The Impending Execution of Daniel Wayne Cook

This post almost writes itself. The pattern is now too common.

A murderer is on the verge of execution. The murders are particularly grusome. (It seems as if the murders are always particularly grusome.) There is no chance the person sitting on death row did not at least participate in the crime that led to the murders. There is some dispute, however, over who did the actual killing or killings. The prosecutor rewards the first person to rat out the other with life, early out, or even freedom. The prosecutor charges the other with capital murder. Death penalty proponents compete among themselves with insightful commentary such as "good riddance" and "rot in hell." Death penalty opponents point to an abusive and disasterous childhood. I simply excerpt an appellate decision, stand mute rather than take a position, and the world goes on without a bother.

Daniel Wayne Cook (see Too Many Waynes) is scheduled to be executed by the people of Arizona on 5 April 2011 for the murders of Carlos Cruz Ramos and Kevin Swaney. There is no viable evidence that Cook did not participate in the kidnapping and torture of the victims. The mutilated bodies were found in his closet, for Pete's sake, while he was still in the room.

From the appellate decision in State v. Cook I offer the lurid details.

Shortly after 4:00 a.m. on July 21, 1987, John Matzke and Byron Watkins arrived at the Lake Havasu City Police Department, where Matzke reported his involvement in two murders committed at his apartment during the evening of July 19 and early morning of July 20. Matzke told officers about the crimes and granted the police consent to enter the apartment. Investigating officers went to the apartment that Matzke shared with Cook. After arresting Cook, officers searched the apartment and discovered the bodies of Carlos Cruz Ramos and Kevin Swaney in the closet of Matzke's bedroom. Autopsies revealed that both victims had been strangled.

Cook and Matzke were each indicted on two counts of first degree murder. In return for the state's dismissal of all other charges, Matzke agreed to plead guilty to one count of second degree murder and to testify against Cook. Cook was not offered a plea agreement. At trial Matzke related the following sordid story of bondage, torture, and sodomy, in which Cook was the principal protagonist. 

Carlos Cruz Ramos was a Guatemalan national employed at the same restaurant where Cook and Matzke worked. He had recently moved into their apartment. According to Matzke, Cook devised a plan to steal Cruz Ramos' money. While Matzke distracted Cruz Ramos, Cook stole approximately $90 from Cruz Ramos' money pouch. Shortly afterward, Cruz Ramos noticed his money was missing, and asked Cook and Matzke whether they knew anything about it. The two then lured Cruz Ramos into Cook's upstairs bedroom. They pushed Cruz Ramos down on the bed and, using strips torn from Cook's sheets, gagged him and tied him to a chair. 

Over the course of the next six or seven hours, Cruz Ramos was cut with a knife, beaten with fists, a metal pipe and a wooden stick, burned with cigarettes, sodomized, and had a staple driven through his foreskin. Matzke suggested that they kill Cruz Ramos because they could not let him go. Cook replied that Cruz Ramos should be killed at midnight, "the witching hour." When midnight arrived, Matzke first tried to strangle Cruz Ramos with a sheet. Matzke then took Cruz Ramos out of the chair, put him on the floor, and pushed down on his throat with a metal pipe. According to Matzke, because Cruz Ramos still would not die, Cook pressed down on one end of the pipe while Matzke pressed on the other. Finally, Matzke stood on the pipe as it lay across Cruz Ramos' throat and killed him. 

Matzke and Cook later dressed Cruz Ramos and put him in the closet of Matzke's bedroom. The autopsy revealed that Cruz Ramos had suffered severe lacerations and contusions as a result of his beating, that he had been cut on the chest, and that his stomach and genitals had been burned. The autopsy also revealed that Cruz Ramos had two puncture holes in his foreskin and that his anus was dilated, although no semen was detected. 

