Richard cartwight and micheal ross

[bourney92]

how come nobody is talking about michael ross and people are talking about richard cartwright when micheals exucution is closer?

[CCADP]

A lot of people are working on Michael Ross there in CT where it is a huge deal as its the first execution in 60 years there if it goes through.

Michael Ross is also a volunteer and he could stop the execution any time and continue with his appeals. We wrote him recently to try to stop this but he is determined to allow the execution to go forward.

A lot of people also feel they know Richard Cartwright as he has been writing the Uncensored from Texas death row reports every week for the last year; letting everyone know what is going on there. So a lot of people wanted to do something for his mom who he mentions in his writings.

Also; people on this board know Richard's family personally; and I don't know any of Michael's family members; if we did and they were active here on this board; we'd be trying to arrange to send them a gift basket too

We're really hoping there will be no execution in CT. There's a thread about it (i think its in the ACTION section) that i posted from the Connecticut activists seeking help; funds, quotes from celebrities etc. I've passed it on where we can; the case is in court today as lawyers are trying to stop it even though Michael Ross has decided to be executed. There would be no execution date set right now if he hadnt given up his appeals. There was a Jan execution date that was stopped against Michaels will as a judge wanted to make sure he was 'competent' to give up his appeals...

tracy

[Maggie]

bourney92 said:

how come nobody is talking about michael ross and people are talking about richard cartwright when micheals exucution is closer?

Hi Bourney,

I'm curious, do you know why Michael Ross is volunteering to be executed? That seems very drastic to me.

[CCADP]

We have a page for him at www.ccadp.org/michaelross.htm where he details a lot of his history; mental states, crimes, reasons for wanting to give up appeals etc. He's given up his appeals before a few years ago and then allowed his lawyers to convince him to fight the DP for his own sake and also for the sake of the other prisoners and not opening up the floodgates to executions again in CT.
From what I understand; he feels that he wants to give up his appeals and stop fighting which he feels causes the victims families continued pain. Some psychiatrists say that is not true; and that hes just doing it to get publicity (I don't think thats the case; I think that he is sincere in his own way) and I have heard recently that he decided to give up his appeals when his girlfriend who had a Walking With Michael website for him broke up with him on his birthday in 2002 (thats been reported in the media anyway) and he got into a deep depression. Others are talking about what they are calling death row syndrome - basically depression brought on by conditions and emotional distress of being on DR....
the media has recently reported that his girlfriend has recently come back into his life and that she supposedly agreed to marry him should he go back to appeals. He refused the media reported that he wrote a letter saying; what could I say? that my girlfriend is back and we're happy now so I changed my mind...?

as you can see; its not clear.

I fight against any appeals being dropped though!!!!

[CCADP]

www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-05172838.apds.m0740.bc-ct--rossmay05,0,611644.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

Groark argues that Ross appeal was not voluntary

Associated Press

May 5, 2005

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The State Supreme Court on Thursday was again asked to rule whether condemned serial killer Michael Ross has the mental ability to volunteer for what would be New England's first execution in 45 years.

Hartford attorney Thomas Groark is seeking to continue his role as a special counsel to argue an appeal that could stop the lethal injection.

Groark did not challenge a lower court ruling that found Ross mentally competent. But he and his associate, Michael Shea, asked the high court to find that Ross' mental problems, specifically his narcism, make it impossible for him to voluntarily waive his appeals.

It's a legal technicality that could determine whether Ross, who has admitted killing eight women in Connecticut and New York during the 1980s, dies next Friday.

State prosecutors say that Groark is improperly attempting to appeal a finding of fact made by a Superior Court judge - that Ross is mentally competent. Shea argued they are appealing an interpretation of the law - that Ross' waiver was voluntary.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in a few days.

But the court may not have to get into the competency issue.

First, the justices must decide if Groark has standing to even bring an appeal.

The Hartford attorney was appointed as a special counsel by Superior Court Judge Patrick Clifford last month to argue at a competency hearing that Ross is not mentally fit to "volunteer" to be executed.

