Family members, sheriff happy with death sentencePosted Mar13, 2008 at 04:31 PMFamily members of Derrick McFarland, one of the men murdered in August 2006 by William Morva, said this afternoon they don't necessarily support the dealth penalty but believe it was the right sentence for Morva. After deliberating for three hours this afternoon, a Washington County jury recommended that Morva be put to death for each of three counts of capital murder they convicted him of two days ago. Morva will be formally sentenced by the judge June 23. As the verdicts were read, Morva smiled and snapped his fingers, an action that upset some of the victims' family members. "Like he won the lottery," McFarland's father, Harold McFarland, said outside the courtroom. Continue reading "Family members, sheriff happy with death sentence" » Jury recommends deathPosted Mar13, 2008 at 04:13 PMThe jury returned to the courtroom with the recommendation that William Morva be sentenced to death. Morva was found guilty Tuesday 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. Details from closing statements in Morva trialPosted Mar13, 2008 at 02:10 PMBefore the jury began to deliberate at 12:30 p.m. whether to sentence William Morva to life in prison or the death penalty, they listened to the prosecution and the defense make their final arguments in the case. Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch told jurors that Morva is a future danger to society and should be put to death. What makes Morva so dangerous, he said, "is that he is both extremely intelligent and also extremely violent. "In a split second, this defendant can go from calm and friendly and composed to deadly, brutal and violent," Finch said, reminding jurors that they had heard testimony that Morva was friendly to hospital workers just before he beat a deputy unconscious and killed hospital security guard Derrick McFarland. Continue reading "Details from closing statements in Morva trial" » Morva's punishment in jury's handsPosted Mar13, 2008 at 12:34 PMJurors just heard closing statements in the case of William Morva and have gone to the jury room to deliberate. Defense attorney Tony Anderson told jurors that life in prison would be the ultimate punishment for Morva, who by his actions has made it clear that he does not want to be locked up. Prosecutor Brad Finch told them that Morva has shown his hatred for law enforcement officers and that if were locked up, prison guards would be in danger. Jurors have only two options for punishment: life in prison or the dealth penalty. Their decision must be unanimous. Jurors still waiting for court to beginPosted Mar13, 2008 at 09:46 AMAn hour after court was scheduled to start this morning, people are still milling about the courthouse, waiting for things to get under way. It's unclear what is causing the delay. Prosecutors and defense attorneys could be discussing jury instructions. When court starts this morning, it's expected that jurors will first hear their instructions and then closing arguments before beginning to deliberate about William Morva's sentence: life in prison or the death penalty. The 12 jurors' decision must be unanimous. The courtroom is crowded today, with several of the people who testified for Morva yesterday sitting behind the defense table and nearly a dozen law enforcement officers in plain clothes on the prosecution's side. Court adjourned for todayPosted Mar12, 2008 at 03:43 PMAfter the defense announced that it had rested its case, Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs told jurors it would be a good time to let them go for the day. They were instructed to return at 8:45 a.m., when they will hear their instructions for the sentencing phase and closing statements from the prosecution and the defense. Morva's mother, Elizabeth Morva, has had to stay outside the courtroom for the entire trial in case she was later called to testify. The defense did not call her and she was finally allowed in, just before court adjourned for the day. Attendance today has been high, with several Montgomery County deputies in plainclothes sitting on the prosecution's side of the room and many of Morva's friends choosing to sit on the defense side after they had testified for him. Several of Morva's supporters gasped today when they learned that he is kept locked up for 23 hours a day at the New River Valley Regional Jail. Morva again won't testifyPosted Mar12, 2008 at 03:30 PMThe defense has rested in the sentencing phase of William Morva's trial. Morva did not testify. Psychiatrist: Morva has personality disorderPosted Mar12, 2008 at 02:52 PMDr. Bruce Cohen, a forensic psychiatrist who conducted extensive interviews with Morva and his family members and reviewed documents related to Morva, just took the witness stand and testified that he found Morva to have schizotypal personality disorder and narcissistic tendencies. Also, he said, Morva's IQ is in the range of "superior intelligence" and is in contrast to the "very little he has accomplished" in his life. In conversations with Morva, he said, he found that Morva had planned his escape - but not necessarily the murders -- in advance. Cohen is the thirteenth witness to testify for the defense today. Morva's mother has not taken the stand, and it's unclear if she will. Friends of Morva taking witness standPosted Mar12, 2008 at 11:20 AMJurors have heard from six people this morning who knew William Morva in happier times, from his guidance counselor to several high school friends. They have described him as a friendly, smart person who cared a great deal about other people. One said he was against guns. Prosecution finished; court adjournedPosted Mar11, 2008 at 05:00 PMAfter 