Court Opinion

ID: 9587098
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:17:59.780797+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:01.633726
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice TOAL,
concurring:
Although I concur with the majority, I write separately to record the facts of this particularly heinous case.
*139On July 14, 2004, Petitioner, then a resident of Virginia, embarked upon a erime spree that would span four states. Petitioner stole a .380 caliber pistol from his neighbor, a set of Virginia license plates, and a station wagon. Petitioner left Virginia and headed to North Carolina.
On July 15, Petitioner entered an Exxon gas station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina armed with the .380 pistol. Petitioner took a can of beer from a cooler and placed it on the counter. The store clerk, Christopher Jason Boggs, asked Petitioner for identification. As Boggs was checking Petitioner’s identification, Petitioner fatally shot him at point-blank range. Petitioner fired another shot into Boggs as he lay on the floor. Petitioner then attempted unsuccessfully to open the store’s cash register. Petitioner left the store with the can of beer, and headed to South Carolina.
Early in the morning of July 17, Petitioner approached Corey Pitts as he sat at a traffic light in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. Petitioner stuck his gun in Pitts’ face, forced him out of his car, and stole Pitts’ Ford Expedition. Petitioner replaced the Expedition’s license plates with the plates he had stolen in Virginia, and headed southeast on 1-26.
About thirty-five minutes down the road, Petitioner stopped at a Wilco Hess gas station in Calhoun County and attempted to buy gas with a credit card. The pump rejected the card, and Petitioner spent forty-five minutes to an hour attempting to get the pump to work. Due to his suspicious behavior, the store clerks called the police. Aware that the clerks’ suspicions had been alerted, Petitioner left the Expedition at the station and fled on foot through woods behind the station.
About a quarter to half mile from the station, Petitioner came upon a farm owned by Captain James Myers, a thirty-one year veteran law enforcement officer and fireman. Petitioner broke into a work shop on the Myers property. Once inside the work shop, Petitioner watched television and examined Myers’ gun collection. Petitioner found Myers’ shotgun and used the tools in the shop to saw off the barrel and paint it black. Petitioner also took Myers’ .22 caliber rifle and laid in wait for Myers.
That day, Myers had been at the beach celebrating the birthdays of his wife, sister, and daughter. Myers had visited *140with his father before returning to his farm. Upon arriving at the farm, Myers stopped by the work shop, where he was confronted by Petitioner. Petitioner shot Myers nine times with the .22 rifle. Petitioner then poured diesel fuel on Myer’s body and set the body on fire. Petitioner stole Myers’ police-issued truck, and left with Myers’ shotgun, his .22 rifle, and Myers’ police-issued assault rifle.
Later that evening, Myers’ wife, also a law enforcement officer, became worried when Myers did not return home. Mrs. Myers drove to the work shop and discovered Myers’ burned body lying in a pool of blood.
Petitioner escaped to Florida, where he was spotted by police on July 21 driving Myers’ truck. Fleeing the police, Petitioner abandoned the truck on foot in possession of the assault rifle. When cornered by police, Petitioner abandoned the rifle and was eventually taken into custody.
I recite these facts to emphasize the egregious nature of Petitioner’s crimes. In my time on this Court, I have seen few cases where the extraordinary penalty of death was so deserved. I therefore concur with the majority and vote to affirm Petitioner’s conviction and sentence.