Gallery fills with tears of joy, grief [Wichita Massacre] (3 Articles)

The Wichita Eagle ^ | 11/15/02 | Ron Sylvester

[KS Flyover]

Eight times Thursday, the court bailiff repeated the same sentence for Jonathan and Reginald Carr: death.

For each of the four people who died kneeling before a pistol on Dec. 15, 2000, each brother received one sentence to die.

Jurors wore solemn or pained expressions as bailiff Maria Marquez read their decision, which they returned shortly after 5 p.m., following seven hours of deliberations. One woman in the jury box stiffened her lips and held hands with an alternate juror sitting beside her.

The woman who survived the shooting in the snowy soccer field at K-96 and Greenwich Road, and family members of the three men and one woman who died there, mixed tears and looks of hurt with prayers and anger. A few shook their fists and smiled as the sentences were read.

The sentencing came nearly two years after the crimes were committed, part of a weeklong crime spree by the Carr brothers. The quadruple homicide was among the most brutal crimes in Wichita history. The victims were sexually assaulted numerous times, beaten and forced to withdraw money from ATMs before they were taken to the soccer field and shot.

One woman survived the shooting and provided police with information that led to the Carrs' arrest just hours after the crime. She also provided key testimony in the trial.

The Carrs also were convicted of killing Ann Walenta, a cellist with the Wichita Symphony. In all, they were convicted on 93 charges, including four counts each of capital murder.

Judge Paul Clark will sentence the brothers on the non-capital counts today. Their death sentence will automatically be appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court.

Reginald Carr lashed out as Sedgwick County sheriff's deputies hustled him from the courtroom following the sentencing. Reginald Carr's 25th birthday began Thursday with him breaking an arm in a scuffle with another inmate in a holding cell. It ended with a death sentence.

"Happy birthday..." yelled an angry Mark Befort, whose brother Jason was killed in the soccer field with Heather Muller, Brad Heyka and Aaron Sander.

Reginald Carr yelled back, directing a stream of obscenities at families in the gallery and even at his sister.

Jonathan Carr, 22, looked straight ahead and made little eye contact with anyone, much as he had done during the preceding 10 weeks of the trial.

"Jonathan, I love you," said his sister and mother in the courthouse hallway. They were inside the courtroom when the verdict was read.

"I love you, too!" Jonathan Carr shouted back as the brothers were taken out of sight.

Then before the door closed, one of the brothers yelled: "I'll get out!"

District Attorney Nola Foulston said Reginald Carr had acted inappropriately throughout the trial, winking and taunting both prosecutors and families.

"He is a dangerous, relentless killing machine, and he does get the punishment he deserves," Foulston said.

She said several jurors told her they wanted the e-mail addresses of the victims' families so they could express their sympathy.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kim Parker cried with the families after the sentences were read.

"There's nothing that can bring these kids back," Parker said. "But the jury could reach a just verdict, and they did."

Said Foulston: "No one is jubilant over this because of the fact that it is a death penalty case. It is sad that these families had to go through this again."

Reginald Carr's lawyer, Jay Greeno, acknowledged the horror of the crimes but said it doesn't change his mind about the death penalty.

"On a personal level, I don't believe in killing people to teach other people that it's wrong to kill people," Greeno said. "We are one of the only civilized countries that continues to do this, and I think we need to look hard at the others that do what we do... Iraq, for one."

Ron Evans, who directs the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit, said he will remember Jonathan Carr as one of his most gracious clients.

"I know what he did was bad, but that's not the person he is to me," Evans said. "He's always treated me as well as I've been treated by a client. And I feel bad for him."

Ken Landwehr, chief of Wichita homicide detectives, said the final verdict brought a close to a case that began with the haunting images of four bodies lying in the snow.

"These crimes were atrocious," Landwehr said. "We worked a long time to bring this day to completion.

"I hope I never have to go through a December like that again."

