Law&Crime Sidebar - 6 'Evil' Inmates Executed for Horrifying Murders

Episode Date: January 1, 2025

Some of the worst criminals in our nation sit on death row. Strings of appeals and requests for clemency can seem like justice denied for victims’ families, who sometimes live for decades without a sense of closure. But the stories of what happened to the victims, and why inmates and their attorneys say they deserve leniency, can give us a unique window into this part of our criminal justice system. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber takes a closer look at the most notable cases behind a few of these killers.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/LCSidebarHOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger and Christina FalconeScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. views shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that will

keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. Some of the worst criminals in our nation sit on death row, awaiting execution dates that could come at almost any time. But strings of appeals, requests for clemency, they can seem like justice denied for victims' families who sometimes live for decades without a sense of closure. But the stories of what happened to these victims and why inmates and their attorneys say they deserve leniency can give us a unique window into this part of our criminal justice system. We're going to take a closer look at the most notable cases behind a few of these

killers as the United States carried out its last execution of the year on December 19th. Welcome to Sidebar. Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. In 2024, 25 death row inmates were executed across nine states. All were men convicted of murder, and nearly all were injected with lethal drugs to carry out their sentence. The only state to use a different method was Alabama, which carried out six executions using lethal gas instead.

Now, of the 25 inmates, the shortest amount of time that any of them spent behind bars before their deaths was six years. This is according to the nonprofit death penalty information center. The longest, get this, a whopping 38 years. This is why we talk about so many times people sit on death row for decades. 27 states, they still allow death as a punishment for crimes, as does the United States government military in some cases.

As of 2024, the death penalty was on hold by executive action in five states, But capital punishment is still legally on the books. Let's get into this right now. We're going to go through a series of cases. One of the states that does allow capital punishment is Oklahoma, where Kevin Ray Underwood was the last death row inmate to be executed in 2024 on December 19th. And in fact, it was his 45th birthday when he was executed. So what did he do?

In 2006, then 26-year-old Underwood killed Jamie Rose Bowlin, a 10-year-old. old girl in Purcell, Oklahoma. According to the Associated Press, Jamie lived with her dad in the same building as Underwood, who was a former grocery store worker. The Norman transcript, this Oklahoma news outlet, reported that Underwood lured Jamie to his apartment, hit her with a cutting board, and then suffocated and sexually assaulted her. Underwood later told officers he had fantasies about cutting up Jamie and eating her. He reportedly tried to cut off her head in the bathtub, but he gave up. So he ends up putting her naked body into a plastic tub and seals it up with duct tape. Now, two days after Jamie's disappearance, police ended up stopping Underwood

at this roadblock that had been set up as part of the search. And Underwood actually asked the police when they planned on talking him because he was the last person to see Jamie alive. FBI agents they questioned Underwood, eventually went with him back to his apartment where they found the plastic tub in a closet. Underwood told the agents a body was inside, reportedly confessed to murdering and attempting to decapitate Jamie. Defense attorneys, tough job for them for Underwood. They argue that his trial should be moved to another county due to inescapable media coverage of the case. That request was actually granted. And when he finally went to trial in 2008, it was in Cleveland County. Underwood's tape confession, it was played for the jury. The Norman transcript reports that

neither Underwood's parents nor Jamie's family were in the courtroom when that confession was played understandable considering what he's talking about. And in it, Underwood had said that he had been planning this murder for months, but he also said this was entirely against his nature. It took only 20 minutes for the jury to come back and find Underwood guilty. It's one of the fastest verdicts I've ever seen. Jamie's grandmother, Rose Fox, was reported as saying, you attack our children, our innocence, the state of Oklahoma will hunt you down like a rabid dog and put you down like a rabid dog. On March 7th, 2008, the jury deliberated for around eight hours and determined that Underwood should die by lethal injection. And a few weeks later, a district court judge

formally sentenced him to death row. Now, there was an appeal. It was heard in 2010, with attorneys on behalf of Underwood arguing that his constitutional rights were violated when he was questioned about the murder by police. But the state argued, look, Underwood had come to them as a witness, and they just proceeded accordingly. This appeal was unanimously rejected. So now you fast forward to 2024 and Underwood had spent more than a decade behind bars. His defense team tried to do one more thing. They tried to seek mercy in November and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit actually issued a stay of execution on December 9th so that a clemency hearing, could be held. But the Oklahoma parted and parole board denied Underwood

