Opinion ID: 515812
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Newspapers

Text: 64 On July 18 the Miami Herald ran a front page article on the murders. The headline reported Dade Couple Kidnapped and Shot To Death. There were two portrait photos of the Ganses and a picture which showed Knight's head as he was ducking into a police car. The article contained a detailed factual account of the crime. 65 Another Miami Herald article which ran on July 18 on page 28 was headlined Good Worker, But Emotional. The article mentioned that a hat, which co-workers said belonged to Knight had been found in the executive parking lot at Sidney Gans's business. The article reported that Knight had served time in prison for a Fort Pierce burglary conviction and was awaiting trial in Dade County on a June 15 larceny arrest. The article quoted one of Knight's co-workers as stating that Knight was a good worker--a very good worker ... He was pretty witty--he joked a lot, laughing all the time. The article reported that Knight often complained to his co-workers about ... racism, because Knight felt there were a lot of anti-blacks. Another co-worker was quoted as stating that Knight was a very good worker with a very strong character, but he could be very emotional. The co-worker said that Knight once told him he could be dangerous when mad since he was a karate expert. The article concluded by noting that [c]o-workers as well as Knight's neighbors in Opa Locka expressed shock that he had been charged with the murders. 66 An article which appeared in the Miami News on July 18 was headlined 8 of 11 Identify Murder Suspect. The article briefly described the crime and Knight's earlier arrest for grand larceny for stealing roofing tiles from an earlier employer. The earlier employer was reported to have described Knight as a hardworking, hot-tempered person who had trouble getting along with others. 67 A front-page article in the Miami Herald on July 19 was headlined Kidnap-Death Suspect Was Out on Bond. The article rehashed the events surrounding the crime. It also consisted mainly of burglary charges. One of Knight's former probation officers recalled Knight as arrogant, with a chip on his shoulder. A former employee described Knight as a hothead. The article reported that Knight's neighbors described him as a quiet man who liked to tinker with his 1965 Plymouth. 68 A July 19 article appearing in the Miami News was headlined Gans Liked Giving Man With Record Second Chance. The article described the crime and Knight's previous work problem at Gory Associated Industries, where he was fired after allegedly stealing a truckload of roof tile. The article related that Knight had been picked out of a police lineup by several police witnesses, but others could not be positive in their identification. 69 Another July 19 Miami News article was headlined Murder-Kidnap Suspect Faces Jury. That article described the crime factually. 70 A July 27th article was headlined Slaying Suspect Knight Held; Trial Heads to Circuit Court. The article briefly described the crime and Knight's preliminary hearing. 71 The next important spate of newspaper publicity was generated upon Knight's escape from the Dade County Jail. On September 23, the front page of the local section of the Miami Herald was headlined Thomas Knight Tough, Smart, Free. The article briefly described the jailbreak and then reported the feelings of Knight's neighbors and his mother. The article reported that [a]ccused kidnap-murderer Thomas Knight 'could have been anything he wanted,' a friend says. A neighbor was quoted as stating [o]nce I would have trusted Thomas Knight with my apartment or my car, [n]ow I don't trust him as far as I can spit. The article continued by stating [i]t was a shock when Knight, 23, was charged with the kidnap-murder last July of a North Miami industrialist and his wife. I just couldn't believe it was the right Thomas Knight, said a neighbor for whom Knight once fixed a sewing machine. Later in the article it was reported that [h]e (Knight) chose escape, says a friend who talked with Knight after his arrest, because he saw himself in the electric chair. The things that scared him most were, one, (State Attorney Richard) Gerstein prosecuting, two, the publicity about the case. Thomas thought that there was no way to get a fair trial in Dade County or in Florida. 72 The same article, which is reported in depth here because it is one of the main sources for references to Knight that does not focus solely on the facts of the crime or the escape, continues [l]ike many felons Knight had a deep interest in law. Was a graduate of the Raiford Bar Association, you might say.' He reportedly wrote from memory a complete transcript of his hour-and-a-half pre-trial hearing. He also, a source said, wanted to direct his own trial. 73 The same article reported that [h]is tested IQ was about 100,'--average nationally, but for a disadvantaged student, indifferent to school, likely to indicate exceptional ability. The article reported that Knight's mother said I think it's something wrong with his head ... I just pray to God the police don't kill him. If I could tell him something it would be to tell him to give up. Maybe then they would have mercy and send him some place to get some help about his head. 74 The article reported that [n]eighbor Art Doyle, who used to drink beers with Knight, recalls sharing complaints about a leaking roof. Knight fixed it. He [Knight] knew nothing about cars, another neighbor said, but learned by taking apart his beige 1965 Plymouth. 75 The article briefly mentioned that Knight's life appeared to be straightening out after arrests earlier in his life. 76 The article reported that Beatrice [Knight's wife] was attractive, Knight jealous. She left him shortly before he allegedly killed Sydney Gans, owner of Sydney Bag and Paper, and Gans' wife, Lillian. When Beatrice left, My Lord, something must have exploded inside him, a neighbor said. 77 Knight was also frustrated about work, a friend said. 