ALABAMA: 4th Nov 2002 Sibley files appeal seeking to stop execution Condemned murderer George Sibley, who once joined his common-law wife in claiming the courts had no legal jurisdiction in their death penalty case, has filed an appeal to stop his execution scheduled for Thursday. Sibley, 60, is scheduled to become the 1st person in Alabama executed by lethal injection. His common-law wife, Lynda Lyon Block, 54, was executed on May 10, possibly the last person to die in Alabama's electric chair. Sibley and Block were sentenced to death for the 1993 killing of Opelika police officer Roger Motley Jr. in a burst of gunfire in a shopping center parking lot. Block and Sibley, who decried government controls over individuals and renounced their U.S. citizenship, were on the run at the time to avoid being sentenced in the stabbing of Block's former husband in Orlando, Fla. Sibley and Block declined for years to file appeals in their case, claiming the courts were corrupt and illegal. But Sibley in recent days filed an appeal in federal court in Montgomery asking for a stay, his attorney said Monday. U.S. District Judge Harold Albritton has scheduled a hearing on the request for 10 a.m. Tuesday. Montgomery attorney Bryan Stevenson said he filed the appeal at Sibley's request. Stevenson said the appeal "is based on issues relating to the fairness of his conviction and death sentence." Assistant Attorney General Beth Hughes said the state would fight the request for a stay, arguing that Sibley has missed the deadline for filing appeals. A Web site operated by supporters of Sibley and Block said Monday that a letter was being sent to Gov. Don Siegelman on Sibley's behalf asking the governor to stop the execution. The governor's office had not received the request Monday, press secretary Mike Kanarick said. The Alabama legislature in April voted to change the state's primary means of execution to lethal injection, although death row inmates can still choose to die in the electric chair. Prison officials said Sibley declined to make a choice and therefore is scheduled to die by lethal injection. Prisons spokesman Brian Corbett said Monday that preparations are complete at Holman prison near Atmore to carry out the state's first execution by lethal injection. "We are ready to go. The chamber has been ready for about a month now," Corbett said. Unless a stay is ordered, Sibley is expected to be moved into a holding cell near the execution chamber Tuesday, Corbett said. (source: Associated Press) In Response... It seems that the office of the Governor of the state of Alabama NEVER gets the mail on time and ESPECIALLY when it pertains to the case of Sibley and Lyon! But I KNOW letters and petition results have been delivered to that office in person!! All it takes is to find the material...!! I..the owner of one of the supporting websites.. will call the governor's office today to ask for a stay. The 7th of November has not dawned yet!! Ann Ezelius for Margi, Jean and Dixi. Also for Bryan Stevenson who has so generously assisted George with legal advice, filing documents and is now officially his Attorney. UPDATES... 6th Nov.02.. I heard from another Sibley supporter that Juanita Motley had written him to say that George will "probably" get a stay of execution. Well I hope he gets FREEDOM so he can go out and kick some butts!! Please keep the prayers rolling!! 1900 (1pm Alabama time..) I just got off the phone after a very looong chat with George Sibley. He sounds cheerful and hopeful that his STAY of execution will go unchallenged by the state. I must say I'm nuts about his accent!! Would like to thank, on his behalf, all the good people who signed the petition for the stay and for all the prayers. He is very appreciative of everything that has been done to help him reach out. We agreed that it was very sad that Lynda never got the same chances. There was just too little time. I raise my glass to FREEDOM for George Sibley..!! ******** - From DP News And Updates.. ..and thank you Prof Halperin for signing George's petition! ALABAMA---stay of impending execution Judge puts Sibley execution on hold A federal judge halted the Thursday execution of condemned murderer George Sibley, who had been scheduled to be the 1st person executed by lethal injection in Alabama. Sibley and his common-law wife once rejected courts as being corrupt and illegal, but as his execution date drew nearer, Sibley appealed to U.S. District Judge Harold Albritton for delay. Albritton issued a stay late Tuesday afternoon. He said Sibley had raised complex issues about Alabama's death penalty law, and there is inadequate time to consider them without putting the execution on hold. At a hearing Tuesday morning, Albritton asked Sibley if it was his decision to seek a stay and if he wanted Montgomery attorney Bryan Stevenson to represent him. Looking thin and pale, Sibley answered in a quiet voice that he initially just wanted Stevenson's assistance. "But now it becomes essentially necessary for him to represent me," Sibley said. (source: Dothan Eagle) |
| GEORGE SIBLEY'S PLACE.... |
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| 11/12/02.. Well it seems as if the state is not challenging the stay of execution and so investigating into the facts can soon proceed. AND there ARE facts to be investigated..and there are names! I wish the people working on this case a very safe journey! |
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| 11/25/02.. Received a good letter from George today! He says he will make the most of this opportunity to clear his and Lynda 's names. It seems that when he was talking to me on the telephone he was in a holding cell next to the lethal injection death cell which is new at Holman Prison. May he never land there!! |
