Barbee sentenced to die

Fort Worth Star Telegram ^ | Feb 27, 2006 | Traci Shurley

[steve-b]

He is unlikely to be violent in the future, Moore said

Yeah -- after he's dead.

[maggief]

[tuffydoodle]

"You're doing a good job."

Thank you. And thanks for asking about Tuffy. I just talked to the vet, he wants to keep him another 48 hours but thinks he's making progress. I'm encouraged.

[xarmydog]

In Texas,justice is not revenge.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

During closing arguments Monday, prosecutors Dixie Bersano and Rousseau cast Barbee as a selfish man who was willing to do anything to get what he wanted.

Hard to argue with that.

Any business partners missing? Or competitors?

[Pharmboy]

Something tells me you didn't do well in school...

[Mr. Jeeves]

Moore said Barbee was a law-abiding, productive citizen who changed into an “atrocious human being” for three hours on Feb. 19, 2005.

OK, then the penalty will only be three hours in the gas chamber. ;)

[tuffydoodle]

F-O, dickweed.

[Pharmboy]

Brilliant...

[COEXERJ145]

Oh, I see it is Texas. However, even there, it's likely that years will pass before he gets the Zot.

The average time on Texas death row is dropping rapidly. If one excludes the men who predate the law that limited federal court access, then most spend 5-7 years on death row give or take a bit.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, that's good, then. I haven't kept up!

Back in 1994, I was on the jury panel for a murder case in San Antonio (dismissed for cause :-). The perp got the death penalty, and he's still alive, or was last year when I googled his name.

[COEXERJ145]

I think the federal law took effect in 1995 (it was after the Republicans took Congress) so he would be under the old system of basically unlimited appeals.

If you want to see if he is still on death row, this link will show you.

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/offendersondrow.htm

[muir_redwoods]

"He is unlikely to be violent in the future,..."

Now, more so than ever

[Tax-chick]

He's still there. In a way, I'm glad. It was a murder-for-hire, and the guys who paid him got off with 10-to-20, iirc. I don't think it's fair that they'd fry the "instrument," as it were, and let the people who set it up live.

We don't often see a murderer (or murder suspect), but this young man was in the courtroom when the prospective jurors were being screened, and it made an impression on me. I was playing some games with the prosecutor and the public defender, and both the judge and the defendant were laughing!

Finally the judge said, "It's been quite an experience having you in my courtroom, young lady," - I was a young lady, back then :-), "and you may tell the clerk outside the door that you are Dismissed For Cause. Have a great weekend!"

[COEXERJ145]

I'd like to sit on a murder trial jury but thankfully we don't have that many in my town. Most of the ones we do have plead out to life in prison before it ever goes to trial because they know that juries in my county almost always pick death if applicable and the DA (who is a Democrat ironically) almost always seeks it. (We sent one of the thugs from Jasper to death row on a change of venue trial.)

[Tax-chick]

(We sent one of the thugs from Jasper to death row on a change of venue trial.)

Good on ya! I got called for jury service several times when I lived in San Antonio - my employer gave leave, fortunately - but the only trial I was actually on was the thrilling case of a man who hadn't paid the rent on his Xerox machine. The judge was so pissed that it had ended up in court that he gave a summary judgment against the defendant and sent us all back to the "pool" for the rest of the day. Booo-ring.

It's funny, the first couple times I was called, I was able to take sewing into the jury room, but by the last time - the Rodriguez murder - you weren't allowed to carry a needle or scissors into the courthouse.

[COEXERJ145]

but the only trial I was actually on was the thrilling case of a man who hadn't paid the rent on his Xerox machine.

LOL! The stupid cases are the ones that seem to actually go to trial. I've been called about 7-8 times but never had to appear. The first few I was in college so I had an excuse and the last 4 times I checked the night before and was told I didn't have to appear. I always checked the case dockets at the time and none were ever interesting.

My dad was called for a murder trial in Austin earlier this month for Michael Moore (yes, that is his name) but was dismissed. Moore was accused of kidnapping, robbing, and murdering a pregnant woman. My dad didn't get on the jury and the guy plead out while the jury was deliberating and got life in prison.

[Rte66]

Heh, you asked about "missing" business partners. Nope, it was the business partner who drove Barbee and the bodies of Lisa (with unborn baby Marleigh inside her) and Jayden to the "burial" site and helped him bury them!

His name is Ron Dodds and I think he was also indicted--he was in jail already on a parole violation--and he lived with the previous ex-Mrs. Barbee (there is another ex-Mrs. Barbee since this murder a year ago).

I don't think Ms Underwood was trashy, just kind of naive about men. May she and her children RIP and Barbee "get his" ASAP.

[Tunehead54]

Kudos for standing "Tuff" against your heavy-weight detractors although I'm actually surprised you're still here (sometimes its wiser to joke than cuss)- nice of the mod to fix things.

Good post - I hadn't heard of this at all. Hope he goes before you do. (that's a joke son). ;-)

[Tax-chick]

A judge told us once that just having the jury pool in the courthouse encouraged defendants to plead. Their lawyers would drag things out when they could, but they had to get real when it was really time to go to trial.