No apparent stay in Wayne Tompkins killing ….

Dear Friends,

As of this evening there is no clear sign of a stay of execution for Wayne Tompkins who is scheduled to be killed at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11th.  We will gather for a vigil at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday in front of the Governor’s Mansion.

We will also meet at the Capitol Rotunda at noon on the following day, Thursday, for a Service of Remembrance for Wayne Tompkins and his alleged victim, Lisa DeCarr.

Please read the press release below which was issued today by the Innocence Project of Florida.  Their statement discusses the inconclusive testing done in the Tompkins case and asks Governor Crist to issue a stay until further DNA testing can be done.

Thank you.

Sheila Meehan
Chair, TCADP

Governor urged to Stay Wayne Tompkins’ Execution

Innocence Project of Florida Urges Governor to Stay Wayne Tompkins’ Execution Says New Round of DNA Testing Could Answer Lingering Questions about Victim’s Identity

The Innocence Project of Florida (IPF), in a letter signed by their Executive Director Seth Miller, today urged Florida Governor Charlie Crist to stay the execution of Wayne Tompkins, who is scheduled to be killed on Wednesday by lethal injection. Serious doubts persist about the identity of the victim, and IPF believes a new round of DNA testing is likely to answer these important questions. Read More

Wayne Tompkins Execution Scheduled

Below is an exerpt from a recent news story on the February 11th scheduled execution of Wayne Tompkins:

Gov. Charlie Crist scheduled the execution of Wayne Tompkins at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Florida State Prison near Starke. Attorney General Bill McCollum certified to Crist on Monday that all stays had been lifted and the governor is required to set a new execution date within 10 days.  Read More

Public Defenders Recommend Moratorium on Death Penalty

The Florida Bar News

February 1, 2009

By Kim MacQueen
Associate Editor

Florida’s public defenders have offered a controversial new idea for saving money during tight fiscal times: a moratorium on the death penalty. “This Legislature would be remiss not to look at the most costly, least cost-efficient service we provide: the death penalty,” 10th Circuit Assistant Public Defender Howard L. (Rex) Dimmig — speaking on behalf of the Florida Public Defender Association — told members of the Senate Criminal Justice and Judiciary committees gathered for the January special session in Tallahassee.Senate Criminal Justice Committee members did not offer immediate comment or reaction following Dimmig’s proposal, but Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Delray Beach, asked 13th Circuit State Attorney Mark Ober, who was also at the meeting, if he would support it. Read More

Holiday card signing

On Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, Nov. 22-23, members and friends met to sign holiday cards for the 388 prisoners on death row in Florida. For some of the inmates these cards wil be the only communication they will have this holiday.

The Wayne Tompkins Case and Why It is Important

November 18, 2008 

Friends,

As of tonight, Wayne Tompkins is not scheduled for execution. 

Mr. Tompkins’ case is particularly important because of what Florida Supreme Court Justice Harry Anstead referred to in his dissent as the “…unrefuted claim that the State unlawfully manufactured critical evidence against him.”

Read the comments below carefully. They should trouble you. Remember that the other members of the Florida Supreme Court were willing to look away and voted to permit the execution of Mr. Tompkins.

Justice Anstead wrote, in part: “No one disputes that the most critical evidence of defendant’s guilt was presented by a witness commonly referred to as a jailhouse snitch…we now find out from the State itself that this crucial witness‘s evidence was unlawfully tampered with by the State‘s prosecutor.”

“But now, if we are to accept the State‘s most recent interview with this crucial witness, the snitch‘s evidence about the purse was a fabrication, a lie supplied by the State‘s prosecutor. Indeed, if the claim is true we have a state prosecutor who committed a criminal act in tampering with a witness.”

“Surely, at the very least, there is a reasonable possibility this dramatic disclosure would affect the jury‘s evaluation of the State‘s case. For all these reasons, I cannot join in the majority‘s summary rejection of this claim of prosecutorial misconduct, especially under the circumstances of this case where the defendant is under a pending warrant of execution.”

To read the full opinion click on this link: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/pub_info/summaries/briefs/08/08-2000/Filed_11-07-2008_Opinion.pdf

Sheila Meehan
Chair, TCADP

Wayne Tompkins update …. court orders stay.

The Governor signed a warrant and set the execution date for Wayne Tompkins for October 28.   The Florida Supreme Court entered a stay of execution until November 18.  Since then, the Governor has not acted to reschedule the execution.

There is an excellent possibility that Wayne Tompkins will not be executed on November 18.   There is nothing that I am aware of that could prevent him from scheduling it again, but so far he has not and so there is good reason to be hopeful.

Mr. Tompkins case is another great example of why there should be no death penalty.  His attorney, Marty McClain, was quoted in the newspaper recently:  “This is one of the most troubling cases that I have,” he said. “The evidence against Mr. Tompkins is just absurd.”

Shelia Meehan

Update

Tallahassee Citizens Against the Death Penalty

Dear Friends,

November is an important month for many reasons. I’m sure that most of you have voted already.

Here in Florida we continue to have to deal with the death penalty. Consequently Wayne Tompkins is scheduled to be killed on Tuesday, November 18th. Mr. Tompkins has excellent attorneys so I remain the optimist that I am and I’m hopeful that something may happen to save his life.

Nancy and Robert Fichter have once again graciously offered to host the holiday card signing. Each year we send every death row prisoner a holiday card along with a calendar. For many of them, this will be the only mail they receive. It takes awhile to sign all 388 cards, but it means a great deal to those who get them. Please drop by and sign as many as you can.

The Fichters live at 710 Waverly. Waverly runs between Thomasville and Meridian.

Saturday – November 22 — 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sunday – November 23 — 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Thank you.

Sheila Meehan
Chair, TCADP

Vigil ande Service of Remembrance for Richard Henyard and victims, Jamilya and Jasmine Lewis

Dear Friends,

As you know, Richard Henyard is scheduled to be killed on Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:00 p.m.

Please join us on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. in front of the Governor’s Mansion for a vigil for Mr. Henyard.

On the following day, Wednesday, September 24th, we will gather at 12 noon at the Rotunda in the Capitol for a Service of Remembrance for Richard Henyard and victims, Jamilya and Jasmine Lewis.

Sheila Meehan
Chair, TCADP