Conviction and execution of Steven Michael Woods, Jr.

Conviction and execution of Steven Michael Woods, Jr.
Steven Michael Woods, Jr.
Born Steven Michael Woods, Jr.
April 17, 1980(1980-04-17)
Wayne County, Michigan, US
Died September 13, 2011(2011-09-13) (aged 31)
Walls Unit, Texas
Charge(s) Capital Murder
Penalty Death Penalty
Status executed on September 13, 2011 at Walls Unit; Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Steven Michael Woods, Jr. (April 17, 1980 - September 13, 2011)[1] was an American who was executed by lethal injection in the state of Texas.[2] Woods was sentenced to the death penalty after a jury convicted him of the capital murders of drug dealer Ronald Whitehead, 21, and Bethena Brosz, 19, on May 2, 2001 in The Colony, Texas.[3] Woods petitioned to media outlets for prisoner rights in February 2004.[4] In late 2006, Woods was part of a hunger strike in the Polunsky unit in West Livingston, Texas to oppose death row inmates' treatment.[5] Woods' co-defendant, Marcus Rhodes, pled guilty to shooting both victims to death with a firearm in the same criminal transaction and received a life sentence with parole. During the trial it was revealed authorities recovered backpacks belonging to the slain pair along with shell casings and a bloodied knife in Marcus Rhodes’ car. Guns used in the slayings were also recovered from the home of Rhodes’ parents.[6]However, in Texas, the Law of Parties states that a person can be criminally responsible for the actions of another if he or she aids and abets, conspires with the principal or anticipates the crime. While Rhodes pled guilty to the murders and Woods' did not, and there was no physical evidence tying Woods to the scene, Woods was executed for the crime.[7] Witnesses testified at Woods' 2002 trial that he and Rhodes said that they lured Whitehead to an isolated road on the pretense of a drug deal and that Woods shot and killed him, because Whitehead knew about a killing two months earlier in California. Rhodes was later found guilty of the California murder and Woods was not. Prosecutors said Brosz was merely driving her boyfriend Ron to the drug deal. Broz had been killed because she witnessed Whitehead's death, yelled and then attempted to flee.[2]

Fairness of Sentencing/Conviction Dispute

The fairness of Woods' case and punishment was criticized by Noam Chomsky[8] and Amnesty International.[9] Woods' criminal case was also reported in local and international press outlets.[10][11][12] Woods' final motion for a stay was denied on September 2, 2011.[13]

Execution

In his last words, Woods stated, "You're not about to witness an execution, you are about to witness a murder. I am strapped down for something Marcus Rhodes did. I never killed anybody, never. I love you, Mom. I love you, Tali. This is wrong. This whole thing is wrong. I can't believe you are going to let Marcus Rhodes walk around free. Justice has let me down. Alex Calhoun completely screwed this up. I love you too, Mom. Well Warden, if you are going to murder someone, go ahead and do it. Pull the trigger. It's coming. I can feel it coming. Goodbye everyone, I love you,"[14] then took several deep breaths before all movement stopped. [2] A needle carrying the lethal drugs on his right arm pierced a green tattoo of a rose branch. The distinctive tattoo had identified him when he was arrested. Woods was pronounced dead on September 13, 2011 at 6:22pm.[15] Woods' was the 10th execution carried out in Texas in 2011[16] and the 474th since Texas resumed the death penalty in 1982.

References

  1. ^ "Offender information - Wood, Jr, Stephen Michael". Texas department of criminal justice. http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/woodssteven.htm. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c "Ex-drug dealer executed for killing 2 in Texas". The Houston chronicle. September 13, 2011. http://www.chron.com/news/article/Ex-drug-dealer-executed-for-killing-2-in-Texas-2167778.php. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  3. ^ "Media Advisory: Steven M. Woods scheduled for execution". The Attorney general of Texas. September 7, 2011. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=3847. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Vin Suprynowicz: Won't you help Steve Woods get a hot meal?". Las Vegas review journal. February 22, 2004. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Feb-22-Sun-2004/opinion/23140121.html. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Texas Inmates Protest Conditions With Hunger Strikes". The New York Times. November 8, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/08prison.html. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  6. ^ "Ex-drug dealer to die today in slayings of Denton County pairl". The Huntsville Item. September 13, 2011. http://itemonline.com/local/x601184269/Ex-drug-dealer-to-die-today-in-slayings-of-Denton-County-pair. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Texas Penal Code - Section 7.02. Criminal Responsibility For Conduct Of Another". law.onecle.com. http://law.onecle.com/texas/penal/7.02.00.html. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  8. ^ "Steven Woods - Wrongfully Convicted & Sentenced to Death". saveaninnocentlife.net. http://saveaninnocentlife.net/Home.php. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Stop the Execution of Steven Woods in Texas". Amnesty International. http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=516487. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Texas executes prisoner for double murder even though another con confessed to the killings". The Daily Mail. September 14, 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2037187/Texas-executes-Steven-Michael-Woods-double-murder.html?ito=feeds-newsxml. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  11. ^ "Two Inmates Set To Die This Month - September could boost Perry's execution tally". The Austin Chronicle. September 9, 2011. http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-09-09/two-inmates-set-to-die-this-month/. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  12. ^ "Execution set for Tuesday in 2001 killing of pair". star-telegram.com. September 11, 2011. http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/11/3359008/execution-set-for-tuesday-in-2001.html. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Application for post- conviction writ of habeas corpus and motion for stay of execution". Court of criminal appeals of Texas. September 2, 2011. http://www.cca.courts.state.tx.us/OPINIONS/PDFOPINIONINFO2.ASP?OPINIONID=21438. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  14. ^ "Steven Woods - Last Words". www.stevenmichaelwoods.info. http://www.stevenmichaelwoods.info/StevenWoodsLastWords.html. Retrieved November 3, 2011. 
  15. ^ "Ex-drug dealer executed for killing 2 in Texas". seattlepi.com. September 13, 2011. http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Ex-drug-dealer-executed-for-killing-2-in-Texas-2167778.php. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  16. ^ "Texas Execution Is First Of 4 Scheduled Over 2 Weeks". 8-WGAL The Susquehanna Valley. September 13, 2011. http://www.wgal.com/r/29172409/detail.html. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse — Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture,[1][2][3] …   Wikipedia

  • List of miscarriage of justice cases — Main article: Miscarriage of justice This is a list of miscarriage of justice cases. This list includes cases where a convicted individual was later found to be innocent of the crime and has received either an official exoneration, or a consensus …   Wikipedia

  • Nobel Prizes — ▪ 2009 Introduction Prize for Peace       The 2008 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to Martti Ahtisaari, former president (1994–2000) of Finland, for his work over more than 30 years in settling international disputes, many involving ethnic,… …   Universalium

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Europe, history of — Introduction       history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …   Universalium

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… …   Universalium

  • Dates of 2005 — ▪ 2006 January This is a unique case of a people under occupation being asked to hold free and fair elections when they themselves are not free.… It s an important internal test, and I think it s a turning point. Palestinian legislator Hanan… …   Universalium

  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, country in N. America. This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction Colonial Era, 1654–1776 Early National Period, 1776–1820 German Jewish Period, 1820–1880 East European Jewish Period,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • France — /frans, frahns/; Fr. /frddahonns/, n. 1. Anatole /ann nann tawl /, (Jacques Anatole Thibault), 1844 1924, French novelist and essayist: Nobel prize 1921. 2. a republic in W Europe. 58,470,421; 212,736 sq. mi. (550,985 sq. km). Cap.: Paris. 3.… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”