Opinion ID: 2481410
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Capital Sentencing HearingEvidence in Aggravation

Text: After opening statements by both sides, Rachel Sloop White resumed the stand as the State's first witness in the second stage of the capital sentencing hearing. She testified that she was introduced to defendant by a mutual friend, L.M., at the Keokuk, Iowa, YMCA. Eventually, they began dating and she attended prom with him in March 1996. She broke up with him later that spring by giving him a letter that she had written. She wanted to continue to be his friend. On the afternoon of July 8, 1996, defendant was visiting her house. Rachel, Lonna, Kim, and defendant talked about the incident in which Kim's car caught fire. There had also been a fire in defendant's car. They all suspected Terry Hamelton of setting the fires. At some point in the afternoon, defendant drove Kim into town to run errands to do with the fire and then brought her back to the house. Rachel's mother returned from work about 4:30 p.m. and began cooking dinner. She told Rachel that it was time for defendant to leave because there was not enough food for him to eat with them that evening. After Rachel told defendant to leave he moved at a slow pace, and when he did finally leave, called her a bitch. She was asleep later that night in her second-floor bedroom when her mother woke her, explaining that she had received a telephone call from defendant telling her that she and Kim were needed in town at Kim's apartment because Terry Hamelton was ransacking it. Rachel and Lonna were in the living room watching television when she heard someone in the dining room. She saw defendant coming toward her. Defendant asked to talk to her in the dining room. They sat at the table, smoking cigarettes and talking. When he asked her if she would resume dating him, she tried to change the subject, saying that she needed to bring the dogs inside. She went to the front door to let the dogs in and defendant accompanied her. Then they went back to sit at the dining room table. From her seat at the table, she could see out the window and she saw the headlights of a car coming down the road toward the house. When she told defendant that a car was approaching the house, he shot her in the head, just above and behind her right ear. Before she fell over, she heard her sister, Lonna, say, Don't shoot me. Rachel remained seated, with her head resting on the table, as she slipped in and out of consciousness. At some point, defendant returned to the room. He was bleeding and he let his blood just go all over her. Then he asked her to lie down on the floor next to him. She used a chair cushion as a pillow and lay down on the floor, covering herself with a blanket. He kept touching her, asking her if she was still alive. She responded, Stop touching me before I die. She asked defendant if he had shot anyone else and he told her that he thought he had killed her sister, but he denied having shot the two children. Eventually, she told defendant that she had to go to the bathroom. He initially refused to let her leave, but she told him that she would leave the bathroom door open. When she came out of the bathroom, she did not see defendant, so she opened the front door and walked outside where the police were waiting. (Later testimony by a state trooper established that it was approximately 5:52 a.m. on July 9, 1996, when Rachel exited the house, followed shortly thereafter by defendant, who surrendered to the police.) Michelle Haist, the younger sister of Kim and Terry Haist, testified that she knew defendant because he was dating Rachel, whose sister, Amy, was engaged to Michelle's brother, Terry. Defendant was always around. In 1996, Michelle was living with Kim in Carthage, Illinois. On July 3, 1996, Michelle had been at Kim's apartment when Terry Hamelton came by and told her that he wanted to see the children, Cody and Courtnie. Kim had not been home at the time. Later that night, Michelle was awakened by flashing lights. Kim's car was on fire and the flames were starting to come in the window. On several subsequent evenings, defendant spent the night at Kim's apartment, along with Michelle, her boyfriend, and Kim and the children. Everyone was on edge. The night of July 6, defendant kept going in and out, then he ran into the apartment saying his car was on fire. When she went out to look, she saw several newspapers in the backseat that had been set on fire. The flames had gone out on their own and it was not necessary to call the fire department. Michelle also testified that she was at the Sloop home on the afternoon of July 8, 1996. She noted that defendant and Rachel were having some kind of argument. She accepted a ride back to Keokuk from defendant. Rachel was yelling after him as they pulled out of the driveway. Defendant said that he felt like pulling in front of a semi right now. She told him that it was stupid to kill himself over some girl and that he just needed to move on. He would not accept that Rachel did not want to be with him. Defendant dropped Michelle at a friend's house and then left for a bit, saying that he had to go to his house to do something. Later, he returned and offered Michelle a ride to her home. She said she was not ready to go, so he stayed. Then he left a second time and came back, again offering to take her home. She told him she intended to stay there for the night. He stayed there for a while and then he eventually left. Michelle was annoyed because he just kept repeating it over and over and kept asking [her] to go   . He just persistently kept asking me over and over. Terry Haist testified that he was living at the Sloop home with his fiancée, Amy Sloop, in 1996. He knew defendant as Rachel's boyfriend. Terry had a 20-gauge single-shot shotgun that he kept under the bed in Amy's upstairs bedroom. He also testified regarding the relationship at that time between his sister, Kim, and her former boyfriend, Terry Hamelton. There was some squabbling between Kim and Terry Hamelton over the children. Terry Hamelton resented Terry Haist because he was more or less like