I Would Have Bet Money This Woudln't Happen
Not from a Hunt County jury, anyway.
I reckon our good ol' boy Democrat DA has changed his tune just a bit, seeing as he said back in the 1980s that he would never seek the death penalty.
I didn't know the victim, Michael Walker, but his father, Dick Walker, is a heck of a nice guy.
Article follows:
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Ward receives death penalty
By BRAD KELLAR
Herald-Banner Staff
Convicted capital murderer Adam Kelly Ward was sentenced Tuesday to death by lethal injection for the shooting death of Commerce Code Enforcement Officer Michael "Pee Wee" Walker two years ago.
The jury in the 354th District Court deliberated almost seven hours before returning with the decision, ending an almost three week trial.
It was possibly the most emotional day yet in the trial, as prosecutors again portrayed Ward, 24, of Commerce, as a cold blooded sociopath whose tendency toward violence had escalated as he grew older, while Ward's defense attorneys again attempted to show Ward has been suffering from mental illness since early in his childhood.
Walker was working as a code enforcement officer for the City of Commerce when shortly after 10 a.m. on June 13, 2005, he was taking photos of alleged code violations at the home where Ward lived on Caddo Street.
According to testimony from several witnesses, Ward objected and the two argued, with Ward spraying Walker with a hose. Walker called 911 on his cell phone while Ward ran into the house, grabbed a .45 caliber pistol and two loaded clips. Ward returned to the scene and began chasing Walker, shooting him as many as nine times, before Ward's father took the weapon away.
During his closing arguments, lead defense counsel Dennis Davis appealed to the jury to recognize the extent of Ward's sickness.
"We are not here today because of the death of Michael Walker," Davis said. "We are here because this young man is ill. The byproduct of that illness is the death of Michael Walker."
Davis claimed Ward as not only his own son, but called upon the jury to be Ward's surrogate parents and mete out the appropriate punishment, namely life in prison.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our child is sick," Davis said. "This is everybody's child and grandchild here today."
District Attorney F. Duncan Thomas, however, called allegations that Ward was somehow disabled due to mental illness an insult.
"You are not his parents, you are his jury," Thomas said, adding that instead of having bi-polar disorder or other mental ailments, Ward had also been diagnosed as anti-social, or as a sociopath, for which he said there is no cure.
"This defendant killed Michael "Pee Wee" Walker for doing his job, for being where he was supposed to be, and he shot him in the back," Thomas said.
He noted how, despite the defense's assertions to the contrary, Ward had spent lengthy occasions where his reported violent outbursts had not occurred.
"He could control it if he wanted to," Thomas said, reminding the jury that Ward had left behind a grieving father and two children, Donovan and Marissa.
"This defendant has forced you to give him the death penalty by his actions on June 13, 2005," Thomas said. "All I ask is for you to go and do your duty."
In its charge, the jury was asked to determine two special issues. First, the panel was to decide whether due to the nature of the crime, or through Ward's criminal history, he would pose a future danger.
The second issue was to determine whether there were sufficient mitigating circumstances involved in the crime to justify Ward receiving a life sentence.
The panel received the case at about 10:40 a.m. and returned with the verdict at 5:25 p.m. Tuesday. The jury ruled that Ward did present a future danger and that there were no mitigating circumstances.
Judge Richard A. Beacom accepted the jury's findings and immediately sentenced Ward to death by lethal injection. Ward showed no reaction to the verdict.
Following the announcement, Dick Walker, the victim's father, was allowed to read a victim impact statement to the jury. In it, he recalled family traditions surrounding Christmas, Father's Day and other events, traditions which had been forever altered due to Ward's actions. He also recounted again how, as an emergency medical technician, he was among the first to respond to the scene of the shooting and held his dying son in his arms.
"I do not believe any part of Adam Ward cares how he hurt me or Donovan or Marissa," Walker said. "The last thing my son saw was his dad and the last thing my son heard was his dad telling him how much he loved him."
