Opinion ID: 3052709
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Deborah Wyermann

Text: Deborah Wyermann, a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star from 1978 to 1986, covered McMurtrey’s trial for the newspaper. She could not remember much of the trial but testified MCMURTREY v. RYAN 11247 that the sentencing was the “most bizarre” of the more than 150 sentencing hearings she had seen. Wyermann stated that she had a good view of McMurtrey and that she could see and hear him very clearly. Well, Mr. McMurtrey appeared to me to be — to not exactly know where he was, and in addition, . . . he was erratic in both his body movements and his speech. His eyes were unfocused and glazed, and his voice was loud. Sometimes loud, sometimes soft, and then, to my way of thinking, a lot of what he said was fairly incoherent. Wyermann also recalled the “spectacle” in which McMurtrey knelt and asked to speak to the Creator.