a father figure to the kids. Hamelton had made comments about coming for Haist and wanting a piece of him. Terry Haist was told by defendant that Hamelton had been taking target practice, making Haist believe that Hamelton was going to come looking for him. Every time defendant was at the house, he would make comments to Haist about what Terry Hamelton was doing. On the afternoon of July 8, 1996, Haist was at the Sloop house while Barbara Sloop was cooking dinner. Everyone, including defendant, was talking about how everybody was scared about all the events that were going on. And Amy wanted her mom to lock all the doors. Defendant said that if someone really wanted to get into the house, they could just come in through the window, pointing at the window in the dining room. On the evening of July 8, 1996, Haist and Amy did not stay at the Sloop home because Amy was afraid that Hamelton was going to show up and try to do something. They went into town to stay with his grandmother. He left the shotgun in the bedroom, sticking out from under the bed so that he could have easy access to it. The shotgun was not loaded. Haist further testified that he had shot the shotgun with defendant on at least five occasions. They shot birds and took target practice. Once, defendant brought his own shotgun shells so that he could take target practice while Haist was gone. Kim Haist's previous sworn testimony was read into the record by another person. She had testified at the first trial that on July 8, 1996, defendant drove her and her two small children from their apartment in Carthage to the Sloop home. Her car had been set on fire at her home several days before and she suspected that Terry Hamelton, the children's father, was responsible. She knew defendant through the Sloop family and he had stayed at her apartment for several nights to protect her and her children. After they dropped the children at the Sloop home and arranged for Lonna to watch them, defendant took Kim to run several errands in town. They returned to the Sloop home at about 4 p.m. and visited for a while. When they discussed the recent fire, the discussion turned to the need to lock the doors when everyone went to bed that night. Defendant said that it would not matter if the doors were locked, because someone who wanted inside could come through the windows. When it was time for defendant to leave, he offered to drive Kim's younger sister, Michelle, to her boyfriend's house in Keokuk, Iowa. Michelle and defendant left the Sloop home together. Terry Haist and Amy Sloop also left for the night because Amy did not feel safe. Then Kim and Barbara Sloop went back to Carthage to retrieve clothing and toys for the children, returning at about 10 p.m. After they watched the television news, everyone went to bed. Barbara woke her at 11:30 p.m., to tell her that defendant had phoned to say that they needed to go to her apartment in Carthage because Terry Hamelton had been arrested while ransacking her apartment and that the police needed to speak to her. When they arrived, they saw no lights and no vehicles. They went to the police station and Barbara attempted to call home. When there was no answer, a county sheriff's deputy was sent to the Sloop home. At the request of the police, they remained at the police station until 6:30 a.m. the following morning. The next time she saw her children was in the trauma unit of the local hospital, before they were airlifted to Peoria for treatment. Police Captain Kevin Church of Keokuk, Iowa, testified that when he was a patrol officer in 1992, he investigated a report of a young man who approached the manager of a cemetery, asking alarming questions about security there. He had shown her a police badge and stated that he was doing security work for the police department. Church identified defendant as that young man. Church and another officer went to the Ramsey home, spoke to defendant's father, and searched defendant's bedroom, where they found a police badge. Defendant's father told Church that he had found some stolen items in the attic of his garage and had discarded them. He gave the officers permission to search the garage and they found a 9-millimeter handgun. Church asked that defendant be brought to the police station, where he was given Miranda warnings and made a statement, admitting that he had gone to the cemetery and spoken to the manager. He also admitted stealing the handgun from a neighbor's home. Church also testified that he had arrested defendant on more than one occasion prior to this incident. Amy Mitchell Briggs testified that in 1993 she had been the girlfriend of Shane Mullenburg. She knew defendant from school and from seeing him around town. On October 11, 1993, she and Shane left his house to go out for the evening. She had forgotten something, so they returned to the house where they found defendant and another young man whom she identified as Dustin Wade. One of them was holding a VCR. They went out through the front door and she chased them. She could not recall if Shane owned a gun at that time. Barbara Sloop returned to the stand to read a victim impact statement regarding the death of her daughter, Lonna. Thomas Crew, chief of police for the City of Keokuk, Iowa, was the next witness for the State. In 1993, when he was a criminal investigator, he investigated the burglary of Shane Mullenburg's home. The police could not locate defendant, but they did speak to Dustin Wade, who explained that the burglary was defendant's idea and that defendant was looking for a gun. He said that when they were interrupted by Briggs's return, the gun was left on a bed. Crew also testified that he was familiar with defendant, who was a common figure in the community and who frequented the fire department and police department on a regular basis. He was always there and was fascinated with anything having to do with radio equipment or emergency services. In 1994, Crew was part of a task force that was conducting undercover narcotic operations. The members of the task force used radios to communicate during surveillance. At one point, Crew was sent to do a buy