Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
3
Macon man convicted in slayings of woman, son
After being convicted Tuesday of killing a mother and son on Thanksgiving Day 2002, Tony Hurst accused court officials of allowing a female juror to sleep through his trial.
Today, jurors will hear evidence from family and friends on whether Hurst should receive the death penalty, life in prison without parole or life in prison for the killings of Sara "Von" Hawkins and 9-year-old Christopher Willis.
Testimony in the death penalty phase begins at 1 p.m. at the Bibb County Courthouse.
"I'm not going to cuss and I'm not g
oing to lose my temper," Hurst said after the verdicts were read and jurors were led out of the courtroom. "But we had one juror who slept through the entire trial. (Bibb County
Superior Court Judge Bryant Culpepper) knows it, (the prosecution) knows it and my defense team knows it ... and this is justice. I'm outta here."
Monday, Culpepper and the attorneys talked about the female juror, who has appeared to briefly nod off several times throughout the court proceedings. At that time, the judge said he thought the juror had stayed awake through most of the proceedings, but promised to monitor the situation.
It took jurors an hour and a half to return their verdict Tuesday.
Hurst rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling, and his family members and those of the victims silently wept as the jury foreman read the verdict and each juror was polled or asked if it was their true verdict.
It's unknown why Hurst, a distant cousin of Hawkins'
;,
broke into Hawkins' apartment that day.
In his closing argument, prosecutor Graham Thorpe theorized that Hurst surprised Hawkins as she was getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with her sons, Joseph a
nd Christopher Willis. Thorpe said the evidence showed Hurst came through the attic opening, inside Hawkins' bedroom closet.
"These are two people who got up that morning not knowing it would be their last day," Thorpe said. "These were real people. This is not something on television. ... This is not 'CSI.' "
Thorpe said evidence showed Hawkins confronted Hurst about being inside her apartment and he attacked her. Then, he said, she called out to her two sons to leave the apartment.
Joseph Willis last week testified that he and his brother were playing on the computer when they heard a commotion upstairs and their mother told them to leave. Joseph said he grabbed his brother by the wrist and went outside, but let go when
he ban
ged on neighbor Teresa Smith's door for help.
Somehow Christopher Willis ended up back inside his mother's apartment and became one of Hurst's victims.
"We'll never know what happened that day," Thorpe said. "That is something Jose
ph is going to have to think about for the rest of his life ... what happened to his brother."
Thorpe said evidence showed Hurst was attacking Hawkins when Smith came into the apartment and walked up the stairs. Smith testified last week that she confronted Hurst inside Hawkins' bedroom and saw the woman bleeding and laying against the wall.
Joseph also testified that he saw Hurst covered in blood and standing at the top of the stairwell of his mother's apartment.
"Little Joseph also saw Tony Hurst holding that bloody knife, and they told that to police," Thorpe said. "Do you think little Joseph will forget that as long as he lives?"
Prosecutor
s theorize that Hawkins was still alive when Christopher came into the bedroom to check on his mother and then was attacked. Blood evidence found on the cord of the phone, which was pulled out of the wall and found clutched in Hawkins' hand, contained DNA from Hurst and Christopher.
"Here's the woman who just won't die," Th
orpe said. "As the defendant is cutting the boy's throat, while mama is watching and she's trying to call for help. He goes over to that phone cord with his hands dripping with Christopher's blood and he grabs that phone cord out of the wall."
Thorpe said the evidence shows Hurst went through Hawkins' purse and a pair of her shorts after the killings. He then cleaned up in her bathroom and climbed into the attic, Thorpe said.
Prosecutors and police theorize that Hurst fell through the ceiling as he was leaving the apartment. Macon police found him hours later sitting
in the bedroo
m of another apartment.
In her closing argument, defense attorney Laura Hogue asked jurors to look at the state's case to make sure "there are no holes."
Thorpe and defense attorney Frank Hogue declined to comment about the case Tuesday afternoon.
*************
<
b>Yeah, you're
outta here alright. For the love of God, sheeple!, Wake up America and smell the nigger.[/b]
T.N.B.
