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Jury Debates in Texas Mother's Murder Trial
Deanna Laney Says God Ordered Her to Bludgeon Sons to Death
By LISA FALKENBERG, AP
TYLER, Texas (April 3) - A jury on Saturday began deliberating whether a homemaker was insane when she used rocks to bludgeon two of her sons to death and severely injure a third after receiving what she claimed were orders from God.
Deanna Laney, sitting several feet away from a poster-sized portrait of her three children, wept uncontrollably as prosecutors portrayed the killings last Mother's Day weekend as deceptively planned and coldly executed.
"It was graphic, it was horrific and it was brutal," prosecutor Matt Bingham told the jury during closing arguments earlier Saturday.
Laney, 39, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder in the deaths of 8-year-old Joshua and 6-year-old Luke, and serious injury to a child for the beating of Aaron, now 2.
Bingham pounded his fist in his hand as he recounted Joshua's killing: "He got strike after strike after strike on his head to the point that his brains were coming out of his head like liquid."
Defense attorney Tonda Curry began her argument by asking the jury why a deeply religious woman known as a loving, devoted mother who homeschooled her children would kill two of her children and maim another without so much as a tear.
"There was no crying," Curry said. "She was insane. There is no other answer."
She recalled a tape of Laney calling 911 after midnight on May 10, calmly reporting the murders and directing authorities to her home.
"Do you remember that voice?" Curry asked the jurors, who sat solemn faced, some appearing pensive. "Have you ever heard a voice like that, so empty of emotion?"
About three hours into deliberations, the jury asked Judge Cynthia Kent for the 911 tape, the transcript of that call and the testimony of Laney's husband, Keith. The judge agreed to give jurors only the tape, saying the transcript had not been admitted as evidence and that jurors could review Keith Laney's testimony only if they cite a specific disagreement over it.
Curry stressed that five psychiatric experts, including one hired by the judge and two by the prosecution, concluded that a severe mental illness caused psychotic delusions and made Laney incapable of knowing right from wrong during the killings - the standard in Texas for insanity.
"We have five consistent medical opinions that say she's insane and none to the contrary," Curry said.
If Laney is found innocent by reason of insanity, she would be committed to a hospital for treatment. Medical evaluations would dictate when she would be released.
If convicted of capital murder, she would be sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 40 years. If convicted of serious injury to a child, a first-degree felony, the sentence could range from five years to 99 years or life.
Laney, who home-schooled her children in the tiny town of New Chapel Hill, 100 miles southeast of Dallas, was convinced she was divinely chosen by God to kill her children last Mother's Day weekend, psychiatrists testified.
04/03/04 16:08 EST
hellfire1
04-03-2004, 03:29 PM
i couldn't even read the whole thing
Cereal Killer
04-03-2004, 05:54 PM
Watched part of the trial on Court TV. The woman just sitting there, looking like I do when I'm not paying attention in class.
Cases like this justify hanging.
Sam The Egg
04-03-2004, 10:57 PM
they should stone her to death
Originally posted by Sam The Egg
they should stone her to death
Don't hold your breath. They decided that she was insane and she will now go to a mental hospital. I cannot fucking stand people who kill kids. I remember this one story I read in a detective magazine about Timothy Dodd. He was a child molester and a killer. Well, he kidnapped one little boy and took him to his house. He forced the little boy to sleep in bed with him. The entire night, he molested him and tortured him by telling the little boy that he was going to kill him the next morning. When the child got upset from hearing this, he would comfort him. Then, when the child stopped crying and calmed down, Dodd told him he was going to kill him, again. He mentally tortured the 4 year old this way all night long. The next morning, he hung the little boy, using an extension cord. that was the worst story I think I have ever read. One good thing though, Dodd was convicted and executed.
Originally posted by Darth Bane
Not divinely chosen by God , but divinely chosen by me.
Shut up, freak!!! You would condone something like that, wouldn't you? You sir, are human garbage.
MichaelMyers
04-04-2004, 12:27 PM
Ah yes, Christianity, the religion of peace...
hellfire1
04-04-2004, 01:48 PM
Originally posted by SFF
Don't hold your breath. They decided that she was insane and she will now go to a mental hospital. I cannot fucking stand people who kill kids. I remember this one story I read in a detective magazine about Timothy Dodd. He was a child molester and a killer. Well, he kidnapped one little boy and took him to his house. He forced the little boy to sleep in bed with him. The entire night, he molested him and tortured him by telling the little boy that he was going to kill him the next morning. When the child got upset from hearing this, he would comfort him. Then, when the child stopped crying and calmed down, Dodd told him he was going to kill him, again. He mentally tortured the 4 year old this way all night long. The next morning, he hung the little boy, using an extension cord. that was the worst story I think I have ever read. One good thing though, Dodd was convicted and executed.
oh thanks...
i am so going to have nightmares tonight. i can't stand things like that
damn you sff !
alixzander
04-04-2004, 01:58 PM
i know that if i make this comment i might get alot of crap from ppl, but oh well, i don't think anyone should ever be given the death penalty.
Originally posted by alixzander
i know that if i make this comment i might get alot of crap from ppl, but oh well, i don't think anyone should ever be given the death penalty.
Well, generaly, I don't believe in the death penalty either, but in some cases, such as Dodd, I think it was justified.
Originally posted by hellfire1
oh thanks...
i am so going to have nightmares tonight. i can't stand things like that
damn you sff !
Well, those types of stories bother me as well, but in a different way. They don't scare me or give me nightmares; they make me want to go out, like Charles Bronson did in Death Wish, and participate in a little street justice.