Prosecutors say his role ended when Clifford ruled Ross to be competent to make his own decisions.

"Mr. Groark was not appointed to represent any of Mr. Ross' interests," prosecutor Harry Weller during 90-minute hearing. "He was appointed as an officer of the court to represent facts."

But several justices seemed to balk at that notion, questioning whether there's ever been a court ruling in which one of the lawyers involved was barred from bringing an appeal.

"If we are not appointed to do that, then no one else would make a claim that there was an error in the trial court," Groark said.

Prosecutors pointed out that Ross' competency has been appealed before, and upheld in January by the state Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ross' lawyer, T.R. Paulding, who has been working with the serial killer to expedite his execution, urged the court to put an end to the appeals process and that "Mr. Ross be allowed to have a few days of peace before he meets his maker."


Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

[CCADP]

A message from Bob Nave, Director, Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death
Penalty
-------------------
Hello Fellow Abolitionists,

Please read and then forward this far and wide - post this where
ever you can - URGENT!!!!

I will be contacting you many times in the next few weeks, so please
bear with me.

As you know, we are now at a crisis in Connecticut. We are facing an
imminent execution on May 11th. Whereas the execution was stopped in
January, with the competency hearing concluded last Friday and the
judges ruling that Michael Ross is competent, the execution is going
to take place at 2:01 a.m. on May 11th.

Furthermore, there is now a snowball effect - at least one other
death row inmate has given up his appeals, with talk of another
following suit. Also, Connecticut will become the first state in the
northeast to execute post-Furman. This is a precedent that is going
to be devastating so we are gearing up for a huge demonstration.

To that end, the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty
(CNADP) (www.cnadp.org), (www.DontKillInMyNameCT.org) is holding a
vigil/walk from Sunday, May 8, beginning at 2:01 p.m. in Hartford
and concluding 60 hours later on Wednesday, May 11 at 2:01 a.m. at
the site of the execution 30 miles away. We will be holding a large
initial demonstration/vigil at 2:01 p.m. in Hartford with a vigil on
Monday night and then again on Tuesday night, with smaller events on
Monday and Tuesday at noon.

We need as many people to be involved with this as possible.
Everybody is welcome to take part in this event in part or in its
entirety. More details will soon follow. However, for now we need
two things beyond individual participation.

1. We need MONEY - we are working on less than $1,000 and if
we do not get major funding we will not be able to mobilize
properly. If possible, please make checks payable to "CNADP" and
please do so quickly if you are able. Please mail donations to
CNADP, 32 Grand Street, Hartford CT 06106.

2. Below is a "DREAM TEAM" of people that we would like to get
involved. We welcome their participation in may ways - they can
issue a statement, come to Connecticut for a part of this event, or
join us for the entire event. If you know any of them, or if you
know of anybody who has contact with any of them, please CONTACT
THEM IMMEDIATELY. Please have them contact me ASAP at
[e-mail] or at [phone]. This may sound crazy, but
if everybody takes the initiative and begins contacting people, we
can certainly get some of these great people to come and join us in
our struggle. We have no money to offer them, so this would have to
be done for the cause - and considering the gravity of the
situation, they may be willing to make this sacrifice. (This list is
not complete and is a work in progress - please feel free to add
appropriate people to this list.)

Please don't be shy at this time - this is one of the most major and
urgent human rights abuses that Connecticut has seen in more than a
generation. We cannot stand by and let this happen without our voice
being heard!!!!!

Please check the list below and contact these people or me for
further detail.