clemency on December 13th. According to the Department of Corrections, Underwood's last meal was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, pinto beans, hot roll, cheeseburger, and fries. In his final words, Underwood said, I would like to apologize again for all the terrible things that I did. I hate that I did those things and I wish I could take them back. But he also said the decision to execute me on my birthday and six days before Christmas was a needlessly cruel thing to do to my family, but I'm very sorry for what I did and I wish I could take it back. Mr. Underwood died by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on December 19, 2024. I got to thank

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L.C. Sidebar. Now let's talk about the fact that the state of Utah has only executed eight prisoners since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. And one of those people is Tebrun Honi. He was the only inmate put to death in 2024. More than 25 years ago, Honi murdered his ex-girlfriend's mother, breaking into her home, raping her and stabbing her to death.

And in what may be the sickest twist in this case, is that this woman's grandchildren, her granddaughters, were actually in the house when all this happened. Here's what we know about the case. 1995, Honey starts this relationship with Claudia Ben's daughter, Carol. The couple had a daughter together, but the relationship ended in 1998. Carol, under two-year-old, they had moved in with Claudia in Cedar City. And that is when, according to court records, Honey threatened Carol and her family members. member saying if Carol didn't make time to see him, he would kill her loved ones.

Carol reportedly didn't take the threat seriously. She leaves to go to work. That night, the 22-year-old honi made good on his promise. He breaks into Claudia's home, sexually assaults her, and then murders her. He was actually arrested at the crime scene. And as I mentioned, all three grandchildren were found with blood on them from this just absolutely brutal attack on their grandmother. 49-year-old Claudia Ben, according to her obituary, moved her family from Arizona to Utah following a divorce, eventually earned a degree

in sociology from the University of Utah. She worked at the school's Women's Resource Center before becoming a substance abuse counselor for the peyote tribe, just to give you a sense of who she was. In 1999, Honey was officially sentenced to death for aggravated murder, burglary, object rape, forcible sodomy. Capital punishment was determined to be

appropriate because of this aggravating factor that Honey was found to have sexually abused one of the children that was inside the home during the murder. And Honey, he appealed his conviction several times since then, including in Utah District Court, the State Supreme Court, the Federal District Court. He and his attorneys have argued that he had an abusive childhood. He was heavily intoxicated by drugs and alcohol on the night of the murder, but all of his appeals were denied. In May of 2024, Utah's Attorney General filed a request for Honi's execution warrant. His execution date was actually set for August 8th. In June, Honey filed a petition for clemency while his attorneys filed motions to halt the execution. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole heard his plea

for commutation, but they denied it. At the beginning of August, Honie's attorneys even asked Utah's governor for a temporary reprieve denied. Honey was executed on August 8th. According to the Utah Department of Corrections, his last meal was a cheeseburger fries and a milkshake. When he spoke his last words, Honey told those that were still in prison that it's possible for a person to change, saying, from the start it's been, if it needs to be done for them to heal, let's do this. If they tell you you can't change, don't listen to them. To all my brothers and sisters in here, continue to change. I love you all.

Take care. Another murder from the 1990s that has haunted a family for decades as they waited for justice to be served was in relation to the murder of a former St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter who had been stabbed dozens of times. 42-year-old Felicia Leisha Gale was found dead in the Missouri home that she shared with her husband, Daniel Pickus, on August 11, 1998. According to investigators, she'd done her usual morning routine of going for a run and showering when she got back home. But on this fateful morning, when she left the bathroom, she found her killer on the stairway landing. At some point, that killer had grabbed a kitchen knife, and he stabbed Leesha 43 times. He then proceeded to flee the house with her purse and her husband's laptop.

And talking about her husband, Mr. Pickus, he came home that evening to find his wife dead in the foyer. Alicia's family announced a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of this killer. A jailhouse inmate is what really happened here came forward to say Marcellus Williams did it. He said Williams confessed to him while the two were locked up together. Williams was apparently doing time for an unrelated robbery. And Williams' own girlfriend also told investigators that Williams had confessed to her. Court records showed, though, both the inmate and Williams' girlfriend, they had their own criminal histories. including drug addiction, and both of them have since died.