Macon man convicted in slayings of woman, son
After being convicted Tuesday of killing a mother and son on Thanksgiving Day 2002, Tony Hurst accused court officials of allowing a female juror to sleep through his trial.
Today, jurors will hear evidence from family and friends on whether Hurst should receive the death penalty, life in prison without parole or life in prison for the killings of Sara "Von" Hawkins and 9-year-old Christopher Willis.
Testimony in the death penalty phase begins at 1 p.m. at the Bibb County Courthouse.
"I'm not going to cuss and I'm not g
oing to lose my temper," Hurst said after the verdicts were read and jurors were led out of the courtroom. "But we had one juror who slept through the entire trial. (Bibb County
Superior Court Judge Bryant Culpepper) knows it, (the prosecution) knows it and my defense team knows it ... and this is justice. I'm outta here."
Monday, Culpepper and the attorneys talked about the female juror, who has appeared to briefly nod off several times throughout the court proceedings. At that time, the judge said he thought the juror had stayed awake through most of the proceedings, but promised to monitor the situation.
It took jurors an hour and a half to return their verdict Tuesday.
Hurst rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling, and his family members and those of the victims silently wept as the jury foreman read the verdict and each juror was polled or asked if it was their true verdict.
It's unknown why Hurst, a distant cousin of Hawkins'
;,
broke into Hawkins' apartment that day.
In his closing argument, prosecutor Graham Thorpe theorized that Hurst surprised Hawkins as she was getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with her sons, Joseph a
nd Christopher Willis. Thorpe said the evidence showed Hurst came through the attic opening, inside Hawkins' bedroom closet.
"These are two people who got up that morning not knowing it would be their last day," Thorpe said. "These were real people. This is not something on television. ... This is not 'CSI.' "
Thorpe said evidence showed Hawkins confronted Hurst about being inside her apartment and he attacked her. Then, he said, she called out to her two sons to leave the apartment.
Joseph Willis last week testified that he and his brother were playing on the computer when they heard a commotion upstairs and their mother told them to leave. Joseph said he grabbed his brother by the wrist and went outside, but let go when
he ban
ged on neighbor Teresa Smith's door for help.
Somehow Christopher Willis ended up back inside his mother's apartment and became one of Hurst's victims.
"We'll never know what happened that day," Thorpe said. "That is something Jose
ph is going to have to think about for the rest of his life ... what happened to his brother."
Thorpe said evidence showed Hurst was attacking Hawkins when Smith came into the apartment and walked up the stairs. Smith testified last week that she confronted Hurst inside Hawkins' bedroom and saw the woman bleeding and laying against the wall.
Joseph also testified that he saw Hurst covered in blood and standing at the top of the stairwell of his mother's apartment.
"Little Joseph also saw Tony Hurst holding that bloody knife, and they told that to police," Thorpe said. "Do you think little Joseph will forget that as long as he lives?"
Prosecutor
s theorize that Hawkins was still alive when Christopher came into the bedroom to check on his mother and then was attacked. Blood evidence found on the cord of the phone, which was pulled out of the wall and found clutched in Hawkins' hand, contained DNA from Hurst and Christopher.
"Here's the woman who just won't die," Th
orpe said. "As the defendant is cutting the boy's throat, while mama is watching and she's trying to call for help. He goes over to that phone cord with his hands dripping with Christopher's blood and he grabs that phone cord out of the wall."
Thorpe said the evidence shows Hurst went through Hawkins' purse and a pair of her shorts after the killings. He then cleaned up in her bathroom and climbed into the attic, Thorpe said.
Prosecutors and police theorize that Hurst fell through the ceiling as he was leaving the apartment. Macon police found him hours later sitting
in the bedroo
m of another apartment.
In her closing argument, defense attorney Laura Hogue asked jurors to look at the state's case to make sure "there are no holes."
Thorpe and defense attorney Frank Hogue declined to comment about the case Tuesday afternoon.
*************
<
b>Yeah, you're
outta here alright. For the love of God, sheeple!, Wake up America and smell the nigger.[/b]
T.N.B.