Kevin Swaney was a sixteen-year-old runaway and sometime guest at the apartment. He was a dishwasher at the restaurant where the others worked. Shortly after 2:00 a.m., approximately two hours after Cruz Ramos' death, Swaney stopped by the apartment. Cook initially told Swaney to leave, but subsequently invited him inside. Cook and Matzke told Swaney they had a dead body upstairs and, according to Matzke, Cook took Swaney upstairs and showed him Cruz Ramos' body. Swaney was crying when he and Cook returned downstairs. Cook reportedly told Swaney to undress, and Swaney complied, and Cook and Matzke then gagged him and tied him to a chair in the kitchen. Matzke said he told Cook that he would not witness or participate in Swaney's torture. Matzke then went into the living room and fell asleep in a chair. 

Cook later woke Matzke, who said he saw Swaney bound and gagged, sitting on the couch, crying. Cook told Matzke he had sodomized Swaney and that they had to kill him. Matzke said they tried to strangle Swaney with a sheet, but Matzke's end kept slipping out of his hands. Cook then reportedly stated "this one's mine," placed Swaney on the floor, and strangled him. He carried Swaney's body upstairs and put him in the closet with Cruz Ramos. 

The autopsy revealed that Swaney's anus was dilated and semen was present, although the identity of the donor could not be ascertained. Matzke's fingerprints were found on the knife used to cut Cruz Ramos' chest, but no identifiable fingerprints were found on the metal pipe or wooden stick. Cook's fingerprints were found on the chair to which Cruz Ramos had been tied, the closet door, and the stapler. His semen was found on the strips that had been torn from his bedsheets. There was no other physical evidence of Cook's participation. 

After Swaney's murder, Cook and Matzke fell asleep downstairs. Later in the day, Matzke went to work, but returned a few hours later after quitting his job at the restaurant. Late that evening, some friends came over to the apartment. Early in the morning of July 21, 1987, Matzke took one of the friends, Byron Watkins, outside of the apartment and told him about the murders. Watkins convinced Matzke to go to the police. 

When Cook was arrested and brought to the station, he was questioned by Detective David Eaton of the Lake Havasu City Police Department. According to Eaton, he advised Cook of his Miranda rights, then asked him how the two bodies found in the apartment had gotten there. Cook replied that "we got to partying; things got out of hand; now two people are dead." When asked how they died, Cook said "my roommate killed one and I killed the other."

Now, with the appellate court excerpt cleverly pasted into my post, I add my boilerplate conclusion.

I oppose the execution of people who might be factually innocent of the crime for which they are to die. I suspect that to prevent the execution of the factually innocent, we might have to ban the death penalty entirely.

I find no evidence that Daniel Wayne Cook did not participate in the kidnapping and torture that led to the deaths of Carlos Cruz Ramos and Kevin Swaney. Since I limit my efforts to people who are in all respects factually innocent, I stand mute with regard to the execution of Daniel Wayne Cook.

[Perhaps I'm still bummed about the execution of Eric King, who was likely innocent.]

Eric King Wrongfully Executed by the People of Arizona

You can unfortunately add Eric King to the list people we have executed for crimes they probably did not commit. Here I'll do it for you, listing just a few of the many.

Cameron Todd Willingham
Johnny Frank Garrett
France Elaine Newton
David Wayne Spence
Eric John King

This sucks.

The Imminent Wrongful Execution of Eric King

Our country is within 24 hours of executing someone who is probably innocent of the crime for which he was convicted.

Based on the undisputed testimony of Phoenix Police Sergeant Richard Switzer and eyewitness Frank Madden, Eric King could not have been involved in the robbery and murder for which he is to die. Those two witnesses were confident that the shooter was over six feet tall. Switzer, who had the better opportunity for comparison, identified the unknown participant to be taller than the known participant, Richard Jones.

Jones is 6 feet 1 inch tall. He was in the company of the shooter that night when the shooting took place. He was not charged with any crime. Instead Jones traded Eric King's life for his. It was a tough call, but you have to do what you have to do. Richard Jones walked free, Arizona got their conviction, and Eric King will get the needle.

Lady Justice will be glad she is blindfolded.

How can we as a society be so certain of Eric King's guilt that we are willing (and in too many circles, eager) to kill him? Eric King is 5 feet 8 inches tall, roughly one-half foot shorter than the shooter. To understand how substantial this height difference is, study the scaled comparison above.

Are you confident with your part in killing the man on the right even though two witnesses, one a trained police officer, tell you that the person who committed the crime was as tall as the man on the left?