Walker thanked the jury for its service, and also thanked the prosecutors in the case.
"They kept their word," Walker said. "They did what they said they were going to do."
He also said he had respect for Ward's defense team for having done their best.
A member of the jury, who asked not to be identified, indicated he was speaking on behalf of the entire panel when he said it was a very hard decision.
"We didn't feel like we chose the death penalty, that was mandated by law," he said. "We tried to find any mitigating evidence, but we could not."
Thomas told the Herald-Banner he likewise respected the effort put in by the jury.
"It is not an easy thing to serve on a jury which has to make a decision as to whether someone lives or dies," Thomas said. "I know their decision was based on the evidence."
During a formal sentencing conducted a few moments later, Beacom said he would appoint Ward a new defense counsel and an appeal attorney for the filing of the appeal, which is automatic in a capital murder case.
In a statement issued following the close of the proceedings, Thomas also praised the work of the Commerce Police Department and Assistant District Attorneys Steve Tittle and Keli Aikin.
Ward is the first defendant convicted of capital murder in Hunt County to receive the death sentence since 2000.
I reckon our good ol' boy Democrat DA has changed his tune just a bit, seeing as he said back in the 1980s that he would never seek the death penalty.
I didn't know the victim, Michael Walker, but his father, Dick Walker, is a heck of a nice guy.
Article follows:
===================
Ward receives death penalty
By BRAD KELLAR
Herald-Banner Staff
Convicted capital murderer Adam Kelly Ward was sentenced Tuesday to death by lethal injection for the shooting death of Commerce Code Enforcement Officer Michael "Pee Wee" Walker two years ago.
The jury in the 354th District Court deliberated almost seven hours before returning with the decision, ending an almost three week trial.
It was possibly the most emotional day yet in the trial, as prosecutors again portrayed Ward, 24, of Commerce, as a cold blooded sociopath whose tendency toward violence had escalated as he grew older, while Ward's defense attorneys again attempted to show Ward has been suffering from mental illness since early in his childhood.
Walker was working as a code enforcement officer for the City of Commerce when shortly after 10 a.m. on June 13, 2005, he was taking photos of alleged code violations at the home where Ward lived on Caddo Street.
According to testimony from several witnesses, Ward objected and the two argued, with Ward spraying Walker with a hose. Walker called 911 on his cell phone while Ward ran into the house, grabbed a .45 caliber pistol and two loaded clips. Ward returned to the scene and began chasing Walker, shooting him as many as nine times, before Ward's father took the weapon away.
During his closing arguments, lead defense counsel Dennis Davis appealed to the jury to recognize the extent of Ward's sickness.
"We are not here today because of the death of Michael Walker," Davis said. "We are here because this young man is ill. The byproduct of that illness is the death of Michael Walker."
Davis claimed Ward as not only his own son, but called upon the jury to be Ward's surrogate parents and mete out the appropriate punishment, namely life in prison.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our child is sick," Davis said. "This is everybody's child and grandchild here today."
District Attorney F. Duncan Thomas, however, called allegations that Ward was somehow disabled due to mental illness an insult.
"You are not his parents, you are his jury," Thomas said, adding that instead of having bi-polar disorder or other mental ailments, Ward had also been diagnosed as anti-social, or as a sociopath, for which he said there is no cure.
"This defendant killed Michael "Pee Wee" Walker for doing his job, for being where he was supposed to be, and he shot him in the back," Thomas said.
He noted how, despite the defense's assertions to the contrary, Ward had spent lengthy occasions where his reported violent outbursts had not occurred.
"He could control it if he wanted to," Thomas said, reminding the jury that Ward had left behind a grieving father and two children, Donovan and Marissa.
"This defendant has forced you to give him the death penalty by his actions on June 13, 2005," Thomas said. "All I ask is for you to go and do your duty."
