Life The Death Penalty - Page 23

Mama Hip Rockets · 08-07-2008, 09:48 AM

A friend of my parents is sentenced to be executed in a couple of weeks for being an accomplice in a murder in 1994. You can read the details of the incident below (written by his wife), and sign the petition if you feel inclined to do so. We are petitioning for his sentence to be changed to life in prison without parole, rather than death.

On Friday, despite the fact that we have two issues before the court, the Missouri Supreme Court set an execution date of Aug. 27. For those of you who would like to do anything to help try to prevent this state from killing my husband, your help is welcome and there are some fairly simple things you can do. For those who are not aware of the facts of the case, here are some main points:Allen Nicklasson, the man who shot and killed Richard Drummond in Aug. 1994 did so on his own after leaving Dennis behind in the stolen car. Allen has been consistent in telling the truth since day one - with his friends and close acquaintances, as well as with law enforcement - that Dennis had absolutely no idea that when Allen walked Drummond into the woods, Allen was going to shoot him. Allen had planned to tie Drummond up so that by the time Drummond could free himself and walk into town to all police, Allen, Dennis and Tim DeGraffenreid would be back in Blue Springs, hiding out.Instead, Allen decided to kill Drummond. His statements to police have been consistent and truthful, but the state successfully kept Allen from testifying in trial. The jury never heard the truth and thus convicted Dennis for first-degree murder as an accomplice. Allen has tried through the years to be heard in court, but the appellate courts denied him that right as well. We are still trying to get the Supreme Court to look at Allen's statements. Dennis is not an innocent victim, but he is innocent of first-degree murder. We are not asking that he be freed. We believe the sentence of death is excessive in this case, and that society would be safe and justice would be served through clemency, which means we want the governor to change Dennis' sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.In addition, Dennis has been actively involved in restorative justice even before the program was established at Potosi Correctional Center. He is the editor of Compassion, a publication written and edited by death row inmates across the country who have raised more than $34,000 in college scholarships for family members of murdered victims. This scholarship goes to family members regardless of their stance on the death penalty. For example, Zach Osbourne, one of the recipients, supports the death penalty openly and is going to school to become a police officer. Dennis compiled a book, "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams," that is distributed for free to juvenile centers around the country. The book has been so popular, he has been asked to do another. That book is currently being compiled.Dennis is chairman of the prison's Hospice group and has cared for many dying prison patients through the years. He is a co-founder of 4-H LIFE, a family strengthening program that teaches inmates to be better parents and includes a family 4-H meeting each month inside the prison. As a former president and officer of 4-H, Dennis has led fundraisers to send money to children's programs in the state and to send 4-H LIFE members to summer camp and state leadership programs. 4-H LIFE has won several awards and is now active in several other prisons.Dennis has actively worked to build bridges between the Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Islamic and Native American religious groups at the prison. He is a founder of the Charity Carnival - in its second year - that raises money inside the prison for charitable organizations. The carnival is today, but he is locked up and cannot carry out his responsibilities for that event.Dennis speaks to university student groups on a regular basis to give them insight into the death penalty and prison life. He is, and remains, a positive spokesman and positive role models for other prisoners.He is a leader in the Set Free Ministry, a prison ministry that works with thousands of inmates in Missouri and Illinois to help them in their Christian walk. The Ministry has grown from an office of three to an office of around 20 inmates at PCC and a second office in Charleston's prison. The Ministry continues to expand in prisons in the two states as well as into jails.All of this is documented, not the exaggerated account of a wife desperate to save her husband.For those of you who have asked, I am terrified, but determined to fight for justice for my family. Murdering my husband is not justice - it is harming me, my son, Dennis' sisters, brother, nephews, aunts uncles, friends, etc. He is my soulmate, for those of you who understand what that means. A date is an extremely serious situation, but we have issues to pursue and this does not mean we're done. Please do not assume that this is inevitable, even though we have a very, very difficult fight in the next 32 days.I appreciate your support in any way. Should you want to write letters, file amicus briefs (friend of the court) with your church or other organization, let me know and I'll give you more info. If you choose to pray, please ask God to intervene and see that Dennis receives a lesser sentence.Thanks.