bust at a local hotel. As he was driving an unmarked car to the hotel, he saw defendant on the street talking to a relative of the target of the operation. As Crew drove by, defendant pointed him out to the person to whom he was speaking. That individual later complained to the police department that he and his family were being surveilled by the police. An investigation revealed that defendant had recorded task force radio transmissions. Upon learning that the task force's radio frequencies had been compromised, Crew obtained a search warrant for defendant's school locker and his residence. In his bedroom, police found a Rolodex file containing information regarding police officers and their families, including home addresses and names of their children and spouses. The file contained similar information regarding firefighters and emergency management personnel. Defendant was charged with interference with official acts. Dr. Christopher Hefner testified as an expert witness. He testified that he treated Rachel Sloop for a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet struck and entered the first cervical vertebra and both the bullet and the bone were fragmented. There was no exit wound. The injury resulted in complete occlusion of the right vertebral artery, which supplies the back part of the brain. Although Rachel was able to speak and her vision and facial functions were normal, this injury presented a risk of a devastating stroke due to formation of a blood clot. Dr. Hefner elected to use blood thinners to treat the clot, rather than surgery, because of the risks involved in surgery. Rachel's injury was potentially life-threatening. Retired Illinois State Police officer Stuart Erlenbush testified that he had been present on the morning of July 9, 1996, when defendant was taken into custody. He observed what appeared to be a superficial gunshot wound to the back of his head. There was some blood, but no sign of a puncture wound. The wound was treated by applying gauze with tape. Dan Law of the Illinois State Police testified over a continuing objection by the defense to any mention of the attempted murders of Cody and Courtnie Hamelton. Law stated that he responded to the Sloop home on the night of July 8, 1996, as a member of the tactical response team. After donning protective gear, the team approached the house from the rear. As they did so, two individuals exited through the front door. The team then entered the house. Law went to the second floor and entered a bedroom in which he found a small boy, lying on the floor with a blanket and pillow covering his face. Law removed the blanket and pillow and then began removing his equipment so that he would not alarm the boy. He did not initially observe any injuries, but saw the child's skin turn an ashy color. His condition seemed to be deteriorating. When medical personnel arrived and moved the boy, Law observed a wound in his back. While he was tending to the boy, Law heard a gasp from the corner of the room. He looked over to see a small girl lying on the floor. One of her eyes was bulged out enormously and there was dried blood on her face. When the EMT tried to insert an IV in the girl's arm, she began screaming. Once the boy was removed on a backboard, Law carried the girl to the waiting ambulance. Law returned to the house through the front door and observed the body of another girl lying on the couch. Illinois State Police master sergeant Bruce Liebe also testified over a defense objection regarding the discovery of the injured children in the upstairs bedroom. Liebe stated that he saw the two children lying on the floor. The girl was face down and he initially thought she was dead. The boy was lying on his back, with a pool of blood around his head. He was obviously frightened. Liebe got down on the floor and began removing his mask, goggles, and other equipment. The boy calmed down. He was alert and responded with eye movements, but he did not speak. At this point Law realized that the girl was still breathing. He observed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her right eye. Initially, he could not tell whether it was an entrance wound or an exit wound. Later, he discovered an entry wound to the back of her head. The girl seemed to be unconscious, but reacted when paramedics attempted to insert an IV. Then the boy became unresponsive and his color turned ashen. He appeared to be going into shock. When the boy was being moved to a board, Liebe observed a bullet wound in his upper shoulder area alongside of his spine. Both children were then removed to waiting emergency responders. Dr. William Hanigan, a neurosurgeon, testified as an expert witness regarding his treatment of Cody and Courtnie Hamelton. When he first saw Courtnie in the emergency room, she was semicomatose. A CT scan of her head showed bone and bullet fragments along the right side of her temporal lobe to the right eye, along with a blood clot. He performed surgery to remove the fragments and injured brain tissue. Courtnie's right eye was destroyed. Hanigan saw Cody Hamelton for the first time the following day. The bullet wound through his shoulder damaged his esophagus, which required surgery to repair. He later developed a bacterial infection at this site. The bullet also fractured cervical vertebrae and injury to his right brachial plexus, which supplies nerves to the arm. Cody was not able to move his right arm and was barely moving his right leg. A second surgery was required to remove dead tissue in the shoulder. During this procedure, the doctor performed a spinal tap, which revealed meningitis. Captain Tim Becker of the Illinois State Police testified that he had been a trooper in 1996 and that he was the individual who placed defendant in handcuffs after he exited the Sloop home. He observed that defendant had blood on his hair, face, and clothing. Another trooper read defendant the Miranda warning. Defendant acknowledged that he understood his rights. He was shivering; shaking violently; crying; saying he was sorry. On cross-examination, Becker acknowledged that defendant shed tears and that he said he was