JURY URGES DEATH FOR WIFE-KILLER POYNTON GIVES THUMBS-UP GESTURE WHEN PANEL RECOMMENDS ULTIMATE PENALTY.Byline: Howard Breuer Staff Writer A Palmdale man who stalked and slaughtered his wife cheered ``Yes!,'' gave a thumbs-up and patted his attorney on the shoulder Wednesday as a jury delivered a verdict of death. That's what the brawny brawn·y adj. 1. Strong and muscular. 2. Hardened; calloused. , wild-eyed Richard James Richard James may refer to:
During the four-week trial, Poynton pounded his head against the jail walls until he bled, tried to dismiss his attorney and told jurors he'd commit suicide Verb 1. commit suicide - kill oneself; "the terminally ill patient committed suicide" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" if they didn't order his execution. ``He fought us all the way and he got what he wanted,'' said defense attorney Franklin Peters Jr., who had argued that Poynton has mental disorders and was not aware he was killing his wife. The victim's family, the prosecutor and jurors said they felt Poynton's mental illness was overstated o·ver·state tr.v. o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing, o·ver·states To state in exaggerated terms. See Synonyms at exaggerate. o and overacted, and that the 50-year-old former truck driver didn't really want to be executed. ``Everybody felt that he did the crime and everybody felt he was conscious when he did it,'' said juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. Mark Ramos, 39, of San Gabriel. ``He's very evil. Very evil.'' Some jurors were uneasy about imposing the death penalty. The jury's first vote Tuesday afternoon was evenly split, and their second and third votes were both 9-3, with three of the eight female jurors holding out for life in prison. Eventually, Ramos said, the three women put their ethical reservations aside. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow ordered sentencing for April 9. The 44-year-old victim cleaned houses in the San Gabriel Valley and was a graduate of Blair High School Blair High School may refer to one of the following high schools in the United States:
She and her husband of 17 years moved to Palmdale with their two sons four years before the slaying. He cheated on her and beat her, family members said, and she eventually filed for a restraining order restraining order: see injunction. and a divorce. The filings angered Poynton, who stalked his wife and threatened to kill her and her sisters, said prosecutor Rhonda Saunders of the District Attorney's Office stalking unit. ``He would say: `I'm across the street watching you and I'm going to kill you,' '' Saunders said outside court. ``He followed her all over that day, from Pasadena to Glendora. ``This is where stalking can lead if someone or something doesn't interfere.'' Witnesses testified that Poynton surprised his wife by using a car that she was unfamiliar with to run her vehicle off the road and by disguising himself with a fishing cap and tall collar. Then he hit her in the head with a gun and stabbed her 12 times; eight of the wounds were lethal. As the jurors were individually polled on their verdict, Poynton nodded and said, ``Good, good,'' as four bailiffs stood guard. The victim's two sisters, Sarah Barra of South Pasadena and Patricia Sandston of Glendora, watched from the front row. ``I've been praying for that verdict for two years,'' Barra said outside court. When asked whether she will attend the execution, Barra responded, ``I'd like to give him the injection.'' |
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