You can sign the petition at the link below. Thanks.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-dennis-skillicorn

El Jefe · 08-22-2008, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Personally, I'd rather die than spend decades of non-life in prison.

I would too. "And I would rather be pushing flowers, than to be up in the pen sharing showers".

Frazod · 08-22-2008, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoLJ

I would too. "And I would rather be pushing flowers, than to be in the pen sharing showers".

In the movie Escape from New York, every inmate had the option to kill himself before being encarcerated. I personally think that's a great idea. If some shitbag criminal wants to off himself, why not accommodate his wishes? It's not like shitbag criminals are an endangered species or anything, and I'd certainly prefer my tax dollars be spent on other things.

El Jefe · 08-22-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

In the movie Escape from New York, every inmate had the option to kill himself before being encarcerated. I personally think that's a great idea. If some shitbag criminal wants to off himself, why not accommodate his wishes? It's not like shitbag criminals are an endangered species or anything, and I'd certainly prefer my tax dollars be spent on other things.

We don't agree on much, but I am 100% with you on this.

ChiefsFan4Life · 08-22-2008, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jennilyn

Thurman the letter you posted "by his wife" was written by a woman who once put her arms around my mother and shared words of condolence. The woman who wrote this letter was once a Kansas City news reporter. She covered the murder of Richard Drummond. The woman who worte this letter also stood in the court room when I stood merely inches behind her then husband (why she chose to marry a man who was being tried for 3 murders I will never understand) and begged the judge show no leinancy for Dennis Skillicorn's crimes of murdering my aunt and uncle. I spoke that day for my family, for my aunt and for my uncle. Honestly with that said how can you even think about requesting signatures on a case I imagine you do not know ALL the facts to written by a woman who was once appauled by this mans actions?

Sorry but it is petitions like this one that sicken me. The date of exectution ironically was set to be on the date He murdered Charlene and Joe Babcock.
The stay was granted... my family is sick over it. A man who participates in five murders...deserves no stay... no clemency... no bs letters written for him.

Thanks to all you who have the ability to see beyond this pathetic.. "pitty my murderer husband letter".
Guess you can bet I wont be signing this petition.

Damn, that is terrible. Sorry to hear that.

The good thing as you can see here, 90% of the people in this thread wanted that sorry excuse for a human being to burn in hell. The problem is that the number of dumbass morons in this world (the ones who signed the petition) outnumber the number of smart people.

**The Franchise** · 08-22-2008, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoLJ

I would too. "And I would rather be pushing flowers, than to be up in the pen sharing showers".

Alright there Lil' Wayne.

**bogey** · 08-22-2008, 03:14 PM

I wonder how jennilyn found this thread?

Frazod · 08-22-2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bogey

I wonder how jennilyn found this thread?

I was wondering that myself. Hopefully she'll come back and chat with us a bit.

RJ · 08-22-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

I was wondering that myself. Hopefully she'll come back and chat with us a bit.

Yeah, I hope so. There were some pieces of her post that left me a bit confused.

**bogey** · 08-22-2008, 03:40 PM

Yes, there are some confusing things.

**Rain Man** · 08-22-2008, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bogey

I wonder how jennilyn found this thread?

My guess would be that she was searching for information about the contract status of seventh-round pick Mike Merritt.

Thurman had better hope that she doesn't figure out the rep system.

Too bad the guy wasn't executed.

jennilyn · 08-22-2008, 08:05 PM

I found this post because i stay up to date, to not read whats going on with Dennis Skillicorn would be turniing my head from what grief he brought upon my family. The day we got news of his execution date was very recent only to be bombarded with "sign this petition posts" since then all over the internet. I spoke out in court against him and I will continue to where ever necessary to make sure before people sign some petition before knowing all the facts about this man..they hear a voice who knows the truth.Please feel free to ask ANY questions.

jennilyn · 08-22-2008, 08:08 PM

p.s I used to live in La Monte Mo... I'm diggin the chiefs still?

rep system? do tell...