Contributing: Alex Branch and Hurst Laviana of The Eagle

[KS Flyover]

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/4524193.htm

Wichitans have mixed reaction to verdict
While many call the death penalty the right punishment, others question whether it is harsh enough.

By Stan Finger - The Wichita Eagle - 11/15/02

On the quiet east Wichita street where the horrific crime began, Thursday night's verdict from residents was unanimous: The jury was right to sentence Jonathan and Reginald Carr to death for killing the four people abducted from the house on the corner.

Elsewhere in town, however, folks were saying death was too good for the men convicted of robbing, raping and shooting five people in a snowy soccer field.

"Being put in prison for life is more punishment than being put to death," said the Rev. Kevass Harding, pastor of Dellrose United Methodist Church. Harding is a former Wichita police officer.

With the death penalty, Harding said, "People may say, 'Lord forgive me for all my sins,' their hearts are changed, and then they're with God, and God's going to forgive them."

There has been no change of heart in the streets around 12727 Birchwood Drive, where Heather Muller, Aaron Sander, Jason Befort, Brad Heyka and the woman who survived the shooting were having a quiet evening in December 2000 until the intruders arrived.

Joey Scanga, a Kapaun Mount Carmel High School student whose law class has been following the trial all semester, called the verdict just.

Scanga had been to the triplex a couple of times to meet with Befort, who helped him with schoolwork.

"He'd tutor me in math," Scanga said. "He was a really nice guy."

The trial and the jury's deliberations have dominated the conversations Kyle Stanley and his roommates have shared in the house around the corner from the triplex.

His roommates were living in the neighborhood when the crimes occurred, he said, and would not have been satisfied with anything less than the death penalty for the Carrs.

"What they did, that was horrible," Stanley said.

Neeta Bashya hadn't heard about the crime until after she had moved into the rental house on Birchwood Drive last June, but she said she feels safe there. People watch out more for each other, she said, and track who's coming and going in the neighborhood.

"I really think they deserve the punishment they got," Bashya said as she looked out toward the darkened, silent street. "They took innocent lives."

That may be so, said Charles McDonald, but he still believes the death penalty is wrong.

"If you give the death penalty, it's over with," said McDonald, 84, who was a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church when the crimes occurred.

Muller, one of the victims, was a preschool teacher at the parish, and an outraged McDonald followed the trial meticulously.

Deep inside, he wanted the Carrs to be given life sentences. Surely one of the dozen jurors would agree, he thought, which would erase death from the scope of possible punishments.

That didn't happen.

"They should do something like put chains on them and put them out there and work hard," McDonald said. "They'd realize the rest of their lives they did something wrong."

But Ray Pile, pastor of Trinity Christian Center, said he thinks this case easily merited the death penalty -- especially considering the testimony given by the woman who miraculously survived the shooting and ran through the snow to report the crime.

Pile said he grew up with an alcoholic father in a dysfunctional home, and he didn't buy the notion that the Carr brothers' upbringing caused the crimes.

"You can get into a victim mentality here in the United States when someone grows up in a dysfunctional family," he said. "Those things may explain wrong behavior, but they don't excuse it."

Contributing: Abe Levy, Chris Shull and Lori O'Toole Buselt of The Eagle

[KS Flyover]

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/4524197.htm

Juror: I went with the law

By Hurst Laviana - The Wichita Eagle - 11/15/02

For Joe Wendell, sitting on the jury of the Jonathan and Reginald Carr capital murder trial was "a horrifying experience."

"It's something I wouldn't trade anything for doing," he said, "but I wouldn't want to do it again."

Most jurors in the case declined invitations to discuss their deliberations after they reached their verdict Thursday. Wendell, 23, agreed to talk about his opinions, but not about what transpired during deliberations and not about the feelings of the 11 other people on the jury.

Wendell, a carpenter, said at the outset of the trial that he neither favored nor opposed the death penalty. He was one of 12 people selected from a pool of 517 -- the largest ever called in a Sedgwick County District Court trial.

