Skip to main content

Richard Townes Jr. for a robbery murder.

Richard Townes Jr. for a robbery murder.


45 year old Richard Townes Jr. was executed by lethal injection in Virginia on Tuesday January 23rd, 1996. There was a 22-minute delay while medical personnel searched for a vein large enough to insert the needle into.

The drugs were injected through the top Townes’ right foot after unsuccessful attempts to insert the needle in his arms. Townes whispered something unintelligible moments before he was executed at the Greensville Correctional Center.

The U.S. Supreme Court had earlier rejected his requests for a stay and Gov. George Allen refused clemency.

Townes was convicted of shooting Virginia Goebel, a 32-year-old mother of two, to death with a 45 calibre handgun, during a robbery of a Virginia Beach convenience store on April 14, 1985. He took $186.13 from the cash register.

The shooting was apparently to prevent Virginia Goebel identifying him. A previous customer, Dorothy Moore, entered the store around 2:00 a.m. and noticed a man standing at the back of the store. As she left she noticed that he was watching her too. Virginia Goebel’s body was discovered just before 5:00 a.m.

Evidence implicating Townes came primarily from three sources. First, a state firearms expert determined that an empty shell casing found next to the victim's body matched empty casings from a gun traceable to Townes.

Second, Dorothy Moore, was able to positively identify Townes via photos and a line-up as the man she had seen in the store on the night of the murder. Thirdly there was evidence from Townes's cellmate at the Virginia Beach jail, who claimed that Townes had admitted the murder.

Townes represented himself at trial after dismissing two court-appointed attorneys in a protest over the low pay given to lawyers who represent indigent clients.

During the sentencing phase of his 1986 trial, Townes offered no mitigating evidence, questioned no witnesses and did not address the jury.

Townes might have avoided a death penalty and got a sentence of life without the possibility of parole if he had told jurors he was ineligible for parole because of 29 previous felony convictions, including a 1976 incident where he held a taxi driver at gunpoint for six hours in a hostage situation before shooting him four times in the back.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A MAN THAT FAILED TO CONTROL HIS SEXUAL URGE

A MAN THAT FAILED TO CONTROL HIS SEXUAL URGE A man who can control his sexual urge is a man who can live many years on earth. Men don't know that some of their failures are caused by multiple girlfriends Not all girls have good spirit. Some are demons, others have venom between their legs. Some women are destiny destroyers, beware. Pay close attention: 1. A real man only has one woman in his life. 2. Don't obey your Erection at all times. Most erections mislead you Control your erection if you don't want to have few days on earth with much poverty in you. 3. Don't date a lady because she has curves, boobs and a sexy shape. These things are simply misleading avoid such, don't fall for what is called social media irony. 4. Not everything you see under skirt you must work to eat, some skirts contain snakes that bite you and make you uncomfortable. control your sexual urge Self control and abstinence pays a lot in most cases. 5. Marrying a woman doesn't mean she own...

The shocking moment 'cheating' woman is STRIPPED and BEATEN in broad daylight

SICKENING: The shocking moment 'cheating' woman is STRIPPED and BEATEN in broad daylight THIS is the shocking moment a woman accused of sleeping with a married man was stripped naked and BEATEN in broad daylight. Lin Yao Li was ambushed by four women as she walked home from the shops in the Chinese city of Puyang. As Lin's attackers pulled her to the floor they ripped off her clothes while punching and kicking her repeatedly in the breasts and groin. The ringleader of the gang was the scorned wife of the man Lin is accused of sleeping with. The sickening attack was witnessed by passersby who did not even attempt to help the defenceless woman. Local man Jun Feng, 30, who found Lin lying on the ground after the women left told local TV: "This type of thing is becoming quite normal. "Angry wives and girlfriends get their revenge on their cheating men by attacking the other woman. "People don’t tend to get involved because they see it as being an argument of the ...

moments before her execution.

Amanda, moments before her execution, whispers words that stun witnesses and unravel lies.  Amanda, a loving mother, had been wrongly accused of kidnapping and murdering Judge Samuel Turner's daughter, Olivia.  The trial had been swift and brutal, with public sentiment against her, and her protests of innocence had fallen on deaf ears.  One rainy afternoon, Amanda is visited by Judge Turner himself, who delivers a bitter tirade.   However, Amanda remains silent, and during his speech, a memory resurfaces, giving her a sudden clarity.  She remembers a detail from the day of the crime that she had overlooked, a mention of Turner's grandparents' farm.  This realization brings a spark of hope, and Amanda wonders if Emily, her own daughter, could still be alive, hidden away where no one had thought to look. Amanda, who is on death row for a crime she maintains she didn't commit, makes a surprising revelation during her execution.  With a newfound deter...