RJ · 08-22-2008, 08:10 PM

Hi jennilyn, glad you came back. Here's the part I didn't understand.

"The woman who wrote this letter was once a Kansas City news reporter. She covered the murder of Richard Drummond. The woman who worte this letter also stood in the court room when I stood merely inches behind her then husband (why she chose to marry a man who was being tried for 3 murders I will never understand) and begged the judge show no leinancy for Dennis Skillicorn's crimes of murdering my aunt and uncle. I spoke that day for my family, for my aunt and for my uncle. Honestly with that said how can you even think about requesting signatures on a case I imagine you do not know ALL the facts to written by a woman who was once appauled by this mans actions?"

Do you mean the reporter married this guy after his conviction? That paragraph sort of lost me.

RJ · 08-22-2008, 08:11 PM

Also, who was "her then husband"?

jennilyn · 08-22-2008, 08:11 PM

Yep she sure did..wild eh? After he recieved the death penalty even, in the state of Mo for Mr.Richard Drummond's murder.

08-07-2008, 09:48 AM
Mama Hip Rockets You don't faze me, Gobble. Join Date: Dec 2005 Casino cash: $9915644	The Death Penalty A friend of my parents is sentenced to be executed in a couple of weeks for being an accomplice in a murder in 1994. You can read the details of the incident below (written by his wife), and sign the petition if you feel inclined to do so. We are petitioning for his sentence to be changed to life in prison without parole, rather than death. On Friday, despite the fact that we have two issues before the court, the Missouri Supreme Court set an execution date of Aug. 27. For those of you who would like to do anything to help try to prevent this state from killing my husband, your help is welcome and there are some fairly simple things you can do. For those who are not aware of the facts of the case, here are some main points:Allen Nicklasson, the man who shot and killed Richard Drummond in Aug. 1994 did so on his own after leaving Dennis behind in the stolen car. Allen has been consistent in telling the truth since day one - with his friends and close acquaintances, as well as with law enforcement - that Dennis had absolutely no idea that when Allen walked Drummond into the woods, Allen was going to shoot him. Allen had planned to tie Drummond up so that by the time Drummond could free himself and walk into town to all police, Allen, Dennis and Tim DeGraffenreid would be back in Blue Springs, hiding out.Instead, Allen decided to kill Drummond. His statements to police have been consistent and truthful, but the state successfully kept Allen from testifying in trial. The jury never heard the truth and thus convicted Dennis for first-degree murder as an accomplice. Allen has tried through the years to be heard in court, but the appellate courts denied him that right as well. We are still trying to get the Supreme Court to look at Allen's statements. Dennis is not an innocent victim, but he is innocent of first-degree murder. We are not asking that he be freed. We believe the sentence of death is excessive in this case, and that society would be safe and justice would be served through clemency, which means we want the governor to change Dennis' sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.In addition, Dennis has been actively involved in restorative justice even before the program was established at Potosi Correctional Center. He is the editor of Compassion, a publication written and edited by death row inmates across the country who have raised more than $34,000 in college scholarships for family members of murdered victims. This scholarship goes to family members regardless of their stance on the death penalty. For example, Zach Osbourne, one of the recipients, supports the death penalty openly and is going to school to become a police officer. Dennis compiled a book, "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams," that is distributed for free to juvenile centers around the country. The book has been so popular, he has been asked to do another. That book is currently being compiled.Dennis is chairman of the prison's Hospice group and has cared for many dying prison patients through the years. He is a co-founder of 4-H LIFE, a family strengthening program that teaches inmates to be better parents and includes a family 4-H meeting each month inside the prison. As a former president and officer of 4-H, Dennis has led fundraisers to send money to children's programs in the state and to send 4-H LIFE members to summer camp and state leadership programs. 4-H LIFE has won several awards and is now active in several other prisons.Dennis has actively worked to build bridges between the Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Islamic and Native American religious groups at the prison. He is a founder of the Charity Carnival - in its second year - that raises money inside the prison for charitable organizations. The carnival is today, but he is locked up and cannot carry out his responsibilities for that event.Dennis speaks to university student groups on a regular basis to give them insight into the death penalty and prison life. He is, and remains, a positive spokesman and positive role models for other prisoners.He is a leader in the Set Free Ministry, a prison ministry that works with thousands of inmates in Missouri and Illinois to help them in their Christian walk. The Ministry has grown from an office of three to an office of around 20 inmates at PCC and a second office in Charleston's prison. The Ministry continues to expand in prisons in the two states as well as into jails.All of this is documented, not the exaggerated account of a wife desperate to save her husband.For those of you who have asked, I am terrified, but determined to fight for justice for my family. Murdering my husband is not justice - it is harming me, my son, Dennis' sisters, brother, nephews, aunts uncles, friends, etc. He is my soulmate, for those of you who understand what that means. A date is an extremely serious situation, but we have issues to pursue and this does not mean we're done. Please do not assume that this is inevitable, even though we have a very, very difficult fight in the next 32 days.I appreciate your support in any way. Should you want to write letters, file amicus briefs (friend of the court) with your church or other organization, let me know and I'll give you more info. If you choose to pray, please ask God to intervene and see that Dennis receives a lesser sentence.Thanks. You can sign the petition at the link below. Thanks. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-dennis-skillicorn
Posts: 13,675