'Thomas used to say he'd go to work on time, do it, but no matter how good he did, he never moved up. Some cracker comes in with a diploma, first day on the job, and moves up ahead of you, he'd say.'  78 An article which appeared in the Miami News on September 23rd was headlined Everyone, Everywhere 'Sees' Fugitive Knight. The article reported numerous false sightings of the fugitive but did not contain material particularly prejudicial to Knight. 79 An article which appeared in the September 30th Miami Herald, on the front page of the local section, was headlined Manhunt: Not Glamorous, Just Tiring. The article reported that detectives who had helped capture Knight initially were also working to recapture him. The article generally described the manhunt by police and the numerous false sightings of Knight called in to police. A photograph of a Wanted poster for Knight was included. 80 The few articles about the continuing manhunt, which ran between September 30th and December 31st, were primarily factual. Knight was recaptured on December 31, 1974, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Periodically, articles detailing his recapture and his fugitive time appeared in the newspapers. An article which appeared in the December 31st Miami Herald was headlined Fugitive Knight Seized in Raid at New Smyrna. The article was a factual account of the police and FBI capture of Petitioner in a boarding house in New Smyrna Beach. While the article essentially reported the capture, it did recount the details of the Gans murders, albeit briefly and also factually. 81 An article which appeared in the Miami News on January 3, 1975, was headlined Accused Kidnapper--Slayer placed in Dade Safety Cell. A photograph of a smiling Knight flanked by guards also appeared and was captioned Laughing Knight escorted by deputies. 82 The article reported that Thomas Knight, laughing and waving obscenely at photographers, has been brought back in the Dade County Jail to await trial on murder and kidnapping charges. The article briefly recounted in two sentences the Gans murders. The article also reported that Knight is also charged with the October murder of a Georgia liquor store clerk. A Georgia Sheriff was quoted as stating [W]e want him (Knight) back up here very badly, after Dade County has a crack at him. 83 An undated January 1975 article, presumably from January 3rd or 4th, appeared in the Miami Herald headlined Georgia Police Also Want Knight. The article reported that a suspected accomplice was willing to testify that Knight was the triggerman in the Georgia shooting. The article briefly touched upon the Gans crimes, the jailbreak, Knight's fugitive time, and his prior record. The information in the article was rather detailed and factual, except for a brief section which inquired [H]ow did Knight manage to stay free for three months despite a $3,000 reward on his head and nationwide notoriety as one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Criminals? And did his plans include a future bank robbery and the abduction of a police chief, as notes seized in his second-floor tenement seemed to indicate? 84 An article appearing in the Miami Herald around the same period in January 1975 was headlined 17 of Knights's 'Free Days' Spent in Arkansas Jail. A photo of Knight was shown with the caption Cocky and Boastful Knight Is Returned to Dade Jail. In the article, Knight is quoted extensively as having hidden his identity from Arkansas police who had jailed him for trespassing: 85 I made a fool out of the [Arkansas] police department and they showed how stupid they are. They think they're so smart and they're not. 86 They arrested me for trespassing on a train and asked me for my Social Security Number. I told them I never had one. 87 They asked me for my driver's license. I said I didn't have one. They wanted to know my mother's name. I said I didn't have a mother. They asked me for my father's name and I said I didn't know. 88 They said, 'well who raised you?' I said I came from an orphan's home. When they asked what school I went to, I told them Black Muslim School. I always give a phony name. 89 I'm glad I can use my own name now. My wife is here in Miami. I love her very much. I kept trying to call her and could never get through. Somebody told me they had her in jail. That's the only reason I swung back this way. I'm glad I got caught. I'll have a chance to see my wife. I got real lonesome and I wanted to see her. 90 The remaining articles which appeared up until Knight's trial began were not particularly significant. There was an article which rehashed Knight's alleged shooting in Georgia, an article about the similarity of the cell in which he was held in at Orlando to the one he escaped from in Miami, an article about Knight's acceptance of his court-appointed attorney, and a brief mention of a robbery charge, against Knight, which was dismissed. The articles were primarily factual accounts. 91 There were several articles which appeared during the trial, but these articles focused on an error of the trial judge, the outbursts made by Knight in the courtroom, Knight's attempts to fire his lawyers, and an editorial denouncing the death penalty as unfair. The record reflects that the judge repeatedly directed that the sequestered jury was not to read about, listen to, watch or discuss any aspect of the Knight case. There is no indication that any juror did come into contact with any of the publicity generated during the trial. In any event, the Court specifically finds that the publicity generated during the trial was not legally prejudicial to the Petitioner. In fact, the most noteworthy publicity during this period was a long editorial in the April 24, 1975 Miami News which discussed the unfairness of the death penalty as applied to Thomas Knight in particular and to poor young blacks in general.