Condemned Ky. inmate wants to end all appeals

Lawyer Blogs

A Kentucky inmate who has pushed to swiftly be put to death for killing two children said Tuesday he's mentally prepared to die but fears a legal fight could delay his execution.

"I believe it's finally going to be over. I'm getting myself prepared to be done and get it over with," Marco Allen Chapman told The Associated Press.

Defense attorneys this week asked the state Supreme Court to stay the 36-year-old's execution, set for Nov. 21. Even though Chapman dismissed his lawyers in 2004 before pleading guilty to murder, public defenders have continued to file motions on his behalf, questioning his competency.

Attorneys have also filed motions arguing that he shouldn't be put to death until appeals are exhausted in a separate case questioning Kentucky's execution protocol. That case is pending before the state Supreme Court.

Chapman has been found competent three times. He has sued public defenders, seeking an order to stop them from filing additional appeals. He says he wants to be executed for murdering 6-year-old Cody Sharon and 7-year-old Chelbi Sharon in the northern Kentucky town of Warsaw in August 2002.

The Kentucky Attorney General's office asked the state's high court on Tuesday to call off any more competency tests and allow Chapman to be executed.

If the lethal injection goes forward, he would become the first Kentucky inmate put to death since 1999.

Chapman remains hopeful that the court proceedings are swiftly concluded and says he's sorting through what could be the final details of his life.

"We're still working on things, like what to do with my remains," Chapman said.

Related listings

  • Report: FDA officials opposed drug suit policy

    Report: FDA officials opposed drug suit policy

    Lawyer Blogs 10/28/2008

    Top scientists and career employees at the Food and Drug Administration opposed agency regulations that weaken consumers' ability to sue drug makers, congressional investigators said Wednesday.At issue is language in a drug labeling rule from 2006 th...

  • NY man named with Leno in lawsuit commits suicide

    NY man named with Leno in lawsuit commits suicide

    Lawyer Blogs 10/23/2008

    A parking garage executive sued along with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno over their purchases of valuable vintage cars apparently has killed himself in upstate New York.Police in Warwick said Dennis Ricca died Oct. 17 of a single gunshot wound to the ...

  • Court considers case on judicial ethics

    Court considers case on judicial ethics

    Lawyer Blogs 10/10/2008

     Supreme Court justices regularly confront cases involving companies they own shares in or that employ a family member. The decision is easy — the justices have a conflict of interest that forces them to play no role in the case.But what happens...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read