Slain Officer's Wife Expresses Doubt About Sibley

[CCADP]

Slain Officer's Wife Expresses Doubt About Sibley Execution


Death row inmate George Sibley is set to die by lethal injection at Holman
prison. A jury convicted Sibley of killing an Opelika Police officer in
1993.

Now, the slain officer's wife is expressing some thoughts that may
surprise you.

12 years have passed since Roger Motley's murder, and yet, these last 24
hours are the hardest for his widow.

Juanita Motley Kirkwood is not looking forward to the process.

"I have a real hard time with going in and watching someone die," she
said.

Kirkwood has tried to move on with her life, raising the 4 children she
shared with Roger Motley. At the same time, her new home is still filled
with mementos of his life. On the eve of the killer's execution, Kirkwood
is filled with anxiety. She knows what is coming. She witnessed Lynda
Block's execution 3 years ago for the same crime.

"I did not stay for the whole thing that time. I think I will (today),"
she said.

Sibley has filed a last minute appeal with the Supreme Court trying to
avoid his execution. Surprisingly, Kirkwood says if it were up to her he
would.

"I'm not, I never have been sure that I believe in capital punishment. I
was thrown into this situation," she said.

Kirkwood knows she will face criticism for her opinion.

"But nothing they do to George Sibley or Lynda Lyons will bring Roger
back. Nothing they do will repair the damage that was done to our family,"
she said.

And despite what many say about executions deterring murders, she doesn't
believe it.

"This is not going to send some big, dramatic message out to someone who
is of that state of mind anyway. I don't think you're going to reach those
people," she said.

Juanita Kirkwood will have lots of support when she witnesses Sibley's
execution. Roger Motley's mother, 2 sons and goddaughter will sit with her
along with Opelika's police chief.

Sibley's hopes for a reprieve seem to be fading. He's asked the high court
twice since March to overturn his conviction. Both times, justices
rejected his request.

(source: WSFA News)

[Britta]

Sibley fights execution
Mitch Sneed
Staff Writer
Thursday, August 4, 2005

Barring a last-minute stay by the U.S. Supreme Court, it appears as though the man convicted of killing Opelika police officer Roger Motley will finally pay the full price for his crime this evening.

George Everette Sibley has been on Alabama’s death row for more than 11 years and is scheduled to be put to death today at 6 p.m. at the Holman Correctional Center in Atmore. But Wednesday two separate motions were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution. A decision is expected by the court sometime today.

"There were two separate filings (Wednesday) and even though the court is not in session, they normally take such requests up very quickly," said Beth Hughes of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. "We expect to hear something from the them early (today)."

According to the Associated Press, Sibley’s personally written filing says his appeal has never been fully reviewed by the court in Washington, D.C., and it is "crucial in a case such as this."

The state submitted a rebuttal filing Thursday that said Sibley is not entitled to a delay, said Clay Crenshaw, an assistant attorney general.

According to the state’s filing, the issue Sibley "attempts to raise in his rehearing petition is meritless and unworthy of review."

"For no good reason, Sibley has waited until the eve of his execution to file this motion," the rebuttal filing states, according to The Associated Press.

The legal wrangling by the convicted killer doesn’t surprise Motley’s family, who have been down this road before. A large contingent of family, co-workers and friends plan to be on hand to see Sibley’s life end, bringing to an end a torment that Motley’s sister Betty Foshee said has been constant.

"It will give us closure in that once this is over and done we will never have to hear about this man again," Foshee said. "For my mother and me and the rest of the family, we have such positive memories of Roger, but every time this man appealed or had to go to court we had to be there, just reminding us of what he did and that he is still alive while my brother is dead.

"Hopefully after (today) we won’t have to worry about that any more."

Sibley has made the process long and hard.

Sibley, now 62, was convicted of capital murder for the Oct. 4, 1993, murder of Motley, as the officer was responding to a call where he thought a child was in danger in the parking lot of the old Wal-Mart on Pepperell Parkway. Sibley’s girlfriend Lynda Lyon Block, 54, had her 9-year-old in the car, and Sibley and Block claimed they fired at the officer in self-defense. Witnesses said Sibley fired first and Block joined in after the officer was wounded.

Block was also sentenced to death in the murder and was executed in May 2002 after she and Sibley failed to file appeals for years. After Block’s execution, Sibley filed a last-minute appeal that stopped his November 2002 execution just two days before it was to take place.

Since then the Alabama Supreme Court rejected a 13-page hand-written appeal filed by Sibley who is now acting as his own lawyer.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Sibley’s personal appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was delivered for him by the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Montgomery.

"The court has made clear that the constitutionality of the death penalty rests in part on the opportunity for its rational review of the process by which it is imposed and full review in this case requires that his execution be stayed," the petition says.

Motley’s widow Juanita Motley Kirkwood said earlier this week that she stopped trying to understand Sibley years ago.

"I don’t think I will ever be able to understand (Sibley)," Kirkwood said. "The things that he says and does just make it impossible for me to connect with him in any way. I guess there are some things in life that are just that way."

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[Britta]

Governor Won't Delay Execution of Opelika Police Officer Killer

Governor Bob Riley on Thursday denied death row inmate George Sibley's request for a six-month delay in his execution. Sibley is scheduled to be executed at 6:00 p.m. Thursday.

"I've reached this decision after careful consideration. There is no new evidence that would justify such a delay," Governor Riley said.

Sibley was convicted of capital murder in the shooting death of Opelika Police Officer Roger Motley.

"We honor the life of Officer Motley and pray for those loved ones who still grieve," said Governor Riley.

62-year-old George Sibley Junior wants the U-S Supreme Court to block his 6 p-m execution at Holman Prison in Atmore. He was sentenced to die by lethal injection for the 1993 murder of Officer Roger Motley in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Assistant Attorney General Clay Crenshaw says his office has submitted a rebuttal filing.

Sibley is acting as his own lawyer and has petitioned the high court two times since late March seeking to overturn his conviction and death sentence. Justices rejected each request.

Sibley petitioned for rehearing on July first, but the petition was returned for non-compliance. On July 19th, he filed a corrected petition, which remains pending in the U-S Supreme Court. Crenshaw says he expects the court to issue a ruling on Sibley's latest filing sometime today.

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