sorry more times than Becker could count. Ron Wood testified that he was a juvenile court officer in Keokuk, Iowa, and that he had held that position since 1985. He first encountered defendant in 1992, when he was charged with fourth degree theft for stealing a gun. He was adjudicated delinquent, placed on probation, and ordered to comply with certain conditions including attending school, making restitution, performing community service, and obtaining counseling. Wood next encountered defendant in 1993 after he was charged with fourth degree theft, assault, fifth degree theft, assault doing bodily injury, and third degree burglary. The charges stemmed from five separate incidents. Wood recommended that defendant be placed in detention. After a hearing, he was ordered placed in detention in the juvenile facility at Montrose, Iowa. Defendant later admitted the delinquent acts of theft and assault. The court placed custody of defendant with his parents and sister for the purpose of placing him in an appropriate structured residential facility, which Wood described as group care. He went to a home in Davenport, Iowa, where he attended school and obtained family and individual counseling. He remained there from November 1993 to August 1994, when he was released by consent of all parties, including the State's Attorney. He remained on probation. In December 1994, while still on probation, defendant was charged with interference with official acts and harassment of a public official. After a hearing, his probation was revoked and he was placed at the State Training School for boys at Eldora, Iowa, which is the state's juvenile prison. On cross-examination, Wood acknowledged that defendant admitted guilt each time he was accused of a crime. In addition, a psychiatrist at the State Training School prepared a report, which was submitted to Wood, in which he diagnosed defendant with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and recommended that he be referred to a mental health center for treatment with medication. Wood agreed with his recommendation that defendant be placed in a highly structured group home upon his release from Eldora. This recommendation, however, was rejected by the committee responsible for such decisions and the defendant was instead sent home with services. Wood was also questioned on cross-examination about the circumstances of the December 1994 charges. Defendant entered an electronics store in Davenport, Iowa, and claimed to be a member of the West Point fire department. He attempted to buy the type of radio used by the department. The clerk became suspicious and refused to make the sale. The clerk took down the license plate number of defendant's car and reported the incident to the sheriff. Wood's cross-examination was also used to admit defendant's discharge summary from Eldora, which indicated that he had been a productive student, taking a vocational course in residential wiring, that he had completed his GED requirements, and that he was enrolled in a computer literacy program. On redirect, Wood testified that defendant served multiple in-school suspensions during his eighth-grade year, 1991-1992, for offenses such as hitting, kicking, and pushing other students and possession of keys to the school building. Except for a B in physical education, his final grades were Ds and Fs. In 1992, when Wood first dealt with defendant, he had not previously been charged with any crime. However, he told Wood that he had been involved in numerous thefts in the Keokuk area. The records provided to Wood revealed that prior to the incident involving the cemetery and the theft of the gun, defendant was seen by a clinical psychologist who diagnosed him as having oppositional defiant disorder. In addition, the doctor who diagnosed the ADHD condition found no evidence for any serious mental disorder which would impair [his] ability to be responsible for his behaviors. Records from defendant's stay at the group home in Davenport showed that he had a superficial commitment to the program there and that he demonstrate[d] a false commitment to the program. He denied and minimized the conduct that resulted in his placement there and did not accept responsibility for his actions. Further, he interacted with his peers in a domineering and superior manner. He also had an unrealistic concept of boundaries between himself and authority figures. Wood read and relied on these reports and records to make his recommendation regarding placement of defendant. In 1994, after the incident in which defendant interfered with the work of the drug task force, a search warrant was executed on his locker at school. The search disclosed a confidential list with unlisted telephone numbers at the school. Based on his possession of this list and his excessive absenteeism, he was suspended from high school. Defendant's father thereafter contacted Wood to tell him about the suspension and to report that defendant was not following his curfew. His father was concerned with recent outbursts of defendant's temper and feared that he might physically hurt his mother. Wood's testimony also revealed that defendant's parents were, in fact, his biological grandparents who had adopted him as an infant. Dr. James E. Coeur was unavailable to testify. His testimony from defendant's first trial was read into the record. Dr. Coeur testified that he treated defendant on July 9, 1996, for a superficial wound to the back of the scalp. An X-ray revealed no damage to the skull. The wound was a groove in the soft tissue of the scalp, about 4½ inches long and half an inch wide. He used a local anesthetic and sutured the wound. Defendant was calm and cooperative. The videotape of the statement defendant made to the police on the morning of July 9, 1996, was admitted into evidence via the testimony of William Pententler of the Illinois State Police, who was present during the interview. The tape was played for the jury. Its contents are summarized above. The State's case in aggravation closed with the testimony of Suzanne Marson, who read a victim impact statement regarding the death of her daughter, L.M.