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, othersPosted Mar11, 2008 at 04:50 PMIt 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 shootingPosted Mar11, 2008 at 02:36 PMThe 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 countsPosted Mar11, 2008 at 01:05 PMThe 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 deliberatingPosted Mar11, 2008 at 11:35 AMTwo 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 deliberationsPosted Mar11, 2008 at 09:06 AMAt 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 soonPosted Mar11, 2008 at 08:33 AMJurors 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. Closing statements finished; jury released for todayPosted Mar10, 2008 at 05:15 PMJurors have been sent home for today, after hearing the prosecution and the defense present their closing arguments in William Morva's capital murder trial. Jurors will be given the option of finding Morva guilty of second-degree murder if they feel that he is not guilty of capital murder. Defense attorney Tony Anderson told jurors there's no evidence that the killings of Derrick McFarland and Cpl. Eric Sutphin were premeditated. He said jurors should find Morva guilty of second-degree murder instead. The jury will begin deliberations in the morning. Defense rests; Morva won't testifyPosted Mar10, 2008 at 01:16 PMAfter calling only one witness, Morva's defense attorneys have rested their case. They informed the court that Morva chose to exercise his Fifth Amendment right and does not plan to testify at this phase of the trial. Morva asked the judge if he could add something. When told he could, he said it was his desire to testify but that, at the advice of his attorneys, he would not. Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs told Morva that he should indeed follow his attorneys' advice. Not doing so, he said, could result in "drastic results" that would not be to his advantage. The court has recessed for about half an hour while attorneys put together instructions for the jury. The case is expected to go to the jury this afternoon. First defense witness calledPosted Mar10, 2008 at 01:05 PMWilliam Morva's defense attorneys have called their first witness: Dr. Mark Ringold, a Christiansburg gastroenterologist who treated Morva. Ringold testified that he first saw Morva in early 2003. Morva was diagnosed with moderate to severe irritable bowel syndrome. He complained that it would take him up to four hours to have a bowel movement. They would often be bloody and caused him extreme stomach pain, Ringold said. Morva: "Dear Mom, I'm getting very sick"Posted Mar10, 2008 at 11:30 AMCourt has been recessed until 12:30 p.m. for lunch. Here are more details jurors heard from four witnesses today before the prosecution rested its case against Morva: The first was investigator Brad Roop with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. He read a letter Morva wrote to his mother that was dated Sept. 14, 2005, and described conditions at the Montgomery County Jail, where he had been incarcerated about a month earlier on attempted robbery charges. The letter began, "Dear Mom, I'm getting very sick." Continue reading "Morva: "Dear Mom, I'm getting very sick"" » Judge denies defense motion to dismissPosted Mar10, 2008 at 11:08 AMCircuit Judge Ray Grubbs has denied a defense motion to strike the three capital murder charges against William Morva. Morva attorney challenges commonwealth's casePosted Mar10, 2008 at 10:53 AMAfter prosecutors finished presenting their evidence against William Morva, defense attorney Tony Anderson moved to strike the three capital murder charges brought against his client, saying prosecutors have not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the two shootings were premeditated. Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs is taking a brief recess to decide how to rule on the motion. Morva is charged with three counts of capital murder, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of capital murder, escape with force and assault and battery of a law enforcement officer. Continue reading "Morva attorney challenges commonwealth's case" » Prosecution rests in Morva casePosted Mar10, 2008 at 10:47 AMProsecutors have finished presenting their case against William Morva after calling four witnesses this morning. Those witnesses, all experts, testified that the bullets that killed Derrick McFarland, a security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital, and Cpl. Eric Sutphin of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, were fired from the same gun found with Morva the afternoon of Aug. 21, 2006. That gun belonged to sheriff's deputy Russell Quesenberry, who escorted Morva to Montgomery Regional Hospital early the morning of Aug. 20, 2006. Witnesses have tesitifed that Morva knocked Quesenberry unconscious. Morva trial about to start second weekPosted Mar10, 2008 at 08:35 AMThe third day of testimony in the capital murder case of William Morva is about to get under way in Washington County Circuit Court in Abingdon. It is unclear to those in the galley who will be called to testify today, but there are several people who received subpoenas from the prosecution who have yet to be called. They include several Blacksburg police officers, Virginia State Police troopers and a medical examiner. Court is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs told jurors Friday afternoon to expect to be here until 5:30 or 6 p.m. Court has been letting out early because defense attorneys are barely cross-examing most of the witnesses who have been called because testimony has been moving along faster than expected. Morva's defense attorneys have not spent much time cross-examining witnesses. Testimony about