| - First State Poisoning Carried Out At Holman Prison... 12/ 12/2002 -More On The Execution Of Keith Johnson.. |
| 01/ 01/03 I have not posted here for a while..holiday laziness, I guess. I wish, on behalf of myself and George, a wonderful 2003 to all who visit this page. I received a beautiful Christmas card from George which has the picture of an Angel on the front. He said he'd had cards like this made at the prison in rememberance of "his Angel" who is now in a far better place! George is working and so are his attorneys. It seems some investigating is on order so that is positive. Hopefully I'll have more good news soon!! 020303 Heard from George today and he sounds cheerful and hopeful. It seems Alabama, like Florida, is trying to starve its inmates. Food costs have been cut to 68 cents per day or slightly over 22 cents per meal. The Alabama math... 27000 inmates = 81000 meals per day.If prison officials can trim 10 cents per meal from the cost then $8,100 PER DAY go into their pockets. The hygiene applied when serving these meals is also VERY tacky!! Hopefully he will be out of there soon as it seems investigations are being carried out!! 030303: Had a letter from George today. He sounded in good spirits and sent me a beautiful card with sunflowers on it. I had told him I love these flowers and when he received the card from a friend to send on, he decided to send it to me to help ease the winter "blues" Thanks George..I love my card!! Nothing much new on the case horizon as yet! 033103 : Had a good letter from George today! It seems he is sleeping a little better but says that " a newly installed ventilation blower runs 24 hours a day bringing in the cold air and I am forced to wear my hat and coat nearly all day to stay warm. When the hot weather comes it will be nearly ineffective because it's roof-mounted and the roof will be very hot, heating the incoming air." So it goes in USA prisons..if ya can't fry 'em, ya freeze 'em! He says the prisoners get virtually no fruit..wish I could send in some good European apples and pears. May 03: I did hear from George in April..and he was doing well in spite of all the planned poisonings around him. I received a big surprise in this month of May tho' as he sent me the most beautiful card and prayer for the healing of the tendonitis in my leg. It is when this sort of thing happens that I really understand what a great thing it is to correspond with inmates. Sure.. some let one down..but others build one up..so the balance remains. "Thanks George..you are my very good buddy! I do hope I get to visit you this year yet!" Thanks also to Bryan Stevenson for his input in helping George and lately, Glenn Holliday. |
| -2nd State Poisoning 13th March 2002.. Michael Eugene Thompson..LINK |
| ALABAMA: May 28th 03 U.S. court delays Holladay execution A federal appeals court offered death row inmate Glenn Holladay a 2nd stay of execution Tuesday and another chance to prove his mental history should prevent his execution. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted Holladay's scheduled Thursday execution for a 1986 triple murder in Gadsden. His lawyers appealed his sentence based on a June 2002 ruling by the U.S.Supreme Court that said executing the mentally retarded is unconstitutionally cruel. He received a stay in 2001 from the U.S. SupremeCourt while it was considering the constitutionality issue in a North Carolina case. In a ruling released Monday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cited a history of low IQ test scores and statements made at Holladay's trial that it said might indicate he is retarded. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, said the decision shows the Alabama Legislature needs to consider a bill to prohibit executing mentally retarded prisoners. Last week, Stevenson filed the petition to stay Holladay's execution, saying the bill would not be considered at least until June. "We're delighted the court has stayed the execution," Stevenson said. "We suggest that it's time the state dealt honestly with this issue." Stevenson said his next step would be to file a petition in federal district court within the next few days to give Holladay another chance to prove he is mentally retarded. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled executing mentally retarded prisoners violated the Constitution as cruel and unusual punishment. Holladay has scored low on intelligence tests, in the 50- to 70-point range, since he was 9 years old. Prosecutors contend his low scores have more to do with his literacy than his mental state. Stevenson said Holladay was mentally retarded by the state's educational definition during his childhood, before his criminal history began. It was only after his murder conviction that lawyers for the state began arguing otherwise. |
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| -4th June 03 : Today I added this picture of Lynda, George and Gordon. I received permission to copy it from the site "Help From Beyond" . Thanks George. She is beautiful! |
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| 15th Sept 03..It has been some time since I last wrote anything here! I have heard from George a number of times and his case is moving and it seems the authorities do not like it so they are harrassing him with drug tests and when he doesn't leap at the chance of undergoing one he gets bogus write-ups etc. To say it's a crap life is putting it mildly! May his patience prevail!! It was his birthday on the 8th September and I didn't know that..so have sent him belated greetings. It would be very cool if his next b'day was celebrated in FREEDOM! I'll drink to that!! |