08-22-2008, 03:14 PM	#336
bogey Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: California Casino cash: $10005290	I wonder how jennilyn found this thread?
Posts: 2,264

08-22-2008, 03:40 PM	#339
bogey Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: California Casino cash: $10005290	Yes, there are some confusing things.
Posts: 2,264

08-22-2008, 08:05 PM	#341
jennilyn Rookie Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	I found this post because i stay up to date, to not read whats going on with Dennis Skillicorn would be turniing my head from what grief he brought upon my family. The day we got news of his execution date was very recent only to be bombarded with "sign this petition posts" since then all over the internet. I spoke out in court against him and I will continue to where ever necessary to make sure before people sign some petition before knowing all the facts about this man..they hear a voice who knows the truth.Please feel free to ask ANY questions.
Posts: 10

08-22-2008, 08:08 PM	#342
jennilyn Rookie Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	p.s I used to live in La Monte Mo... I'm diggin the chiefs still? rep system? do tell...
Posts: 10

08-22-2008, 08:10 PM	#343
RJ Supporter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: In a shotgun shack Casino cash: $9895202	Hi jennilyn, glad you came back. Here's the part I didn't understand. "The woman who wrote this letter was once a Kansas City news reporter. She covered the murder of Richard Drummond. The woman who worte this letter also stood in the court room when I stood merely inches behind her then husband (why she chose to marry a man who was being tried for 3 murders I will never understand) and begged the judge show no leinancy for Dennis Skillicorn's crimes of murdering my aunt and uncle. I spoke that day for my family, for my aunt and for my uncle. Honestly with that said how can you even think about requesting signatures on a case I imagine you do not know ALL the facts to written by a woman who was once appauled by this mans actions?" Do you mean the reporter married this guy after his conviction? That paragraph sort of lost me.
Posts: 14,940

08-22-2008, 08:11 PM	#344
RJ Supporter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: In a shotgun shack Casino cash: $9895202	Also, who was "her then husband"?
Posts: 14,940

08-22-2008, 08:11 PM	#345
jennilyn Rookie Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	Yep she sure did..wild eh? After he recieved the death penalty even, in the state of Mo for Mr.Richard Drummond's murder.
Posts: 10