Morva's capturePosted Mar07, 2008 at 04:20 PMBefore court adjourned for the day this afternoon, jurors heard from several police officers who described finding Morva in a thicket off the Huckleberry Trail and taking him into custody. Blacksburg police Officer Ryan Hite first noticed Morva."I saw something white at ground level" 10 to 15 feet away, Hite testified. He took a few steps in that direction and made eye contact with Morva. "When I first saw him he was looking at me," Hite said. Morva sighed, he said. Hite and Blacksburg police Officer Brian Cross yelled at Morva to put his hands where they could see them. Testimony ends for todayPosted Mar07, 2008 at 04:02 PMAgain today, court has let out early because no more witnesses were in Abingdon, ready to be called to testify. "It is proceeding faster than we had all estimated," Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs told jurors before letting them go just before 4 p.m. He assured them they wouldn't be getting out as early next week. "We're competing with the race in Bristol next week," Grubbs said, so he plans to keep them late each day to wrap up the trial before the week's end. After jurors left, defense attorney Tony Anderson moved for a mistrial, citing a small piece of the testimony of Blacksburg police officer Ryan Hite. Hite testified that after he read Morva his Miranda rights, advising him of the right to remain silent, he asked Morva if he wanted to talk to him and other officers. Morva, he said, shook his head back and forth. Jurors hear from widow, officers who captured MorvaPosted Mar07, 2008 at 02:27 PMTamara Sutphin, Cpl. Eric Sutphin's widow, was first on the witness stand after lunch today. She cried as prosecutors played a tape of her husband's last radio transmissions, in which he can be heard saying the suspect was running from him. A man who at the time lived just off the Huckleberry Trail testified that he heard two quick gunshots and found Sutphin's body. He said he called 911 and ran to Sutphin, but saw that the officer had been shot in the back of the head. Officers who tried to aid Sutphin also testified, and jurors heard from several officers who found Morva later the afternoon of Aug. 21, 2006, in thick, 6-feet-tall brush off the Huckleberry Trail. Morva judge enforces ruling on police uniformsPosted Mar07, 2008 at 12:22 PMMonths ago at a motions hearing, the judge ruled in favor of a defense motion to prevent law enforcement officers sitting as spectators in the case from wearing their uniforms in the court. That show of support in a case where a law enforcement officer was killed could sway jurors, defense attorneys argued. A sign was posted on the courtroom door on the first day of the trial that says: "NO UNIFORM OR BADGES IN COURT ROOM." Today, that rule was enforced. An officer from the Albemarle County Police Department, where Cpl. Eric Sutphin once worked, came to Abingdon to watch the trial today. He and Sutphin worked together, he said, and were close friends. Out of respect, the officer said, he dressed in a full uniform. Because of that, he wasn't allowed in the courtroom. Instead, the officer has been sitting alongside reporters and photographers in the media room, watching the trial via video feed. 7 witnesses testify in Morva trialPosted Mar07, 2008 at 11:40 AMJurors have heard from seven witnesses -- an evidence technician, a sheriff's deputy and people who saw William Morva on the Huckleberry Trail -- so far today before breaking for lunch about 11:35. The first was detective Van Speese, an evidence technician for the Blacksburg Police Department, who testified that he processed the crime scene at Montgomery Regional Hospital where security guard Derrick McFarland was killed and Montgomery County sheriff's deputy Russell Quesenberry injured. Court adjourned for todayPosted Mar06, 2008 at 03:41 PMAfter hearing from six witnesses today in the capital murder case against William Morva, Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs has adjourned court for the day. Grubbs had told jurors to expect testimony until 5:30 or 6 p.m., but it moved along more quickly than expected and there were no more witnesses at the courthouse, ready to testify. As he let jurors go for the day, Grubbs told them not to get accustomed to the early release. Hospital witnesses testify in Morva casePosted Mar06, 2008 at 02:46 PMJurors have heard from three more witnesses in the case against William Morva. A woman who was a patient at Montgomery Regional Hospital said she saw Morva shoot security guard Derrick McFarland in the face.A physician's assistant and a nurse said they tried hard to save McFarland's life, but their efforts were in vain. Deputy describes being knocked outPosted Mar06, 2008 at 12:42 PMIn dramatic and at times chilling testimony, Montgomery County sheriff's deputy Russell Quesenberry described how he escorted Morva from the jail to Montgomery Regional Hospital and how, after he had been knocked unconscious, Cpl. Eric Sutphin tried to comfort him, telling him everything would be OK. Quesenberry took the witness stand for about an hour before court broke for lunch. On the night of Aug. 19, 2006, inmates informed guards at the Montgomery County Jail that a man was down, he said. It was Morva, who claimed he had hurt himself in a fall. A medic was called from home to examine Morva and determined he should be taken to the hospital. Because he had scrapes on his leg and a knot on his wrist, he wasn't shackled and only one hand was cuffed to a waist chain. Morva defense: 'This is a question of why'Posted Mar06, 2008 at 12:32 PMIn his opening statement, defense attorney Tom Blaylock told jurors to remember that Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch's