UPDATE- John DeBlase: Judge Upholds Death Sentence Mobile, AL - UPDATE: 9:15 pm Weve uploaded a copy of Judge Rick Stouts sentencing order to the web. Its 22 pages that details everything in the DeBlase case and explains the judges reasoning for upholding the death sentence. You can read it here. The case isnt really over. An appeal can be expected. DeBlases appellate attorney came into court shortly after the judge issued his ruling. UPDATE: 3:05 pm The state takes barely a minute to ask the judge to uphold the death sentence recommendation. Defense lawyer Glen Davidson takes about 10 minutes explaining to the judge why DeBlase shouldnt get the death penalty. Davidson says DeBlase was under the considerable domination of his girlfriend Heather Keaton. He says if not for her, the children would still be alive. We finally heard from John DeBlase. Judge Stout asked the defendant if he had anything to say in his own defense. In a slight, quiet voice DeBlase responded. I ask for fairness. Im not going to beg for mercy, Im asking for mercy. I didnt kill my kids, I love my kids, said DeBlase before sitting down again. Hes once again dressed in a Mobile County Metro Jail jumpsuit and in shackles. The judge spent a long time reading back the facts of the case. Not among the facts so far: who killed the children and how they died. Later the judge reads from DeBlases writings. He held her in the air and choke her to death to stop her from being tortured, Judge Stout reads as he quotes a confession letter DeBlase wrote in jail. The judge found the state has proved the aggravating circumstances. The defense did not prove mitigating circumstances. The actions he could have taken to prevent his childrens death are too numerous to list, said Judge Stout. The only mitigating circumstance the judge has given weight is the fact that DeBlase tried to hold down a job and provide for his family. He only assigns slight weight to evidence he was a loving father because of how the children died. Also the fact he helped law enforcement find the bodies is assigned some weight. Death sentence upheld by Judge Stout. DeBlases family leaves the courtroom saying very little, some in tears. There are no winners today, only losers, says John DeBlases father Richard. POSTED at 10:00 A.M.: Today might be the last time John DeBlase appears in a Mobile County courtroom. Last year a jury found him guilty of killing his two young children Natalie and Chase in 2010. By a 10 to 2 vote jurors recommended the death penalty. Today Judge Rick Stout will hear arguments from the state and defense. District Attorney Rich and her team of course will argue the judge should uphold the death penalty. Theyll likely present evidence they say shows what John DeBlase did was heinous and especially cruel. The defense team will ask the judge to consider reversing the jurys decision and instead recommend life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge wont have a decision today but issue a written opinion at a later date. The trial of John DeBlase is believed to be the longest criminal trial in Mobile County history lasting about a month. In that time we heard gut wrenching testimony from the childrens mother Corrine DeBlase—she said she blamed herself for what happened and wondered if her children hated her for it. While today may close one chapter in this saga this case isnt over. The state says John DeBlases girlfriend Heather Keaton played a major role in abusing Natalie and Chase. Weve already seen her in police interviews go from a quiet woman to screaming at investigators. Her trial is slated for March of this year. wkrg/story/27792234/judge-hears-arguments-on-deblase-punishment
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:19:39 +0000
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