“May I introduce you to some of the first-degree murderers who had their death sentences indefinitely postponed by Chief Justice Beasley”
Washington, D.C. – Today in the Carolina Journal, Paul “Skip” Stam, former GOP Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives, details the list of murderers who had their death sentences indefinitely postponed by Cheri Beasley during her time on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Beasley’s judicial record has also been the topic of the NRSC’s two latest television ads in North Carolina, called “Victims” and “Vulnerable.”
“Murder Most Foul; Justice Denied”
The Carolina Journal
By: Paul Stam
May I introduce you to some of the first-degree murderers who had their death sentences indefinitely postponed by Chief Justice Beasley and our state Supreme Court on June 5, 2020? All of these are from Randolph County:
Kenneth Bernard Rouse Date of Death Sentence: 03-23-1992
Rouse stabbed Hazel Broadway to death while she was working at a convenience store. He sexually assaulted Ms. Broadway while the knife was still in her neck. An Asheboro officer discovered Rouse with Ms. Broadway’s body in the back of the store. She was covered in her blood. Rouse was also convicted of armed robbery and first-degree rape.
NOTE: Rouse was suspected of murdering another older woman before Ms. Broadway. DNA testing many years later matched him to evidence left at the scene of that murder. Since he was on death row, Rouse has not been charged in that murder.
James Edward Williams Date of Death Sentence: 11-03-1993
Williams brutally beat and then strangled to death Elvie Marie Hamlin Rhodes. Ms. Rhodes’ body was found by hunters. She was murdered in her home. Large amounts of blood were located. The autopsy revealed that Ms. Rhodes was beaten severely on her upper body and died from a combination of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Williams’ fingerprints were found in Ms. Rhodes’ stolen car.
Jeffrey Clayton Kandies Date of Death Sentence: 4-24-1994
Kandies raped and beat to death Natalie Lynne Osborne, age 4. Kandies was the “boyfriend” of Natalie’s mother. A search for Natalie was conducted over several days. Her nude and beaten body was discovered in a plastic bag in the closet of her home. Kandies claimed he accidentally ran over her with his vehicle. The autopsy revealed that Natalie had been brutally beaten and raped. Kandies was also convicted of first-degree rape of a child.
Jason Wayne Hurst Date of Death Sentence: 03-17-2004
Hurst robbed and murdered Daniel Lee Branch. Branch was a hard-working family man, married with children. He was selling several firearms to raise money. Hurst contacted him and expressed interest in buying the firearms. Branch agreed to take Hurst to a remote field to prove that the firearms worked. As Branch walked into the field to set up a target, Hurst shot him with a shotgun. Branch fell, got up, and ran for his life. Hurst shot him again and Branch fell. Hurst then stood over Branch as he begged for his life. Hurst shot him a third time in the face. Hurst then removed the keys to the car from Branch’s pocket and took the car and guns, traveling to West Virginia. Before leaving the area, he sold some of the firearms. Hurst’s motive was to obtain money to see a girlfriend.
John Scott Badgett Date of Death Sentence: 05-06-2004
Badgett robbed and murdered J.C. Chriscoe in the older man’s home. Badgett was homeless. Chriscoe had agreed to let him stay in his home temporarily. Badgett stabbed Mr. Chriscoe in the throat and followed him around the house as he bled to death, even knocking him down when he tried to call for help. Badgett claimed self-defense, alleging that Mr. Chriscoe became irate and was yelling at him. After murdering Chriscoe, Badgett came back to the house later, stealing and selling items from the house. Badgett had been convicted of manslaughter years before by stabbing that victim in the throat as well. Badgett had a violent history of stabbing and beating other persons while in custody.
Alexander Charles Polke Date of Death Sentence: 02-07-2005
Polke murdered Sheriff’s Deputy Toney Clayton Summey. He also shot and wounded Deputy Nathan Hollingsworth. Deputies Summey and Hollingsworth went to Polke’s home to serve an order for arrest for failure to appear in District Court. Polke fought with Deputy Summey and obtained his weapon from his holster. He then shot Deputy Summey several times, killing him. Polke then fought with Deputy Hollingsworth and attempted to murder him with Deputy Summey’s pistol. Polke shot and struck Deputy Hollingsworth in the upper arm as they exchanged gunfire at close range.
George Thomas Wilkerson Date of Death Sentence: 12-20-2006
Wilkerson murdered Casey James Dinoff and Christopher Cameron Voncannon. Wilkerson was a violent drug dealer. He believed that one of the victims owed him a small amount of money for a drug sale. He obtained an SKS rifle that had been modified to fire fully automatic. He drove to the residence of the victims at night where he cut power lines to the house and burst in killing both victims. One was asleep on the couch. Wilkerson bragged about the murders, stating he felt like a Navy SEAL.
Gary Allen Trull Date of Death Sentence: 11-19-1996 (DECEASED)
Trull murdered Vanessa Dixon. Trull died while on death row. Trull had been convicted of a brutal first-degree rape and sentenced to life. He was paroled and settled in Randolph County in an apartment complex where Dixon also lived. Trull kidnapped Vanessa Dixon from her apartment. He raped her while she was tied to a tree. He murdered her by cutting her throat. Vanessa’s badly decomposed body was discovered by hikers many days after she went missing. The autopsy revealed she had been raped. DNA testing matched the semen to Gary Trull. He was also convicted of kidnapping and first-degree rape.
Could you tell which ones were black or white? I couldn’t. Five are white, one is black. Polke is listed in military records as white but now claims a small percentage as an American Indian to bolster his claim under the Racial Justice Act.
READ MORE AT THE CAROLINA JOURNAL
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