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Posted on 09/17/2007 3:51:31 PM PDT by SmithL
KINGSTON — Jennifer Hyatte was sentenced today to life in prison without a chance for parole for the 2005 murder of a prison guard and the wounding of another guard in an attempt to free her husband, George Hyatte.
Before she was led out of the courtroom, Jennifer Hyatte tearfully apologized to the family and friends of her victims.
“For all of the hurt and pain that I have caused you all … I can’t ask you to forgive me, because what I’ve done is unforgivable,” Hyatte said in Criminal Court at the Roane County Courthouse.
The former prison nurse shot and killed corrections officer Wayne “Cotton” Morgan and wounded officer Larry “Porky” Harris, then fled with her husband to Ohio, where they were captured 36 hours later.
“I hope her apology was sincere,” Morgan’s wife of 36 years, Viann Morgan, said. “I hope she meant it.”
“But we can’t know for sure,” said Morgan’s daughter, Carla Keeton. “She could just be telling us what we want to hear. I hope it was form her heart.”
During the sentencing hearing, Harris’ wife, Dean, vividly described the pain caused by the Hyattes’ actions.
“Vivid nightmares,” she said. “Days of crying until there are no tears left in your eyes to flow down your face.”
Harris said even the joy of having her own husband survive is often overshadowed by the pain she feels for the Morgan family.
“For 36 hours of freedom — 36 hours to be with George — you murdered and attempted to murder.”
Jennifer Hyatte was to go to trial Nov. 5.
The murder prosecution against her husband, George Hyatte, is still pending, and he could face the death penalty if he is convicted at trial on March 25, 2008.
George Hyatte’s attorney, Cynthia LeCroy-Schemel, said she hasn’t yet determined how Jennifer Hyatte’s plea deal would affect his case since they are being tried separately.
Jennifer Hyatte’s attorney, John Eldridge, has indicated that she will take the stand against her husband if she is subpoenaed.
“If called upon to testify, Ms. Hyatte will testify truthfully in any proceeding,” Eldridge said last week.
It’s also expected she would have to testify against prison guard Randall Ridenour, who is charged with facilitating the Hyattes’ escape.
Specifically, Ridenour is accused of letting George Hyatte use his cell phone to call Jennifer Hyatte and also calling her himself on July 18, 2005.
The same day he also talked to another guard in George Hyatte’s presence about “weaknesses and vulnerability in the security of transporting an inmate to the Roane County Courthouse and how easily an inmate could escape.”
Prosecutors allege that “most of the weaknesses bore a striking resemblance to the escape that took place” three weeks later on Aug. 9.
Ridenour faces a prison term of 3-15 years if convicted.
While District Attorney General Russell Johnson has been criticized by some for the plea deal, Morgan’s son said last week that his family approved the plea deal with Jennifer Hyatte.
Dennis Wayne Morgan, said he had seen readers’ comments on knoxnews.com, the News Sentinel’s Web site, criticizing Johnson’s office.
Morgan said he wanted to defend the prosecutors’ decision, which was approved by the slain officer’s family.
“The DA’s office has done nothing but been there for the Morgan family in this case,” Morgan said. “They did not arrive at this decision lightly nor did we. We met with the DA’s office shortly after the defense lawyers had met with them to revisit the possibility of a plea agreement.
“They explained to us how it would work in accepting this plea and they explained how it would work if we pressed forward for the death penalty for Jennifer. Believe me when I say that the decision to allow this plea agreement was reached jointly.
“Russell Johnson and (Assistant District Attorney) Frank Harvey would have gone all the way for us if we had so wanted to. We as the family just want some closure at this point before our own short lives are over.”
When asked if Morgan’s family would support a similar plea deal for George Hyatte, the slain officer’s son said: “We haven’t heard anything about George’s case but as far as I’m concerned I still want to go forward with it. That could change, just like this one did.
“It’s just a matter of us wanting some type of end to it without it dragging on so long — we know how things can drag on.”
At the time of the Aug. 9 escape, George Hyatte was serving sentences totaling 41 years for a variety of offenses. A member of the Gangster Disciples, a mixed-race street gang based in Chicago, he had married Jennifer Hyatte in a prison ceremony a few months before the breakout.
Morgan and Harris were escorting George Hyatte from a hearing at the Roane County Courthouse to a prison van when Jennifer Hyatte allegedly ambushed them in the parking lot.
Morgan died in the shootout, and Jennifer Hyatte was wounded.
The Hyattes then changed vehicles and fled Kingston, eventually making their way north to Ohio. They were arrested by a task force led by U.S. marshals at a motel in Columbus about 36 hours after the shooting.
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Fry the Beeeetch!
her apology is just setting up the family for future parole hearings.
Strange story. There are a lot of really weird people out there.
the next thing will be where 60 minutes videos the story of the prisoner and the victims family in jail in a forgiving reunion. UGH.
Amount of sympathy I have for her = 0
You're probably right -- if it happens it'll be yet another good reason to avoid TV.
Ridenour faces a prison term of 3-15 years if convicted.
Why isn’t he being tried as an accomplice to murder? They try young gangsters who drive getaway cars that way...
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