But nonetheless, Williams was convicted, and he was sentenced to death. He has always, though, maintained his innocence. And even one of the prosecutors in the case actually came forward saying the execution should be called off. The defense attorneys argued that the stories from the two informants weren't consistent, that they changed over time. Sometimes those stories completely contradicted one another. And recent DNA testing showed evidence contamination. This is according to CNN.

According to the state's judicial branch, attorneys received a report indicating the DNA on the murder weapon belonged to an assistant prosecuting attorney and an investigator who had handled the murder weapons without gloves prior to trial. But here's the thing. The attorney general's office, they said the contamination does improve that Williams didn't commit the crime and said that the case didn't rely solely upon forensic evidence found at the scene. Leisure's personal items, like the purse and the laptop that were stolen from her home, they were reportedly found in William's car after the murder. And this case actually made its way all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which denied him a stay of execution.

Missouri Governor Mike Parsons released a statement on the ruling, saying no jury, no court, including at the trial appellate and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr. Williams' innocence claims. At the end of the day, his guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld. Nothing from the real facts of this case have led me to believe in Mr. Williams' innocence. As such, Mr. Williams' punishment will be carried out as ordered by the Supreme Court. But I will tell you, some of Gail's family members supported the idea of keeping Williams in prison for the rest of his life instead of killing him. And then the St. Louis prosecuting attorney's office said that it had reached an agreement with Williams,

A month before his sentence was to be carried out. Under a consent agreement, which the office said was approved by Leish's family, Williams would enter an Alford plea to first-degree murder and be resentenced to life in prison. An Alford plea is a guilty plea, but basically you're admitting that the prosecutors likely have enough evidence to convict you, but you're still claiming that you're innocent. But here's the thing. The Attorney General's office opposed the deal, appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, which threw out the consent agreement.

William's lethal injection was carried out on September 24th after he'd spent 23 years in prison. His last words, according to CNN, were reportedly all praise be to a law in every situation. The Missouri Department of Corrections reported he had chicken wings and tater tots for his last meal. In November, the state of South Carolina carried out the execution of Richard Moore,

a 59-year-old man convicted of killing a convenience. store clerk. Moore was found guilty in September of 1999, sentenced to death two years later. So according to NPR, Moore had gone into this store in Spartanburg unarmed. But what happened was he and the clerk, James Mahoney, apparently argued because Moore was 12 cents short for what he wanted to buy. Moore took the clerk's gun, but Mahoney drew a second weapon, shooting more in the arm, Moore fired back, hitting Mahoney in the chest, and more than went behind the counter and stole more than $1,000. According to a clemency petition, a drug addiction had clouded Moore's judgment that day. And after being put on death row, Moore's execution was postponed twice. South Carolina

ended up putting a pause on executions for more than a decade while it tried to work out problems with the death penalty, including the fact that companies refused to sell lethal injection drugs to the state. So after putting a secrecy law in place, executions ultimately resumed. And there was this outpouring of support for Morris, his November 2024 execution date approach. You might have seen it. Moore's lawyers asked Governor Henry McMaster to reduce Moore's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They pointed to Moore's spotless prison record. His work mentoring other inmates is proof that he was a changed man.

His legal team also reminded the governor that Moore's case could have been considered self-defense, said it was unfair that Moore a black man was the only inmate on South Carolina's death row. who was convicted by a jury on which no black people served. Three jurors who had sentenced Moore to death back in 2001 wrote letters to McMaster, along with a former state prison director, Moore's trial judge, several pastors. But McMaster was unsuade. He didn't give a reason in his letter denying clemency,

but said he'd reviewed all the information submitted by Moore's lawyers and he'd also spoken with Mahoney's family. According to the Associated Press, no South Carolina governor has offered clemency to any of the 44 inmates executed since the Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume in 1976, and more died from a lethal injection on November 1st. His final words were read to reporters outside the prison. To the family of Mr. James Mahoney, I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow I caused you all. To my children and granddaughters, I love you and I'm so proud of you.