statement was not evidence. "Time will tell what the commonwealth can or cannot prove," he said. "Remember what you promised to do and that's to keep an open mind." A murder case has three major issues, he said: who, how and why. This is not a case about who or how, he said. "This is a case of why. Why did this happen. And during the course of this trial, we will attempt to answer this question." Continue reading "Morva defense: 'This is a question of why'" » Morva prosecutor's opening statementPosted Mar06, 2008 at 12:15 PM Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch holds up the gun that he said William Morva took from Montgomery County sheriff's deputy Russell Quesenberry and used to shoot Derrick McFarland and Eric Sutphin, Finch said. William Morva's trial has kicked off with opening statements presented by Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch and defense attorney Tom Blaylock. One witness, Montgomery County sheriff's deputy Russell Quesenberry, has testified, taking the stand for about an hour before court broke for lunch. In his opening statement, Finch told jurors that the evidence will show that Morva "violently beat and attacked" Quesenberry, who had transported him to the hospital early the morning of Aug. 20, 2006, after he reported injuries in his jail cell. Morva asked to use a bathroom at Montgomery Regional Hospital, Finch said, and "it was in that bathroom that the defendant began his deadly escape." He beat Quesenberry unconscious, shot unarmed security guard Derrick McFarland in the face from about two feet away and later shot Cpl. Eric Sutphin in the back of the head, Finch said. Judge formally seats Morva juryPosted Mar06, 2008 at 10:32 AMCircuit Judge Ray Grubbs has overruled defense objections to the jury panel and formally seated the nine women and five men -- 12 jurors plus two alternates. Opening statements by prosecutors and defense attorneys come next in the capital murder trial of William Morva. Testimony is expected to last through next week. Jury selected for Morva trialPosted Mar06, 2008 at 09:36 AM William Morva enters Washington County Circuit Court under tight security Wednesday morning. However, Morva's defense attorneys have objected to the seating of the jury, based primarily on objections they made to potential jurors as they were selected for the pool. Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs has not yet ruled on the motion. He is expected to rule after a brief recess. It is expected that Grubbs will rule to seat the jury and opening statements will begin. Jurors arrive at courthousePosted Mar06, 2008 at 08:30 AMIt's the third day in the case against William Morva, and court was expected to begin at 8:45. The 24 potential jurors who were chosen over the last two days are on their way into the courthouse to get started. The first item of business this morning will be to allow the prosecution and the defense each to strike five of the potential jurors. A bailiff carries a list of the potential jurors to the prosecution, who strikes one, then to the defense, who strikes another, and so on until 10 people have been eliminated. Once a jury of 14 - 12 jurors plus two alternates - has been chosen, the two sides are likely to begin with their opening statements. Testimony expected tomorrow in Morva casePosted Mar05, 2008 at 04:08 PMCourt has recessed for today in the case against William Morva. Nearly two full days have been spent selecting a panel of 24 potential jurors, which will be winnowed down to a jury of 12 and two alternates after the prosecution and the defense each strike five. Those strikes will take place first thing in the morning. Once the jury is seated, prosecutors and defense attorneys will present their opening statements in the case. Some witnesses have been summonsed to appear in court tomorrow, so it's likely testimony will get under way. 24 members of jury pool now setPosted Mar05, 2008 at 03:38 PMAttorneys now have a jury pool of 24 people selected. Now, Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs must determine whether attorneys will winnow down the pool to the final jury of 14 — 12 jurors and two alternates. In that process, the prosecution and the defense each strike five people from the pool. Although William Morva smiled and waved at jurors on Tuesday as he was introduced as the defendant by Grubbs, he has sat quietly today. 3 more to goPosted Mar05, 2008 at 02:38 PMAttorneys chose two members of the last three-person panel, bringing the potential jury pool to 21 of the needed 24 people. Holding at 19Posted Mar05, 2008 at 02:28 PMProsecutors and defense attorneys are starting to take a little longer when questioning potential jurors in William Morva's capital murder trial this afternoon, now spending about 45 minutes for each group of three people. Still only 19 of the 24 potential jurors have been chosen -- 13 yesterday and six today -- in Washington County Circuit Court. Court staff say no witnesses were called to court today, so if a jury is seated later this afternoon, testimony won't start until tomorrow. Jury selection moving aheadPosted Mar05, 2008 at 12:41 PMJury selection for William Morva's trial has recessed for lunch with 19 potential jurors chosen for the case - 13 yesterday and six today. Again today, the death penalty has proved to be an issue for potential jurors. Of the 32 who have been questioned so far, six have been dismissed because of their pro-death penalty feelings and four because they are against the death penalty. Two have been dismissed because they would give added weight to law enforcement officers' testimony and another because she said she couldn't put aside what she has already heard about the case. |