The Death Penalty - Should it be abolished?

Frank W. Anderson

Leta Kagen (39), Leta's 15-year-old son, Robert Delahunt, Roland Wear (50), and Bobby Poyson (21) lived in a remote area of Mohave County. On August 13, 1996, Frank Anderson (48) and Kimberly Lane (15) had been hitchhiking in the area, and Leta agreed to let Anderson and Lane spend the night. Anderson, Poyson, and Lane decided to kill Leta, Robert, and Roland, and steal Roland's truck and other property. Lane enticed Robert into a travel trailer on the property, where Anderson cut Robert's throat nearly from ear to ear with a bread knife. Anderson held the struggling boy down, and then assisted Poyson in driving the bread knife through Robert's ear, and out his mouth. Poyson finally ended Robert's struggling by crushing his skull with a rock. Three to four hours later, after eating dinner, Anderson and Poyson entered Leta's mobile home, and Poyson killed her by shooting her in her head with a rifle, as Anderson held a lantern for light. Roland awoke, and Poyson shot him in his mouth. Poyson then hit Roland with the rifle stock, and Anderson hit him with the lantern. Roland and Poyson struggled out into the yard, where Anderson gave Poyson a cinder block, which Poyson used to bludgeon Roland to death.

Phillip Bocharski

On May 13, 1995, Freeda Brown's partially decomposed body was found in her trailer located outside of Congress, Arizona. The cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds to the head and neck. The victim also had a defensive wound on her right hand. Phillip Bocharski lived in a tent near Congress. He had previously done some odd jobs for the victim, including driving her to Wickenburg banks and stores so she could cash checks. On May 10, 1995, Frank Sukis gave Bocharski a ride to Congress to obtain food handouts from a food bank. Upon returning to Bocharski's tent, they saw Ms. Brown, and Bocharski told Sukis they should kill her because she was 85 years old and was complaining of arthritis. Before Ms. Brown's death, Bocharski was broke; after her death, he had "hundreds of dollars" he claimed had been given to him by someone who wanted some work done in the future; he subsequently told Sukis that he had been given $500 in advance "to do a hit job in Prescott." Bocharski told a friend that he had "murdered an old lady for her money. "

Scott D. Clabourne

On the evening of September 18, 1980, Laura Webster, a University of Arizona student, was at the Green Dolphin Bar in Tucson with friends. She met Scott D. Clabourne and Larry Langston at the bar and agreed to leave with them. Clabourne and Langston then took Webster to the house of a friend of Langston. Ms. Webster was repeatedly raped and sodomized, then strangled and stabbed in the heart three times. Her body was dumped in an arroyo, where it was found the next morning. Langston pled guilty to murder and received a life sentence.

Daniel Wayne Cook

Daniel Wayne Cook, John Matzke, and Carlos Froyan Cruz-Ramos worked at a restaurant in Lake Havasu City and shared an apartment. On July 19, 1987, Cook stole some money from Cruz-Ramos. When Cruz-Ramos began searching the apartment for the money, Cook and Matzke tied Cruz-Ramos to a chair and began beating him with their fists and a metal pipe. Cook also cut Cruz-Ramos with a knife, sodomized him, and burned his genitals with cigarettes. After several hours of this torture, Matzke and Cook crushed Cruz-Ramos' throat with the pipe. When Kevin Swaney, another co-worker, arrived at the apartment, Cook forced him upstairs and showed him Cruz-Ramos' body. Cook and Matzke then tied Swaney to a chair. Matzke went to sleep while Cook sodomized Swaney. When Cook was finished, he woke Matzke and the two men strangled Swaney to death with a bed sheet. Matzke pled guilty to second-degree murder and testified against Cook.

James Davolt

On November 23, 1998, James Davolt was riding a bicycle in his neighborhood when he saw Nicholas Zimmer, an elderly local resident. Davolt knew Nicholas and the two began to talk. Nicholas took Davolt with him to a local hardware store before the two returned to the Zimmer residence, where they went into the garage. There, Davolt picked up a hatchet and struck Nicholas in the head three times. Nicholas escaped from Davolt and ran into the house. Davolt eventually broke into the Zimmer residence, found Nicholas, and shot him twice in the chest. Davolt then found Nicholas' wife, Eleanor, who was also at home. He brought her to a bank and unsuccessfully tried to withdraw money from her account with an ATM card. Davolt then made Eleanor write him a check for $1,500. He went into the bank and cashed the check. The next day, Davolt strangled Eleanor to death. Davolt then placed the two victims' bodies in the kitchen, covered them with paper, doused them with fuel, and set them on fire. Davolt took the Zimmers' car and drove to California where police ultimately apprehended him.

Richard K. Djerf

On September 14, 1993, Richard K. Djerf forced himself into the Luna residence at gunpoint. Djerf believed Albert Luna, Jr. had burglarized his house. Patricia Luna and her 5-year-old son were at home. Djerf secured Mrs. Luna and her son by tying their arms and legs and gagging them. When Rochelle Luna arrived several hours later, Djerf took her to her bedroom where he raped and killed her. When Albert Luna, Sr. arrived at home, Djerf forced him into his bedroom at gunpoint. Djerf handcuffed Mr. Luna to a bed and smashed his head with a baseball bat, and then removed the handcuffs because he believed Mr. Luna was dead. Djerf then returned to the kitchen where Mrs. Luna and Damien Luna remained. Mr. Luna regained consciousness and charged the Defendant. Djerf then killed Mr. Luna, and shot Mrs. Luna and Damien in the head.

Michael Steven Gallegos

On March 16, 1990, Michael Steven Gallegos and George Anthony Smallwood were staying at Smallwood's mother's house when they decided to sexually assault Smallwood's half-sister, Kendall Wishon, age 8. They went into her room, and when she awoke, Gallegos held his hand over her mouth and nose causing her to suffocate. After Kendall became unconscious, Gallegos proceeded to have anal intercourse with her for 15 to 20 minutes. After finishing, Gallegos and Smallwood dumped the victim's body under a tree down the street from the Smallwood residence.

David Gulbrandson

David Gulbrandson and the 45-year-old female victim operated a photography business, and also were involved in an intimate personal relationship. The victim ended their personal relationship in January of 1991, and Gulbrandson physically assaulted her on February 14, 1991. The victim sought and obtained a protective order against Gulbrandson as a result of this assault. On March 9, 1991, Gulbrandson threatened to kill the victim during a telephone conversation. Sometime late in the evening of March 10, 1991, or early in the morning of March 11, 1991, Gulbrandson entered the victim's home, and brutally tortured and murdered her while her two children were sleeping. Despite the victim's intense struggle, Gulbrandson inflicted 33 incision-type injuries all over her body, a puncture wound to her liver, and at least ten blunt force injuries. In addition, he cracked the victim's teeth, fractured her nose and seven of her ribs, embedded part of a wooden salad fork in her leg, and attempted to burn her by lighting her hair on fire. Gulbrandson killed her by either strangling her or by inflicting a blow to her neck which caused her to suffocate. Gulbrandson left the victim in the master bedroom clad only in her panties, with her ankles and one wrist bound with electrical cords, and he left three knives, one razor knife, and one pair of scissors, all of which were bloodstained, in the kitchen sink. Gulbrandson left the scene in the victim's car. Gulbrandson's fingerprints were found at the scene, and bloody clothing was found at his residence. The victim's car was located in Montana on April 1, 1991, and Gulbrandson was arrested there 2 days later.