Jan. 7
TEXAS—-impending execution
State set to execute convicted Dallas cop killer
A man convicted of gunning down a suburban Dallas police officer during a
failed bank robbery attempt almost 13 years ago is set to receive lethal
injection.
51-year-old Kenneth Mosely was condemned for the February 1997 slaying of
Garland Officer David Moore. The execution Thursday evening in Huntsville
would be the 1st of the year in the nation's busiest death penalty state.
Another convicted killer is scheduled to die in Texas next week.
Attorneys for Mosley say his court appeals are exhausted. A request to the
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency for Mosley also has been
denied.
(source: Associated Press)
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Caravan will accompany Garland police officer's widow to killer's
execution
A busload of Garland police officers and their spouses will join a caravan
of cars heading to Huntsville today for the scheduled execution of Kenneth
Mosley.
Mosley, 51, killed Garland Officer Michael "David" Moore nearly 13 years
ago during a failed bank robbery.
His execution was delayed twice last year, forcing the officer's family,
friends and colleagues to scuttle plans for the 350-mile round trip.
"Everybody's been pretty quiet since we got the latest execution date,"
said Officer Joe Harn, a spokesman for the Garland Police Department. "We
think this one will be it."
Moore's wife and 3 children will join the caravan.
"We don't know what to expect. This is all new to us," said Sheila Moore,
the officer's widow.
As relatives began arriving at her home earlier in the week, there were
other things to worry about, such as shuttling people from the airport and
picking up extra groceries.
"Right now, I'm mainly concerned about the kids and the car," Moore said
with a laugh. "It's all going to happen, one way or the other."
Moore's colleagues on the police force said they will be looking for
closure when Mosley finally dies from a lethal injection sometime after 6
p.m. today.
"It's been a long time, waiting for this day," Harn said. "It's pretty
emotional for everyone to have it finally happen."
The execution has forced the people who knew David Moore to recall what
happened on Feb. 15, 1997, the day he was killed at a Bank One branch on
West Centerville Road in Garland.
Moore was 1 of 3 officers who responded to a "suspicious person" call from
a bank employee. While the other officers waited outside, Moore entered
the bank and was directed toward Mosley, standing in a teller's line.
Witnesses said Mosley was behaving strangely, breathing loudly and almost
growling as he was standing there. Several employees had recognized him as
the man who previously robbed the bank.
Moore came up behind Mosley and asked him to show his hands. A scuffle
ensued, during which Mosley pulled a gun from his pocket and the 2 men
crashed through a window.
5 shots rang out and Moore, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, never got
up. Mosley was trying to run away from the bank when another Garland
officer shot him in the wrist. He was taken into custody without incident.
Moore was airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was
pronounced dead. He was 32 years old and had served nearly 10 years on the
Garland force.
At a weeklong trial later that year, Mosley would argue that he was simply
trying to hand over his gun when it fired 5 times. The shooting was
accidental, he insisted.
But the jury didn't buy it and found him guilty of capital murder after
deliberating only 45 minutes. It took half an hour to decide on the death
penalty.
Jason January, the Dallas County prosecutor in the case, recalled watching
the bank's videotape of the skirmish and said what happened was as clear
as day.
"The officer gave Mosley every chance to give up peacefully," said
January, who is now in private practice. "David Moore was as professional
as he could be."
That memory makes it easier to accept Mosley's execution by the state,
January said.
"If I was a family member watching Mosley die, I would be thinking about
the terrible thing that he did to a police officer," he said. "It didn't
have to happen that way."
(source: Dallas Morning News)
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3 charged with capital murder in game room death
Harris County prosecutors have charged 3 men with capital murder in the
fatal shooting of a woman during an armed robbery last month at a
northeast Harris County game room.
Juanita Sorola, 53, was shot Dec. 28 after 2 men forced their way into an
8-liner game room inside a converted grocery in the 11900 block of Aldine
Westfield.
Sorola, the manager, died at the scene, authorities said.
On Dec. 31, Harris County sheriff's deputies arrested Jose Ventura, 31,and
Henri Orantes, 32, in the slaying. They were charged with capital murder.
On Wednesday, Javier Garcia, 23, also was arrested and charged with
capital murder.
Also arrested Wednesday was Victor Amaya, 42. He was wanted on a felony
warrant from Louisiana and is awaiting extradition, authorities said.
The men remain in the Harris County Jail without bail.
(source: Houston Chronicle)