In State 5.9
Fri, May 9, 2008
DECATUR — A Superior Court judge says he can be fair to accused courthouse shooter Brian Nichols despite a newspaper statement he authorized that described his colleague's death as a "brutal murder."Judge James Bodiford said at a hearing Thursday on a defense motion that seeks to remove him from the case that his comments in a newspaper article four days after the March 11th, 2005, shooting spree and a statement he issued to the paper don't preclude him from serving on the case.Defense lawyer Josh Moore told Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey, who was assigned to hear the motion, that at the very least there is the potential for bias on Bodiford's part. Coursey says he will rule by next week.Nichols is charged with killing four people after escaping from custody at the Fulton County Courthouse while on trial for rape on March 11th, 2005.Nichols' lawyers say Bodiford should be removed because he told a newspaper in a story published four days after the shooting spree that he was friends with one of the victims, Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes.
WOODBINE — According to Camden County authorities, a man charged with killing his parents was reported missing by them the night before they were slain.The father of 22-year-old Tye Christopher Watkins filed a missing person report with the sheriff's department Sunday night. Officials said the son called 911 Monday and said he'd killed his parents.
T.J. and Cindy Watkins were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home near St. Marys. Their son was arrested and remains jailed.The sheriff's report said Tye Watkins' roommates told his family he had been missing since April 27th. The roommates said they found a receipt showing he had bought a gun and ammunition.Court clerk Alison Crews said Watkins did not have an attorney at his court appearance Tuesday.ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker has ordered a Georgia man to be executed on May 22nd in the death of his former manager.Baker issued the order Thursday for Samuel David Crowe. He was sentenced to death in Douglas County in November 1989 after being convicted of robbery and murder in the death of his former boss, Joseph Pala, in 1988.Pala worked at Wickes Lumber Company in Douglas County. Crowe had been a manager-trainee at the same lumber company earlier, and company officials said he was experiencing financial problems.Crowe's execution would be the second in Georgia since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injections.William Earl Lynd was executed Tuesday.ATLANTA — Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle now says he's willing to let the state Senate act on a referendum that would allow voters to decide whether stores may sell alcohol on Sunday.Cagle has been viewed as a stumbling block on the issue. He made his latest statement in just under 2,000 letters sent out in the last week to Georgians who had contacted him about legislation that would let voters decide on Sunday sales.The Senate has stalled Sunday sales legislation during the past two sessions.Cagle of Gainesville wrote that he still opposes Sunday sales because of his religious beliefs.He is considered a possible Republican candidate for governor in 2010.Georgia, Connecticut and Indiana are the only states that don't allow the sale of any alcohol at stores on Sunday.
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