indicate any possiblity of innocence
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 2, 2009 12:40:31 GMT
Then the testing should have been done and put to rest any chance of discontent on the part of supporters who now can lay claim to many differnent theories. I only wish I had as much faith in the justice system as most of you, but see, I get to talk to people who have experienced the worst our system has to offer and it isn't pretty but no one wants to hear it. how many are factually innocent?
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Post by Ben Lomond on Mar 2, 2009 16:12:35 GMT
Whether one supports the death penalty or not, the length of time this man was incarcerated on death row was barbaric in the extreme. He had already served a life sentence, and to then execute him after 25 years in prison is savagery beyond parody!
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 2, 2009 20:43:24 GMT
Whether one supports the death penalty or not, the length of time this man was incarcerated on death row was barbaric in the extreme. He had already served a life sentence, and to then execute him after 25 years in prison is savagery beyond parody! had he refused to participate in the frivolous appeals, he could have been executed fifteen years ago. HE, and he alone, chose to spend all that time in prison before being executed. you are partially correct though. there is NO rational reason for allowing trash like this to live that long.
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