Posted on Sat, Jan. 28, 2006
Parents proud of slain son
BY PAT GILLESPIE Staff Writer
As District Attorney Gray Conger read the guilty verdict aloud Friday, Lanny and Remedios Davis sat in their seats, showing little emotion. In the two and a half years since their son, Spc. Richard Davis, was killed in Columbus after surviving a year in Iraq, Lanny Davis said he has done a lot of thinking. In fact, the Vietnam War veteran has felt a lot of anger. "I just had searing pain and anger," he said. "I was looking forward to hearing his stories and being with him and hugging him." Davis said his son probably wanted to come home as a surprise, as he usually did when returning to St. Charles, Mo., on leave. They never knew when he was coming back to Fort Benning or Missouri, for that matter. Davis enjoyed hearing his son's recollection of his time in Iraq, but those came only by telephone. Neither he nor his wife ever got to see their only son again. On July 12, 2003, Davis, along with Jacob Burgoyne, Douglas Woodcoff, Mario Navarrete and Alberto Martinez, went out on the town to celebrate their return from the Middle East. First, they went to Hooters near Veterans Parkway and guzzled pitcher after pitcher of beer. Then they went to the Platinum Club on Manchester Expressway to shoot pool, drink and watch the topless dancers. But Davis had too much to drink, testimony revealed this week, and he was asked to leave. His comrades took him to Martinez's car and left him while they returned to the club. After an hour or two, they returned and Davis said something that angered Burgoyne, he testified, so he beat Davis in the parking lot. They got into the car and Martinez drove off. Near a wooded area on Milgen Road, they all got out and Burgoyne said he hit Davis once before Davis made a truce with him. That's when Martinez stepped in and stabbed Davis in the side, Burgoyne testified. Davis was stabbed 33 times before the group left, traveling to a convenience store to buy lighter fluid and matches. They returned and set his body on fire. Martinez, Navarrete and Burgoyne returned days later to move the body deeper into the woods. "They didn't even give him a quick death," Lanny Davis said. "They made him suffer." Relatives and family members of Martinez and Navarrete were emotional after the verdict and declined comment. Davis' parents watched as Martinez and Navarrete were sentenced to life sentences followed by 15 years in prison by Muscogee Superior Court Senior Judge Bill Smith. Although happy they'll serve severe punishment for their roles in the murder, it doesn't bring their son back. "Knowing those animals are locked up, not able to do any more harm -- that's one satisfaction," Lanny Davis said. "I do not look at them as humans. Humans don't do that." His wife, Remedios, shared his sentiments as she was interviewed after the verdict. "If they could bring my son back, then justice could be served," she said. Throughout the trial, she held photos of her son, some showing him in uniform and others from the family album. Lanny Davis said his son never picked a fight, but he also never ran from one. Standing about 5-foot-8, he wasn't intimidating, but he was smart, Davis said. He was also pleased to be in the military. "He was so proud to fight for this America," he said of his son. But because he was half-Filipino and half-Caucasian, he felt he had to do more than others to prove his worth, his father said. "He said, 'I just want to prove that I'm an American,'" Davis said. "He said that because people picked on him." Despite the long sentences, particularly for Martinez, they get to live, he said. "Life is not enough," he said. "He's still breathing." © 2006 Ledger-Enquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.ledgerenquirer.com