death penalty news--NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA

[Rick Halperin <rhalperi@post.cis.smu.edu>]

8-13-98--


NEW YORK:

Suspected serial killer Gary Evans was indicted on 8 counts of 
murder at Renesselaer County court Wednesday morning, and then moved 
to Little Falls Thursday where he was arraigned on 2nd degree murder 
charges in the death of Gregory Jouben, a jeweler from Little Falls. 
He was also arraigned on charges of 1st degree robbery.
                   
Evans was charged Wednesday with 6 counts of 2nd degree murder, and 2 
counts of 1st degree murder.  The 1st degree murder charges mean Evans 
is eligible for the death penalty, though it's unknown if prosecutors 
will seek it.  He pled not guilty to all counts.
                   
A convicted antiques thief from Troy, Evans is charged with killing 
Timothy Rysedorph, Damien Cuomo, and Michael Falco, all former 
associates.  The 1st degree murder counts came for the death of 
Rysedorph.                    

He is also suspected in the deaths of Jouben, a jeweler from Little 
Falls found dead in his store back in 1991, as well as another jeweler 
from Watertown, Douglas Berry, who was killed September 8, 1989.
                   
Evans allegedly confessed to his involvement in Jouben's death, as 
well as his involvement in Berry's death.  He also led police to the 
shallow graves of Rysedorph, Cuomo and Falco.  He would not be subject 
to the death penalty for Jouben's murder because it preceded the state's 
1995 capital punishment legislation. 

(source:  MSNBC News)




PENNSYLVANIA:

In Harrisburg, Penn. Governor Tom Ridge signed a death warrant for
the execution by lethal injection of Freeman May of Lebanon County.

Gov. Ridge signed a warrant scheduling May's execution for the week 
of Sept. 6.  Corrections Secretary Martin F. Horn then scheduled the 
execution for 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.

May was sentenced to death on Dec. 6, 1995, for the 1982 stabbing
murder of 22-year-old Kathy Lynn Fair.  May hid her body in the woods 
where it was found in 1988.  The state Supreme Court upheld May's 
death sentence on April 2, 1998.

May, 40, is an inmate the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at 
Greene.

Gov. Ridge has now signed 120 death warrants since taking office.
2 have been carried out, the 1st executions in Pennsylvania since 
1962.

(source:  Office of the Governor)






Rick Halperin
AI-Texas


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