Posted on 08/04/2005 9:43:31 AM PDT by Fawn
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A man angry with his wife because she nagged him to cuddle after sex while he wanted to watch sports on television has been sentenced to death for killing her with a claw hammer.
Christopher Offord, 30 received the sentence Wednesday from Circuit Judge Dedee Costello, who said the brutality of the killing outweighed any mental health issues.
"The defendant struck his wife approximately 70 individual blows after spending a happy interlude with her," Costello said. "Her desire to cuddle after sex does not justify the extremely violent, brutal response of the defendant."
Offord pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the July 31, 2004, death of Dana Noser, 40, at his Panama City apartment.
He initially confessed to a bartender at a sports bar before being arrested. He told investigators he got annoyed when he wanted to watch a sports program and Noser continued to ask him to return to bed with her.
Offord did not speak in court Wednesday but in the past has repeatedly said he wanted a death sentence.
"Prison isn't the issue," he said in June during a jailhouse interview with The News Herald of Panama City. "I figured I killed her so I deserve to die."
All death sentences are automatically appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.
A 12-member jury unanimously had recommended death. The only other option was life in prison without parole.
At that June hearing, Offord claimed he had a history of mental illness since he was 6 years old. He also told arresting officers that a voice in his head told him to kill Noser.
At a second sentencing hearing last month, however, he denied having any mental impairment, saying he had fooled doctors all his life. He said he "just lost it" when he killed Noser and had been thinking about murdering her for weeks.
Costello said his main problem probably was substance abuse. She nevertheless considered his history of diagnosed mental disorders but said it was outweighed by the "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel" way Noser was killed.
"This was not an instantaneous death and it was obviously extremely painful and unnecessarily brutal," Costello said.
"The defendant struck his wife approximately 70 individual blows after spending a happy interlude with her"
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"Happy interludes" can be deceiving indeed.
Gee....d'ya suppose?
A "happy interlude", that's a new euphemism I haven't heard before.
Jeez this is horrible. Guess I better fight back my yawns after a roll in the hay with the missus.
I have a friend who went out with somebody like this - he was trying to beat her to death in the car, but her phone was in her pocket and one of the buttons got pressed and speed-dialed somebody. This made the guy stop.
Of course, she never charged him, so eventually he'll go on and beat some other woman to death.
Looks like Christopher won't, though. Good for the judge.
Coming soon -- the new Catch-22: If someone is not insane, but feels an overwhelming urge to portray themselves as insane, then this is evidence of a mental illness.
Guess we can expect to hear "go happy interlude yourself" down in the hood soon.
If he had told the jury that she hid the remote......
Somewhere out there, a sports-show producer is wondering if there's a tasteful way to use this in a promo.
My wife seems to think sex will kill her. Might be right.
I agree with him. Save another life and terminate this clown now.
Since when have they cared about taste?
Boy, this guy must really like sports!
I remember a skit on The Man Show where you could rent a homo to cuddle with your wife after sex so you could watch sports. Seems like a good idea now.
Give this jerk what he asks for.
It probably sounded like Dick Vitale.
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