In its charge, the jury was asked to determine two special issues. First, the panel was to decide whether due to the nature of the crime, or through Ward's criminal history, he would pose a future danger.
The second issue was to determine whether there were sufficient mitigating circumstances involved in the crime to justify Ward receiving a life sentence.
The panel received the case at about 10:40 a.m. and returned with the verdict at 5:25 p.m. Tuesday. The jury ruled that Ward did present a future danger and that there were no mitigating circumstances.
Judge Richard A. Beacom accepted the jury's findings and immediately sentenced Ward to death by lethal injection. Ward showed no reaction to the verdict.
Following the announcement, Dick Walker, the victim's father, was allowed to read a victim impact statement to the jury. In it, he recalled family traditions surrounding Christmas, Father's Day and other events, traditions which had been forever altered due to Ward's actions. He also recounted again how, as an emergency medical technician, he was among the first to respond to the scene of the shooting and held his dying son in his arms.
"I do not believe any part of Adam Ward cares how he hurt me or Donovan or Marissa," Walker said. "The last thing my son saw was his dad and the last thing my son heard was his dad telling him how much he loved him."
Walker thanked the jury for its service, and also thanked the prosecutors in the case.
"They kept their word," Walker said. "They did what they said they were going to do."
He also said he had respect for Ward's defense team for having done their best.
A member of the jury, who asked not to be identified, indicated he was speaking on behalf of the entire panel when he said it was a very hard decision.
"We didn't feel like we chose the death penalty, that was mandated by law," he said. "We tried to find any mitigating evidence, but we could not."
Thomas told the Herald-Banner he likewise respected the effort put in by the jury.
"It is not an easy thing to serve on a jury which has to make a decision as to whether someone lives or dies," Thomas said. "I know their decision was based on the evidence."
During a formal sentencing conducted a few moments later, Beacom said he would appoint Ward a new defense counsel and an appeal attorney for the filing of the appeal, which is automatic in a capital murder case.
In a statement issued following the close of the proceedings, Thomas also praised the work of the Commerce Police Department and Assistant District Attorneys Steve Tittle and Keli Aikin.
Ward is the first defendant convicted of capital murder in Hunt County to receive the death sentence since 2000.
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I agree with the death penalty, personally. If you done the crime, you do the time. Instead of sitting the slammer and eating up or tax dollars. 0 -
Sounds like justice to me. 0 -
Things, times and people change.
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Texas ain't a good place to do a murder. In my opinion, it shouldn't take two years for him to get the sentence, and it shouldn't take years before it is carried out, but all things considered, so far so good. 0 -
The saddest part of this whole story is that Dick Walker, very active with the all-volunteer Emergency Corps, and trained as a paramedic, was the first responder on scene. His son was still conscious, but shot up too badly for anyone to help him. All Dick could do was hold him while he died. 0 -
...That's so sad for the victims dad, I cant even imagine. In high school there was a place we went (Sunnyvale) to drag race, the boonies back then.
...Well, a friend of mines car flipped and he ended up underneath it. Mr. William's, his dad...had the city wrecker contract, yep, he was called out to the scene. I'll never forget the look on his face as he pulled up and recognized it was his son's car [V]...needless to say, he couldn't do the hook-up to remove the car off his son.
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Too bad it will take years of appeals to finally impose the sentence. Justice should be swift. They should only get one appeal and then carry out the sentence. 0 -
NO appeal should be done. This peice of ---- Killed without qualms. Was convected by the evedince, and a pannel of 12. Do him today. Why waste tax dollars on scum? 0 -
I wonder how much a lethal injection costs. A few .45's in the back would probably be cheaper, and fair. 0 -
Quote: cold blooded sociopath
People of this mindset don't have much value to add to society![;)][;)][;)][:0][:0]0 -
If the death penalty was used in a more expidited manner and a little more public. i think it would also serve more of a behavior deturrent then just as a punishment. Right now, as it is, most death row inmates sit there for years at the expense of our tax dollars. 0
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