Would you push the plunger?

Whether you like it or not, as Americans we each own at least a small part of this execution.

The Impending Execution of William Glenn Boyd

William Glenn Boyd is scheduled to be executed by the people of Alabama on 31 Mar 2011 for the murders of Fred and Evelyn Blackmon. Boyd admits to participating in the robbery and kidnapping of the two victims. Boyd claims, however, that Robert Denton Milstead (his partner-in-crime) is the one who actually murdered the victims. Milstead claimed that Boyd is the one who actually murdered the victims.

Boyd drew the short straw. After five tries, Milstead finally told the story the State wanted to hear. They then allowed him to turn state's evidence in exchange for his life.

As I've said before, we no longer have a jury-based justice system in this country. We have a prosecutor-based system.  The prosecutor decides who talks and who walks, who gets tried and who gets fried.

From the appellate decision in Boyd v. Allen, I offer this summary of the conflicting stories of Boyd and Milstead. It was a brutal, gruesome crime regardless of the roles.

At trial, there was conflicting testimony regarding whether Boyd had murdered Fred Blackmon, Evelyn Blackmon, or both victims. Anniston Police investigator Gary Carroll testified that Boyd insisted in his first statement to the police that his accomplice, Milstead, had killed both victims. Specifically, Boyd told the police that on the morning of March 26, 1986, he and Milstead, both armed, gained entry into the Blackmons' home. Boyd and Milstead had previously discussed robbing the Blackmons. Boyd admitted that he accompanied Mr. Blackmon to the bank, where Mr. Blackmon withdrew $5,000 and turned it over to Boyd, and returned to the Blackmons' house. Boyd and Milstead then forced the Blackmons into Mr. Blackmon's Cadillac Eldorado and drove to an area in Ohatchee, Alabama, near the river. After the car was parked, Milstead, according to Boyd, physically assaulted Mrs. Blackmon, and then shot her. Mr. Blackmon tried to barter for his life, but Boyd hit him on the back of the head, and then Milstead shot him too. Boyd and Milstead left the crime scene in the Cadillac Eldorado, only to return later that night. They stuffed Mr. Blackmon's body in the trunk of the Cadillac Eldorado and rolled the car down a boat ramp into the river. They left and returned to the crime scene still again the next morning, stuffed Mrs. Blackmon's body into a 55-gallon barrel and rolled the barrel into the river. They later disposed of the two guns used during the crime by throwing them into a creek.

On April 4, 1986, Boyd gave a second statement to the police that provided a detailed description of how to find the locations of the crime scenes. Boyd provided a third statement on April 6, 1986, claiming that he had remained in the car with Mr. Blackmon while Milstead took Mrs. Blackmon into the woods. Boyd said that Milstead was just supposed to leave her there, but decided to kill her instead. Boyd accompanied police to a creek on April 11, 1986, to show them where the guns had been discarded after the murders. A nickel-plated Raven Arms Company.25 caliber automatic pistol and a black .22 caliber pistol were recovered. There was one unfired round in the .25 caliber pistol, and five rounds still in the .22 pistol.

Milstead's statements and testimony, on the other hand, said that Boyd had killed both victims. Milstead pleaded guilty to capital murder and testified for the State against Boyd, in exchange for a sentence of life without parole. Prior to testifying, he had given five statements to the police, which varied in certain respects, but four of them consistently accused Boyd of shooting both victims as well as assaulting them.

Milstead testified that on the morning of the crime, Milstead, who did not know the Blackmons, gained entry into the Blackmons' house along with Boyd; they were both armed with loaded pistols. Boyd then gagged and blindfolded Mrs. Blackmon, and threatened the Blackmons that Mrs. Blackmon's daughter, Julie, had been taken hostage and would be killed if the Blackmons did not pay a ransom. Boyd forced Fred Blackmon to go to the bank to withdraw money, leaving Mrs. Blackmon alone at the house with Milstead. After Mr. Blackmon withdrew $5,000 and gave the money to Boyd, they returned to the home. Boyd and Milstead then forced Fred and Evelyn Blackmon at gunpoint into Mr. Blackmon's Cadillac Eldorado, and drove them to a secluded area by the river.

