Death penalty upheld for '81 murder of 2 young women

sfgate.com ^ | 12/30/04 | Bob Egelko

[Ellesu]

Redwood City killer's execution date set for Jan. 19 A federal appeals court late Wednesday upheld the death sentence of Donald Beardslee for murdering two young women in San Mateo County in 1981, moving him one step closer to execution on Jan. 19. A day after hearing arguments on a last-ditch appeal by Beardslee's attorneys, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that errors in his penalty trial did not affect the jury's verdict. Beardslee can still ask the full appeals court for a rehearing and appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has previously refused to review his case. He can also ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for clemency. If those efforts fail, he will become the 11th person put to death in California since 1992, when the state resumed executions after a 25-year halt, and the first since January 2002. Beardslee, now 61, was convicted of murdering Stacy Benjamin, 19, and her friend Patty Geddling, 23, over a drug debt in April 1981.

[af_vet_1981]

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

He deserved a fair trial and a fast hanging.

[onevoter]

This man has already lived 23 years longer than he should have. Once he was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt he should have been executed. Instead, taxpayers have been footing the bill for some idiot lawyers to try to reverse the conviction of a cold-hearted killer.

[SirLurkedalot]

On parole for a '69 murder when he killed these two women. Rhetorical Question: What the f*** is wrong with this picture?

[Rodney King]

They need to Kill the SOB already. On the lost appeal, the judge should jsut order the bailiff to take him out back and shoot him.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

UN believeable.

[SirLurkedalot]

I mean seriesly, if it ain't self-defense or accidental, it's MURDER folks. Get the frickin rope already, will ya?

[wolficatZ]

Name: Beardslee, Donald

CDC# C-82702

Sex: M

 

Alias:	None
Date Received:	03/14/1984
DOB:	05/13/1943
Education:	Unknown
Location:	San Quentin State Prison
Married:	No

Sentence:
 

County of Trial:	San Mateo	Sentence Date:	03/12/1984
County of Residence:	Unknown	County of Offense:	San Mateo
Offense Date:	04/25/1981	Court Action:	Affirmed
Court Date:	03/25/1991	Case #:	C10632

Victims:

Patty Geddling, Stacie Benjamin

Co-Defendant:

None.

Summary:

Donald Beardslee was convicted of First Degree Murder in the deaths of two young women, Patty Geddling and Stacie Benjamin, on April 25, 1981, in an apparent drug-related murder. At the time of the murders, Beardslee was on parole for murder in Missouri.

[heleny]

execution date set for Jan. 19 [2005] ...
If those efforts fail, he will become the 11th person put to death in California since 1992, when the state resumed executions after a 25-year halt, and the first since January 2002.

CA has had ten executions in 13 years, with only one execution in the last three years. However, we add several convicts each year to San Quentin. The number of convicts on death row is already several hundred (over 600?) and growing.

CA plans to spend money to expand the death row facilities to house about 1000 death row convicts while the state has a budget shortage. Instead, CA ought to process the appeals more quickly, so that the convicts can be removed from death row (executed, exonerated, or given a different sentence) at least as quickly as we add new convicts to death row.

20+ years for appeals is much too long. Some victims never even lived that long.