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Prosecution finished; court adjourned

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 05:00 PM

After a short break, the prosecution has said it has finished presenting its case against Morva.

Court has adjourned for the day. The defense will begin presenting witnesses tomorrow morning in an attempt to convince the jury that Morva should be sentenced to life in prison and not to death.

Jurors hear from victims' wives, others

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 04:50 PM

It has been an emotional afternoon in the courtroom, as jurors heard about the impact the shootings of Derrick McFarland and Cpl. Eric Sutphin have had on their families.

Some of the most powerful testimony came from Jeaneen Sutphin, Eric Sutphin's mother, who looked directly at Morva for a moment as she took the witness stand.

Jeaneen Sutphin said that Morva didn't have to kill her son. He could have shot him in the leg, she said, to keep Eric Sutphin from pursuing him.

The last witness called to the stand before a short break was Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt, who cried as he described having to tell Tamara Sutphin and Jeaneen Sutphin their husband and son had been killed.

Witnesses 'haunted' by shooting

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 02:36 PM

The sentencing phase in Morva's trial has begun.

Jurors have heard from five witnesses so far, including the woman who worked as a clerk at the Deli Mart on Glade Road in Blacksburg when Morva -- with a loaded shotgun -- tried to rob it in August 2005.

The jury also heard from two women who were nurses at Montgomery Regional Hospital the night Derrick McFarland was killed; both have testified they tried to save McFarland.

Dawn Doss and Melissa Epperly testified today that they have been haunted by memories of that night. Both are in counseling and take medication and suffer from nightmares.

Doss quit working at the hospital. Epperly still works there, but said every time she walks down the hallway where McFarland was shot she pictures the pool of blood he left there. She said she remembers holding his hand and telling him that she had tried to save his life.

Morva guilty on all counts

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 01:05 PM

The jury has found Morva guilty on all charges: three counts of capital murder, two counts of use of a firearm in commission of murder, assault and battery of a law enforcement officer and escaping with force.

Morva stood with his hands in his pockets as the verdicts were read and didn't appear to react.

The court is taking a brief recess before it enters the penalty phase. Several witnesses are expected to testify before the jury is asked to decide whether Morva should be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.

Court recessed for lunch; jury still deliberating

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 11:35 AM

Two and a half hours after they went back to the jury room, jurors have asked for lunch.

Court is in recess until 12:30, and lunch is being brought in for jurors so they can continue deliberating during the lunch break.

Jury begins deliberations

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 09:06 AM

At 9:04 a.m., the jury of nine women and five men, including two alternates, was instructed to leave the courtroom and begin deliberations.

Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs told jurors to first select a foreperson. He gave them the 28 instructions he read to them yesterday.

Grubbs also told jurors that a bailiff would remove two alternates from the group.

Morva jury to begin deliberating soon

Posted Mar11, 2008 at 08:33 AM

Jurors are making their way through the metal detectors at the doorway of the Washington County Circuit Court in Abingdon this morning, where court is scheduled to get under way about 8:45.

Yesterday ended with the prosecution and the defense presenting their closing statements to jurors, with the prosecution saying William Morva should be found guilty of all seven charges against him -- including three counts of capital murder.

The defense said Morva should instead be found guilty of second-degree murder in the killings of Derrick McFarland and Eric Sutphin.

If Morva is not found guilty of either count of capital murder in the two deaths, the third count -- with which he is charged because he is accused of killing two men in less than three years -- will automatically drop. The killings must be premeditated for that charge to be valid.
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