Sam The Egg
04-04-2004, 08:42 PM
Boondock Saints > Death Wish
Originally posted by Sam The Egg
Boondock Saints
Never heard of it.
Charles Bronson > All of those "wanna-be" badasses
Sam The Egg
04-05-2004, 10:40 AM
http://members.rogers.com/bcraign202/images/saints.jpg
Two Irish brothers on what they think is a mission from God kill Italian and Russian mafia guys
death_to_all
04-06-2004, 04:06 PM
Even though the woman killed her children out of religious faith she doesn't deserve to die. What would the world be coming to if we all got down to a killer's level and killed ourselves. Not only is that inhumane but everything else as well. She doesn't deserve the death penalty but a life sentence in a mental hospital to cure her of he insanity.
That is only one way of seeing it. If killing were the answer then lots of other people would have to be killed for what they have donw which isn't right. They should just be locked up for their twisted minds and behaviour residing it.
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alixzander
04-06-2004, 09:08 PM
i think that the key is rehabilitation, somthing our goverment seems to frown upon.
death_to_all
04-07-2004, 04:19 PM
The world is a twisted place to live in and it gets even more twisted knowing that there are people like that out there. It doesn't make you feel safe does it? Locking a person up doesn't really help them that much but then again it does teach them something when medication is involved. It will teach them a lesson in learning the ethics of humanity.
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Sam The Egg
04-07-2004, 04:25 PM
I feel safe, but then I know Gun-Kata
death_to_all
04-07-2004, 06:46 PM
How can you possibly feel safe? It just isn't right, why? It doesn't make any sense and plus there are many sick freaks out there that feel the need to do sick freaky things and it makes me feel sick knowing that they could be standing right around the corner waiting to strike at any time. It's inevitable you just never do know do you?
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Sam The Egg
04-07-2004, 07:05 PM
They can strike all they want, I know Gun-Kata
alixzander
04-07-2004, 07:26 PM
call me navie, i supose i am a bit too trusting of people. but oh well. i belive most people are reachable. i am not afraid living here.
fluffho
04-11-2004, 02:04 PM
me either. whats the point of being afraid. not like im gonna hide in the closet all day. its like anything else, if all you think about is bad, then thats all your gonna see. if you think about the good too, then you see that.
alix, believe it or not i too dont believe in the death penalty. even in the most heinous of acts. not that this is justification, but most people who fuck other people up have been fucked up as well. ive met people who have been molested when they were babies and growing by their parents. then of course theres cybil, and none of these people ever ended up hurting anyone (although they really have issues). then there are others like richard ramirez who lead a relatively normal life and end up slaughtering people and lovin it.
but i still dont believe in it. we look down at iraq and africa (they still stone women for having sex before wedding) for such brutality yet we do it ourselve.s the only difference is we haev a bunch of people in robes and lots of cool little chairs and shit.
anyway, putting morality aside. death penalty costs too much. we haev fucked up schools and will easily take away 38million from each univeristy, however for every person we want killed bush will gladly spend 2.1 million on them, when housing them for 40 years costs only $750,000. how ridiculous is that.
AND Of course theres the fact that over 100 innocents have been executed in the past decade and well im sorry but thats just completely disgusting. not only is a father, brother, sister, killed for no reason but there is someone else running aroud and laughing their ass off. i dont give a shit if they kill 10000 truly guilty people, if they kill ONE innocent person. they fucked up.. BIg time.
i mean what do you do in that situation? do you even tell the family? how about the victims family who were so happy to watch the motherfucker die? ....... give the family money maybe?
alixzander
04-16-2004, 05:54 PM
Originally posted by fluffho
me either. whats the point of being afraid. not like im gonna hide in the closet all day. its like anything else, if all you think about is bad, then thats all your gonna see. if you think about the good too, then you see that.
alix, believe it or not i too dont believe in the death penalty. even in the most heinous of acts. not that this is justification, but most people who fuck other people up have been fucked up as well. ive met people who have been molested when they were babies and growing by their parents. then of course theres cybil, and none of these people ever ended up hurting anyone (although they really have issues). then there are others like richard ramirez who lead a relatively normal life and end up slaughtering people and lovin it.
but i still dont believe in it. we look down at iraq and africa (they still stone women for having sex before wedding) for such brutality yet we do it ourselve.s the only difference is we haev a bunch of people in robes and lots of cool little chairs and shit.
anyway, putting morality aside. death penalty costs too much. we haev fucked up schools and will easily take away 38million from each univeristy, however for every person we want killed bush will gladly spend 2.1 million on them, when housing them for 40 years costs only $750,000. how ridiculous is that.
AND Of course theres the fact that over 100 innocents have been executed in the past decade and well im sorry but thats just completely disgusting. not only is a father, brother, sister, killed for no reason but there is someone else running aroud and laughing their ass off. i dont give a shit if they kill 10000 truly guilty people, if they kill ONE innocent person. they fucked up.. BIg time.
i mean what do you do in that situation? do you even tell the family? how about the victims family who were so happy to watch the motherfucker die? ....... give the family money maybe?
i agree 100% with everything you said. its nice to see that other people see things the way i see them.
feral cat
04-16-2004, 06:07 PM
She is mad, there for should go to a mental hospital (and not be let out), there is absulutly no point is giving a crazy person the death penalty! I think killing in the law or outside of the law is still killing!!!
Amazing how its so often religeous people who go looney and commit sick acts, christians, muslims, hindus, satanists its all the same excuse!!!!! There always a higher power you can blame or say has given you the right to do it!
Home school is a bad idea those kids always grow up wierd locked away from the real world!!!!!!!!!!!
Feral Cat