At that point, they separated the Blackmons, first forcing Mrs. Blackmon to walk away from the car to a clearing behind a brush pile. Boyd then re-gagged and blindfolded Mrs. Blackmon, and, after talking to her, struck Evelyn Blackmon across her forehead and nose with a stick. Mrs. Blackmon screamed, whereupon Boyd tried to strangle her with a cloth. Boyd then shot Mrs. Blackmon with a .22 caliber pistol, which he had muffled with the cloth. After she continued to fight for her life, Boyd took the .25 caliber gun from Milstead, who was standing with them, and shot her still again in the back and in the head.

Boyd and Milstead returned to the car and drove Mr. Blackmon to another location. After exiting the car, Boyd hit Mr. Blackmon's head with a stick. This blow also broke the taillight on Mr. Blackmon's Cadillac. Boyd then took a piece of cloth and started choking Mr. Blackmon with it. When Fred Blackmon struggled for his life and stabbed Boyd with a stick, Boyd took out the .25 caliber pistol and put it to Mr. Blackmon's throat. Mr. Blackmon begged Boyd not to shoot him, offering to give him $50,000. Boyd told Fred Blackmon that it was too late, and shot him in the chest and neck with the .25 caliber pistol. Boyd and Milstead left the scene in Mr. Blackmon's car. They returned later that night to the location of Fred Blackmon's murder, stuffed his body into the trunk of his car, and rolled it into the Coosa River. After a few minutes, the car sank. They threw the two pistols into a creek that night.

The next morning, Boyd and Milstead returned to the crime scene, finding Mrs. Blackmon's body. By Milstead's account, Boyd said the body was too stiff, so he took Milstead's ax and tried to cut Mrs. Blackmon's body in half. Boyd then took the body and broke Evelyn Blackmon's back, and along with Milstead threw her body into a metal barrel along with some cement blocks and rocks. Boyd cut some holes in the barrel with the ax. He and Milstead rolled the barrel into the river. The barrel sank in the water.

I oppose the execution of people who might be factually innocent of the crime for which they are to die. I suspect that to prevent the execution of the factually innocent, we might have to ban the death penalty entirely.

I find no evidence that William Glenn Boyd did not participate in the armed robbery and kidnapping that led to the deaths of Fred and Evelyn Blackmon. Since I limit my efforts to people who are in all respects factually innocent, I stand mute with regard to the execution of William Glenn Boyd.

Community Service Announcement

This post is unrelated to issues of wrongful conviction/imprisonment/execution. I post because I might hereby spare a reader some unnecessary nuisance.

Beware of a UPS malware attack.

I just received an email, allegedly from the United Parcel Service, informing me I would soon be receiving a package. It included an attachment that I was to open to see the tracking information.

I immediately smelled a big fat commie rat. The email wasn't exactly from UPS. It was from joiner22@ups.com. The attachment type looked strange: UPSnotify.rar. I had not previously seen a .rar file.  Since I know that clicking on attachments is a good way to infect my computer, I don't open attachments unless they are from someone I trust.

By comparison, when Amazon informs me they have sent my order, they put the tracking information in the body of the email. They don't require that I open a .rar attachment. Here's the body of the email I received.

Dear customer.

The parcel was sent your home address.
And it will arrive within 7 business day.

More information and the tracking number are attached in document below.

Thank you.
© 1994-2011 United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

They didn't take the time to do a mail merge. Instead of personalizing the email, they used a generic salutation of "Dear customer" followed by a period rather than a comma.

They begin the second sentence with "And."

They forgot "the" before "document" in the third sentence.

The copyright notice made me laugh.  What the hell are they copywriting?

Rather than open the attachment, if only out of  morbid curiousity, I went to Google, the source of all knowledge. And I entered the email title in the search field: United Parcel Service notification. The entire first page of hits consisted of sites explaining that my email was indeed a common malware scam. I didn't go past the first page.

The first link was from Naked Security: "Outbreak: United Parcel Service notification malware attack spammed out."

The fix is trivial. Don't open the attachment. Delete the email, empty your email trash, and go back to fretting over the wrongfully convicted.

You're welcome.