Best,
Bob Nave
Director
Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty

Connecticut Notables
Representative Lawlor
Senator MacDonald
Any other state legislator who is anti-death penalty
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro

Major Celebrities
Phil Donahue
Marlo Thomas
Bianca Jagger
Bono
Sister Helen Prejean
Steve Earl
Mike Farrell
Martin Sheen
Susan Sarandon
Tim Robbins
Meryl Streep
Peter, Paul and Mary
Ani DeFranco
Pete Seger
Paul Newman

National Political Figures
Governor Ryan of Illinois
Jimmy and Roselyn Carter
Coretta Scott King, the children of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Carol Mosely Braun
Dennis Kucinich

Exonerated Death Row Inmate
Larry Adams
Juan Melendez
Ray Kohn

National Personalities
Don Cabana
Ron Hampton - National Black Patrolman's Association

International Figures
Ambassadors from Abolitionist countries

Finally, Pope Benedict XVI was instrumental in changing the Catholic
Catechism to reflect Pope John Paul II's position against the death
penalty. If we could get a letter from him to the Board of Pardon's
and Parole that we can publish in the newspapers of Connecticut that
would be fantastic. He could ask for this to be granted in honor of
his elevation. If anybody has any connections to the Vatican this
would be great.

Thank you all!!!

[sclcookie]

We need more people fighting for everyone on Death Row. I wish I could do more. Handling getting the message across about 1 inmate is a lot.

If Richard Cartwright doesn't make it or the best happens and he's off Death Row, I'll be helping another inmate.

hugggz to all of y'all!

Suzanne

[CCADP]

As Execution Day nears, protests build
By MICHELLE TUCCITTO, Journal Register News Service
05/07/2005
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Protesters are once again gearing up to make their disapproval of the execution of serial killer Michael Ross known, with demonstrations beginning Sunday and continuing throughout the week.

Ross, a sexual sadist who killed eight women in the early 1980s, is scheduled to die by lethal injection early May 13.

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Robert Nave, state death penalty abolition coordinator for Amnesty International, said that while many people may think that something will happen once again to block the execution, he doesn’t share that belief.

"A lot of people think it will be stopped," Nave said. "People seem complacent, but I don’t think the Supreme Court appeal will be successful."

Shortly before Ross’ previously scheduled execution in January, Ross’ attorney, T.R. Paulding, put a halt to it in response to being chastised by U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny, who accused him of ignoring new information about Ross’ competence.

A new, adversarial, competency hearing was held in April in New London Superior Court. Judge Patrick Clifford again found Ross competent to decide to forgo further appeals.

An appeal of Clifford’s decision is currently pending with the state Supreme Court.

Nave stressed that the protesters are not marching for Ross personally.

"It is not about him," Nave said. "It is about poor public policy, the death penalty. We are honoring victims by not murdering in their names."

Nave, who is also the executive director of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty, said the organization is planning a peaceful demonstration.

On Sunday at 2:01 p.m., there will be a kickoff of the "Dissent with Dignity" vigil on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford. The Trinity site is symbolic, according to Nave, as it is known as "Gallows Hill," the site of executions hundreds of years ago. Protesters will begin walking around 3 p.m. and plan to arrive in Windsor by evening, about six miles away.

On Monday, they will walk in the early afternoon to Windsor Locks, and on Tuesday, from Windsor Locks to Enfield.

On Wednesday, they’ll walk to Somers Congregational Church.

On Thursday, protesters will leave the church and walk about five miles to the execution site, where they plan to stay until the execution is carried out, now scheduled for Friday morning at 2:01 a.m. at Osborn Correctional Institution.

A "For Whom the Bell Tolls Campaign" is being organized for faith communities around the state. They are being asked to toll their bells for five minutes on Thursdayat 6:01 p.m., eight hours before the scheduled execution.

For up to date information on planned demonstrations, visit www.dontkillinmynamect.org

When Ross was previously scheduled to be executed in January, most of the demonstrators who gathered were against the death penalty. Nave estimated this crowd at about 300.

Only two people were in the pro-death penalty camp, a Somers couple.

At the time, the couple was quoted in the Register as saying that Ross earned his penalty and deserved to die.

Edward Ramsey, a spokesman for the state Department of Correction, said the plan, once again, is to have separate staging areas for both sides the night of the execution. The two areas are a couple hundred yards apart, Ramsey said.

Temperatures were in the single digits that January night when the execution was put on hold. Given the warmer May temperatures, officials expect more demonstrators on both sides.