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Randy Halprin
Posted on 06/12/2003 6:02:27 PM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Escapee sentenced to death for killing Irving policeman
06/12/2003
Dallas County jurors on Thursday returned the death penalty for a prison escapee convicted of killing an Irving policeman.
Randy Halprin was sentenced after jurors deliberated nearly five hours Wednesday without reaching agreement.
By 6 p.m., air conditioning had been turned off at the Frank Crowley Criminal Courts Building and District Judge Vickers Cunningham made the decision to sequester the panel at a hotel and resume deliberations Thursday morning.
Randy Halprin |
Mr. Halprin's trial marks the longest deliberations so far of the five capital murder trials that have been held for members of the so-called Texas Seven. In previous trials, deliberations lasted no more than 2 ½ hours, and none required overnight sequestration.
Those trials all culminated with death sentences for escapees George Rivas, Donald Newbury, Joseph Garcia and Michael Rodriguez. Gang member Patrick Murphy is awaiting trial later this year. The seventh member committed suicide before he could be arrested.
For the mother of slain Officer Aubrey Hawkins, Wednesday's wait was difficult.
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"I'm frustrated," she said. "I'm ready to get this over with. I'm tired."
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated about two hours Monday before finding Mr. Halprin guilty of capital murder.
Irving shooting
Officer Hawkins was shot 11 times after he surprised the group loading up their getaway car behind an Oshman's SuperSports USA store in Irving. Bullets from the crime scene have been linked to at least five weapons carried by the escapees, according to court testimony.
In closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutors maintained that Mr. Halprin, 25, should die for his role in the officer's death.
Allison V. Smith / DMN Photographs of Officer Aubrey Hawkins sit between District Judge Vickers Cunningham and prosecutor Toby Shook. |
For Mr. Halprin to be given a death sentence, the jury must agree on two special conditions: that he poses a continued threat to society and that he caused or anticipated the officer's death by his actions.
Prosecutor Toby Shook said testimony – including graphic details of Mr. Halprin's 1996 conviction for severely beating a toddler as well as his actions after the prison escape – had proved that the former Arlington resident is a continuing threat to society even if he remains in solitary confinement for the rest of his life. Mr. Shook said the jury's decision should also send a message.
"He needs to know that you can't break out of prison, come into our county with you and your outlaw friends and terrorize the country. ... Police officers need to know, yes, they are backed up by our citizens," Mr. Shook said.
Evidence lacking
But defense attorneys Ed King and George Ashford reiterated that their client played a minor role in the prison breakout and subsequent robberies. They also maintained that there was no evidence that Mr. Halprin fired any shots at the officer.
Because gang ringleader Rivas had previously performed at least 17 aggravated robberies without anyone being seriously injured, Mr. Halprin's attorneys said their client did not anticipate that the Irving robbery would be any different.
Aubrey Hawkins |
Mr. Ashford said prosecutors embellished details of Mr. Halprin's 1996 felony conviction for severely beating a toddler in Fort Worth in an effort to make him seem like a repeat offender. He said there was no evidence to support prosecutors' claims that Mr. Halprin abused the child more than once or burned the boy's tongue with a cigarette.
"They have the burden of proof," he said. "And what they don't bring you speaks volumes."
E-mail rtharp@dallasnews.com
Dec. 13, 2000: George Rivas, Joseph Garcia, Randy Halprin, Michael Rodriguez, Larry Harper, Patrick Murphy Jr. and Donald Newbury break out of the Connally Unit in South Texas. The inmates overpower civilian workers and a guard in the maintenance shop and fool a guard in the prison tower in their escape. They steal work clothing, a pickup truck, 16 weapons and ammunition. They drive to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Kenedy and abandon the prison pickup for a getaway vehicle parked in the same lot.
Dec. 15: A Radio Shack in the Houston suburb of Pearland is robbed, and Mr. Rivas and Mr. Newbury are suspected. Police radio scanners, audio equipment and electronic equipment are taken.
Dec. 18: An Auto Zone store in Pasadena is robbed. Investigators say the escapees stole several thousand dollars.