Thank you for the joy you have brought to my life. To all of my family and friends, and old, thank you for your love and support. His final meal, as reported by NPR, was steak that was cooked medium, fried catfish, shrimp, scalloped potatoes, green peas, broccoli with cheese, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake, and grape juice. Now, another execution carried out Missouri in 2024 was that of Brian Dorsey, a 52-year-old man who'd been locked up for 17 years. Dorsey had admitted to killing his cousin, Sarah Bonney, and her husband, Benjamin, inside of their new Bloomfield, Missouri home just before Christmas in 2006. According to court filings, then 34-year-old Brian Dorsey called his cousin to say that he owed money

to drug dealers who were looking for him and he was scared for his life. The Bani's brought Dorsey to their home agreeing that he could take refuge with them. But during the night, Dorsey got a shotgun out of the Bani's garage and shot them both as they slept. Prosecutors say he then sexually assaulted his cousin's body and then stole some. several things from the home to try to pay off the drug debt. And to make just an absolutely horrific situation even worse, the Bonnie's four-year-old daughter was in this home during the attack. Yeah, she was thankfully unharmed during the course of this, but family members went to the Bonnie's home after they didn't show up for a plan get-together, and that is when they found the four-year-old

sitting on the couch watching TV. She reportedly told her grandparents that her mom wouldn't wake up. Now, Dorsey apparently turned himself in the day after Christmas. According to lawyers representing him on appeal, the public defenders assigned to his case in 2006 encouraged him to plead guilty despite having no agreement with prosecutors that they would spare him from the death penalty. According to the Associated Press, the public defenders were paid a flat fee of about $12,000, which some theorized gave them a good reason to get through this case as quickly as possible and on to the next one. Dorsey has also said that he was experiencing drug-induced psychosis at the time of the murders. He pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and a jury

was seated for the sentencing phase. He testified during the sentencing hearing that while he remembered being at the Bonnie's house and even holding the shotgun in their bedroom, he doesn't remember shooting them. He also said he didn't remember having sex with Saras corpse, despite the fact that DNA evidence confirmed that he did. The jury recommended death based on seven aggravating factors and among those factors was Dorsey's assault on Sarah's body. Despite the horrific nature of this crime, dozens of people ended up coming forward to fight for clemency on his behalf. And that included dozens of Missouri corrections department employees. Ahead of Dorsey's execution, retired corrections department officer Tim Lancaster said in a statement, I knew Brian Dorsey

for many years and I can say without hesitation that he was completely rehabilitated. Brian cut my hair and we would talk, and I know he felt deep shame and remorse about what he had done. He was a good person who made a mistake and was working to do better. I thought that was what we hoped for by sending people to prison. At least one of Dorsey's cousins, who was also related to Sarah, had stated that she'd hoped Dorsey would be spared from a death sentence. But other family members said they wanted him executed for the sake of achieving justice. This is according to CNN.

Governor Mike Parson denied the bid for clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in April. In a statement, Governor Parson said that Dorsey punished his loving family for helping him in a time of need. His cousins invited him into their home where he was surrounded by family and friends, then gave him a place to stay. Dorsey repaid them with cruelty, inhumane violence, and murder. For his final meal before his execution, Dorsey had cheeseburgers, chicken strips, fries, and a pizza. He was killed by lethal injection on April 9th. As part of his final words, Dorsey wrote, To all of the family and loved ones I share with Sarah,

and to all of the surviving family and loved ones of Ben, I am totally, deeply, overwhelmingly sorry. Words cannot hold the just weight of my guilt and shame. I still love you. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I am sorry. I hurt them and you. What an episode, right? These are just horrific, horrific crimes.

And I will say our thoughts are with the families of the victims in these cases. We hope these final parts of these long legal proceedings maybe bring at least some sense of closure, if not peace. And all of this is the United States continues to grapple with whether the death penalty should remain on the books nationwide. We may one day be able to look back on these cases with new insight and clarity if that's the case. For now, most severe punishment is allowed under the law, the loss of one's life. It remains part

of the justice system in more than half of U.S. states. That's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. As always, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. I have an exciting announcement for you guys. The video version of Sidebar is now available on Spotify. That's right. And we are so thankful for your guys, supportive Sidebar.

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