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 Subject: GEORGE SIBLEY IN TROUBLE.. To: ABOLISH@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Hi.. Today I had a letter from George Sibley who is, as you may remember, on Alabama's death row. The letter was posted out on Sept 29th. For some time now he has been harrassed into agreeing to take a drug test but, seeing as he does not use addictive substances, he, at first, did not comply with the request. Later he did agree to a test but his relenting did not bring relief. As a result he has been to prison court twice ( if I have that correct) and been found guilty of the charges laid on him and now he may be thrown into the "hole". He has written habeas corpus and filed against these actions but to date ( 28th Sept he wrote me this) he had heard nothing. I know there are people interested in his wellbeing and would ask them to storm the Bastille with either letters for George or to the Warden or call the prison..whatever it takes. This is all being done as the case moves along and the time for an oral argument draws closer. I have written his attorney about this matter but am not sure if he can do much. Thanks and cheers.. AnnEz George E Sibley Z-565, 2-D-9 Holman Prison Holman 3700 Atmore, Alabama, 36503 USA Warden: Grantt Culliver Mailing Address: Holman 3700 Atmore, AL 36503-3700 USA Street Address: 9677 Hwy 21 N Atmore, AL 36503 USA Phone #: 251-368-8173 *********************************************** THE ABOLISH LIST This list serves solely as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information by people who support alternatives to the death penalty and the immediate abolition of Capital Punishment. Abolist List FAQ: http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/abolishfaq.htm Archives: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/abolish.html |
| Update: 120603.. This is from an e-mail I received from George's friend.. It seems the prison is not letting up on hassling him and now it seems he has had a minor transfer.. *** ... I received a letter from George this morning in which he tells me that they have transferred him to cell 2-D-9. Quote " I was able to take writing materials and legal work, some clothes. But I can't receive newspapers, magazines, or books. So if you can find a copy of "Amistad" check out the last part, where Justice Story reads the opinion and speaks of the right to use force against tyranny if no other thingis available, the reference being to an earlier writing of his, and get the endnote references. I've got the text but not the notes. This is supposed to be for 45 days, unless I can get something from the local court. I believe they have to allow me to make a phone call, which I will insist upon getting tomorrow. I tried to call you this morning, but they had the phone cut off already. I am beginning a religious fast. Tonight I got some information Walt sent, about the Bank of England and HUD. I'll go now and try to call tomorrow, have you call EJI, etc. It appears that we will have to wait longer for a visit." The letter was dated December 2, and today is the 4th. I did not get a phone call yesterday. And Jean, they knew when you called that he was moved to 2-D-9 yet discussed your sending the book to him. I will go to Borders and buy the book, and send him the references he wants, and I'll email Gerald King at EJI since George has not called me. Strange that they would allow him to receive that stuff from Walter - I mailed it to Walter for him to send to George. *** So if you are reading this..please send George a card to show empathy. He sure can use it big-time! Cheers..AnnEz |
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| 22nd July 2004.. Today I read that the Federal Court has turned down George's appeal.. LINK.. I did hear from him this week but the letter was written a week ago and he sounded pleased because the 'Ring' case would not be affecting him anymore. He was waiting to meet with one of his attorneys. I sent off a letter to him today before knowing of the latest happenening but will get a message to him that I know and am praying for a good result. In case Tahir Shah is reading this info..I did send your e-mails on to George and he thanks you so very much for your kind words about Lynda and that you did the article in ELLE magazine all those years ago. That was the article that I read and, as a result, sent a card off to Lynda. How ironic that ex-Alabama Governor, Don Siegelman, who made it his business to see that Lynda was the last person to die in Yellow Mama, should himself be in dire trouble with the law! Lynda and George's files are stashed at.. LINK.. In Peace..AnnEz / Sweden |
| 3/20/05 Subject: George I just got a call from George. He sounds so cheerful. Said they had being trying to kill him for eleven years. He has been doing lots of writing and rewriting on his petition to the US Supreme Court. He said that if he does not get all the issues in, that he cannot raise them later. The warden called him to his office and gave him a copy of the motion by Troy King asking for an execution date. He has 30 days to respond to it. Margi - Article Link.. - George Sibley Rebuttal..May 2005 - Supreme Court sets execution date for George Sibley..again! ( First date was 7th Nov 2002 ) An Appeal To Juanita Motley To Allow George Sibley To Live A Letter From George - 3rd July 2005 July2002- 2005 Petition ( The request is the same but to Governor Bob Riley in 2005..AnnEz/Sweden ) George Sibley's OWN Petition For A REPRIEVE ToThe Governor Of Alabama, Bob Riley Please call, fax or e-mail the Governor on George Sibley's behalf before it is too late. State Info Blog Update-4th Aug 2005 'In Memoriam'-5th Aug 2005 |