Wendell said the toughest part of the trial was looking at the photographs of four homicide victims lying in the snow, where they were shot in the back of the head.

"The pictures are something that will never, never leave my mind," he said.

Wendell said there was no single piece of evidence or testimony that persuaded him to vote for the death penalty. To reach the verdict, he said, he simply followed the jury instructions. The instructions asked if there was proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the aggravating factors in the case outweighed the mitigating factors.

"I went with what the law said," he said.

The four aggravating circumstances cited by the jury were:

That the defendants knowingly killed or created a great risk of death to more than one person.

That the defendants committed the crimes for the purpose of receiving money.

That the defendants committed the crimes in order to avoid or prevent a lawful arrest or prosecution.

That the defendants committed the crimes in an especially heinous, atrocious or cruel manner.

Wendell said his emotions ran highest during the penalty phase of the trial.

"You can't look at and decide somebody's fate without feeling some emotion," he said.

Although he would not discuss the deliberations, Wendell said the jurors were civil when they parted.

"Everybody shook hands on the way out and that's it," he said.

[KS Flyover]

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For detais about the murders see: The Wichita Massacre

Carr Brothers Guilty! - Carr Brothers GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY! - Carr Brothers Found Guilty of Capital Murder -11/04/02
The Killing Of Matthew Shepard Was A Free Political Commercial - By an amused spectator - 11/04/02
GUILTY - Now jury decides if they will live or die [Wichita Massacre] - 11/05/02
Defense Seeks Mercy in Kan. Murders [Wichita Horror] - 11/05/02
Carrs' mother testifies [Wichita Massacre] - 11/06/02
Hanging Carr effigies offend some in area [Wichita Massacre] - 11/07/02
Carr brothers not monsters, women insist [Wichita Massacre] - 11/07/02
Ugly - Let's avoid offensive racial overtones in Carr trial [Wichita Massacre][BARF ALERT!] - 11/07/02
Winona and the Wichita massacre - By Michelle Malkin - 11/08/02
Psychologist details Carr's troubled childhood [Wichita Massacre] - - 11/08/02
Psychologist: Abuse made Carr violent [Wichita Massacre] - 11/08/02
Police: Display not a hate crime [Wichita Massacre] - 11/09/02
Expert: Carr's brain wired for violence [Wichita Massacre] - 11/09/02
Carrs knew violence and instability as children [Wichita Massacre] - 11/10/02
Psychologist testifies for Jonathan Carr / expert cites abusive childhood [Wichita Massacre] - 11/13/02
Now jury decides if Carrs should die [Wichita Massacre] - 11/14/02

Breaking News: [5:45pm] Jury recommends death sentence-Carr Brothers (Wichita, Ks) - 11/14/02
CARR BROTHERS SENTENCED TO DEATH-Judge Will Give out Punishment for Additional Charges Tomorrow - 11/14/02

[germanicus]

We are one of the only civilized countries that continues to do this, and I think we need to look hard at the others that do what we do... Iraq, for one

Typical left wing moron. When is the last time we executed dissenters? These animals need to be dead.

[Skywalk]

Hmm, I'm always intrigued that people think death is not the toughest sentence. If this is the case, why do so many fail to resist robbers, tyrants, etc and obey?? It's because they fear death and they hope they can escape with their lives, if not their dignity.

Also, why do so many spend so much time fighting it, if it is not the ultimate punishment? You'd think if life in prison were the horrible alternative, murderers would not be pulling out all the stops to avoid execution.

[germanicus]

I know what he did was bad, but that's not the person he is to me," Evans said. "He's always treated me as well as I've been treated by a client. And I feel bad for him."

Another fine piece of work. Thank God people like this don't run our criminal justice system.

[fone]

||| "Being put in prison for life is more punishment than being put to death," said the Rev. Kevass Harding, pastor of Dellrose United Methodist Church. Harding is a former Wichita police officer.
With the death penalty, Harding said, "People may say, 'Lord forgive me for all my sins,' their hearts are changed, and then they're with God, and God's going to forgive them." |||

Beware the clergy that claims to know what the Lord is going to do.