Dec. 19: The gang arrives in the Dallas area and checks into an EconoLodge at Interstate 35 East and Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch.
Dec. 24: The Oshman's SuperSports USA in Irving is robbed, and the convicts are accused of using the stolen scanners to monitor police activity and of killing Officer Aubrey Hawkins when he responds to a report of suspicious activity at the store. The robbers escape with $70,000 in cash and checks, 44 weapons and clothing. Mr. Rivas and Mr. Newbury are injured. An autopsy report later shows that Officer Hawkins was shot 11 times and was run over.
Jan. 3, 2001: The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms charges the escapees with weapons violations.
Jan. 4: FBI agents in Dallas file separate federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid federal prosecution for capital murder, leading to a nationwide manhunt.
Jan. 11: The Texas Board of Criminal Justice releases a "serious incident review." The review says the prison staff missed critical opportunities to prevent the escape by ignoring a fire alarm, failing to report unsupervised inmates and failing to demand proper identification from inmates disguised as maintenance workers.
Jan. 18: The reward fund for the escapees grows to $500,000 with the addition of $60,000 from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Jan. 19: Connally Unit warden Timothy Keith is reassigned and demoted. Two guards and an employee are reprimanded.
Jan. 20: America's Most Wanted airs a fourth segment about the escape.
Jan. 21: Law enforcement officers receive tips from trailer park residents in Woodland Park, Colo., who saw the America's Most Wanted report.
Jan. 22: Officers arrest four of the escapees - Mr. Rivas, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Garcia and Mr. Halprin. Mr. Harper commits suicide while barricaded in a recreational vehicle surrounded by authorities. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Newbury have split from the group.
Jan. 24: Mr. Murphy and Mr. Newbury surrender at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs after their request for a television interview is granted.
Feb. 1: The six surviving escapees are indicted on capital murder charges by a Dallas County grand jury.
Feb. 2: Raul Rodriguez, the father of escapee Michael Rodriguez, and Raul Rodriguez's friend Patsy Gomez are arrested on charges of supplying the getaway car taken from Wal-Mart.
July 5: Ms. Gomez pleads guilty to a count of facilitating an escape and is sentenced to 10 years of probation and fined $10,000.
Aug. 24: A Karnes County grand jury indicts Raul Rodriguez on charges that he provided the vehicle that his son and the other inmates used after their escape from prison. He also is indicted on 14 counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery for the inmates' actions at the prison.
Aug. 29: Mr. Rivas, the escape ringleader, is sentenced to death just hours after he testified that he wanted to be executed.
Jan. 28, 2002: Mr. Newbury is sentenced to death after jurors determined that the convicted armed robber would be a continuing threat to society.
May 9: Michael Rodriguez is sentenced to death.
Feb. 13, 2003: Mr. Garcia is sentenced to death.
June 9: Mr. Halprin is found guilty of capital murder. The punishment phase of the trial begins. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Previous article posted:
Guilty verdict in escapee trial -
'Texas Seven' cop killer Randy Halprin faces death penalty
I thought you folks might want to see this.Aug. 29: Mr. Rivas, the escape ringleader, is sentenced to death just hours after he testified that he wanted to be executed.
Jan. 28, 2002: Mr. Newbury is sentenced to death after jurors determined that the convicted armed robber would be a continuing threat to society.
May 9: Michael Rodriguez is sentenced to death.
Feb. 13, 2003: Mr. Garcia is sentenced to death.
"I'm frustrated," she said. "I'm ready to get this over with. I'm tired."
His poor mother will have to go through another circus when their appeals are exhausted and they get ready to get the needle, one at a time. The defendants will be portrayed as being poor, misunderstood boys from bad families, yada yada yada, mew, mew, mew. I just ticks me off knowing what she's had to go through and will go through.
I heard it on the radio earlier and when I did my search later I figured I'd find you'd already posted it, lol !
Yep. Shoot a cop in Texas you're going to die. The DA is 5 for 5 convictions/death penalties:
Good to know someone knows what they're doing.
A Serious Incident Review as opposed to a Regular Review where there's a coverup/whitewash?
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