IMO, justice has been served. God have mercy on the families to have closure.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the update pings and verdict ping.

[FreedomPoster]

>>While many call the death penalty the right punishment, others question whether it is harsh enough.

Now *THERES* a sub-head! You won't get that in your garden variety big city Leftist fishwrap.

[DWSUWF]

"...Then before the door closed, one of the brothers yelled: "I'll get out!"..."

Yes you will!

But you left out the best parts...

You'll get 'out' of jail right into a body bag, your eyes glazed and your guts already beginning to putrefy.

You'll get 'out' of jail straight to a coroner's office, where they'll cut your head open and examine your brain for gross defects before dumping it like so much rotting garbage into your body cavity and sewing it up with twine.

You'll get 'out' of jail, and 'into' the Pit. Salvation isn't something a degenerate like you will achieve.

You're bound for Hell-fire for eternity.

[IronJack]

Now the real work starts. It's one thing to get the conviction and the death sentence. It's another thing to actually see it applied. If Kansas is like any of the other states, it will be at least a decade before anyone drops the trapdoor on Johnny and Reg.

I'd like to see an organized effort to push these monsters to the gallows. If we don't, you can bet that they have a better chance of dying from old age than from the hangman.

[References to the gibbet are metaphorical only. I believe Kansas uses lethal injection in the rare cases where they actually execute anyone.]

[IronJack]

"Those things may explain wrong behavior, but they don't excuse it."

Et voila!

[toddst]

I'm always intrigued that people think death is not the toughest sentence. If this is the case, why do so many fail to resist robbers, tyrants, etc and obey?? It's because they fear death and they hope they can escape with their lives, if not their dignity.

We aren't teaching proper survival mindset. Victims freeze up because they aren't mentally and emotionally willing to be aware of their surroundings from a personal security standpoint. Neither are most people prepared to fight rather than submit. This is a big part of the anti-gun mentality. The anti-gunners claim (and promote) that our system of laws and enforcement will protect you - NOT!

Do all you can to avoid being a potential victim (always be aware of your suroundings.) However, also be fully prepared to react quickly and forcefully to protect yourself if doing so becomes necessary.

[TroutStalker]

I can only hope these animals get some jailhouse justice soon. Start with breaking the rest of their limbs, then bash their heads against the floor. Something similar to what Ralphie got in the Sopranos.

[Skywalk]

I agree with you, but don't you think that when people cooperate with hostage-takers, robbers and the like it's because they feel, in the end, they will be avoiding death(however wrong they may be) ??

I just believe that death is something that we naturally want to avoid(except Islamokazis) and even irrationally we act in a manner we see as leading to our survival. Meaning that death IS the ultimate price.

[Dick Vomer]

"I know what he did was bad, but that's not the person he is to me," Evans said. "He's always treated me as well as I've been treated by a client. And I feel bad for him." What a dumba##.

Can we all agree that everybody that feels this way move to one state or two..... say New York and California.... leave the rest of us alone with your sick, pathetic, limp wristed view of life.

Please remember in your civil discussions that ALL LIBERALS BLOW GOATS!!!!!

[johnny7]

Most criminals are not good with a firearm. They don't belong to revolver clubs.

Resist them to the end. If you carry, be prepared to use it.

I was heartened that both Carrs got the death penalty. I thought one of them would just be charged w/rape.

Maybe America is waking up or at least tossing in bed.

[Godel]

"I know what he did was bad, but that's not the person he is to me," Evans said. "He's always treated me as well as I've been treated by a client. And I feel bad for him."

You're not the white woman he raped repeatedly then shot to death execution style. When that happens to you, get back to us.

[republicman]

Their death sentence will automatically be appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court.

This is a big part of what's wrong with our CJ system. In cases where guilt is obvious and no proecedural violations exist that would have led to a different verdict, there should be no appeals.