The Death Penalty

[Mama Hip Rockets]

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

[boogblaster]

The justice system sometimes misses the real point ... sorry for you ...

[jennilyn]

Getting the queso dip ready. For those who may feel compelled there is more then one petition out there regarding this man.If you wish to sign it please feel free to email me and I will share the link.
jennilyn_a@yahoocom

[Huffmeister]

Skillicorn was denied a stay of execution yesterday. Scheduled to be exectued on 5/20.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/break...y/1178000.html

(Sorry for bumping an old thread. I saw him on the news this morning and immediately thought of this thread.)

[catfish307]

Sorry, but he doesn't deserve to live another day. On the night this happened I was fishing all night about a mile from where they lead Mr. Drummond into the woods and shot him. Its kind of scary to wonder what may have happened if they would have drove down the next gravel road east of there. I have no sympathy for cold blooded killers.

[Frazod]

Good. They should have fried the sonofabitch a long time ago.

[Katipan]

My problem with the death penalty for a single murder is that we don't have a worse punishment for worse crimes.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Katipan

My problem with the death penalty for a single murder is that we don't have a worse punishment for worse crimes.

Feet first through the woodchipper seems like a good deterrent to me.

And Wu's pigs can clean up afterwards.

[Brock]

Well, bye.

[Groves]

Originally Posted by Katipan

My problem with the death penalty for a single murder is that we don't have a worse punishment for worse crimes.

This is an often spoken sentiment.

As you already know, there seems to be something lacking in our punishments if we're looking to simply inflict the same amount of horror on the perpetrator as was incurred on the victim(s).

What we need is something more intense than death, with some sort of eternal aspect to it.

Don't worry, I think God's on top of the situation.

[Demonpenz]

/played off by the cat

[catfish307]

Originally Posted by Brock

Well, bye.

[Baby Lee]

I take a modicum of pride in the fact that the information deficit on this thread only lasted a couple of posts.

[Amnorix]

I haven't gone through this entire thread, but there's no way I'd sign this petition.

Originally Posted by family member of victim

In august 1994 Richard Drummond of Mo was murdered by Dennis Skillicorn, Allen Nicklassen and Tim Degraffenreid.Mr. Drummond did not deserve to die. He merely stopped to help these men when their car was disabled on the roadside. I personally did not know Mr. Drummond, however I do know he was a good man with a family that loved him very much. He was married and had children he dedicated his life to. I know his family suffered indescribable loss when their loved one was taken from them in a brutal senceless act of murder. I am also a family member of two of Dennis Skillicorns other victims. Charlene and Joeseph Babcock. I created this petition to speak for ALL Skillicorn's victims. I send my sincerest sympathies to all the other families that have had their lives changed by the acts of murder Dennis Skillicorn commited.

There are many groups petitioning for clemency for Dennis Skillicorn. Claiming he was not aware his accomplice was going to pull the trigger and claiming he has changed and done so much from within the prison walls on death row.

Facts are being left out to gain compassion for Mr. Skillicorn and for that I seek out supporters who belive that this man's claims of innocense are untrue and solely motivated by his desire to not pay for the crimes he has committed.

Dennis Skillicorn served 13 years for the murder of Wendell Howell. After getting out of prison he chose to participate in a cross country killing spree which left 3 possibly 4 people dead. After the killing in Arizona the men claimed to go to Mexico where they state another woman was killed. No body was found in mexico.

Taken from court documents:

"In any case, Skillicorn cannot demonstrate that he suffered any prejudice from counsel's actions. In the penalty phase, the jury found the following aggravating circumstances listed in section 565.032 RSMoFN5) In 1980, Skillicorn was convicted of murder in the second degree,(FN6) section 565.032.2(1); Richard Drummond was killed while Skillicorn and his co-defendants were in the process of kidnapping him, section 565.032.2(11); and finally, Drummond was murdered while Skillicorn and the others were in the process of robbing him. Id. The evidence supported all of these aggravating circumstances that indicated the death penalty was an appropriate punishment for Skillicorn. Skillicorn, 944 S.W.2d at 898-99.

In addition to the statutory aggravating circumstances, the jury heard an audio tape of Skillicorn's confession to the FBI in San Diego, California. In the confession, he not only talked about his role in the murder of Richard Drummond, but also discussed what he and Nicklasson did as they fled Missouri on a journey southwest. Besides committing a number of house burglaries and attempting to steal a purse from a woman in a grocery store in California, Skillicorn discussed his role in the murders of a husband and wife in Arizona and a woman in a diner in Mexico."

View in full here:

http://www.courts.mo.gov/Courts/PubOpinions.nsf/0/ff1a110f9e58fc85862568fc004cbc46?OpenDocument


Charlene and Joe Babcock were the kind of people you could always turn to in times of need for a helping hand or kind words. On August 27th 1994 Thier kindhearted ways cost them their lives. A knock came upon their front door. Two men appeared with a story of how they were hunters and they had gotten their vehicle stuck in a wash further down the road.Joe of course was willing to assist them in trying to get their vehcile out. So Joe took their jeep and the men Dennis Skillicorn and Allen Niclasson to the wash (Now named Babcock wash) and did all he could to help them get the vehicle out of the sandy wash. When Joe was unable to get the vehcile out he was kneeling beside the car (Owned by Richard Drummond's employer ATT) removing the chains from the front of the car. His reward was bullets in his head. They left his body there in the wash for the hot sun and animals.The two men then stole the Babcock's jeep and drove back up to where the Babcock's home was. Again a knock on the door and when my aunt answered the door she realized something was wrong, not seeing her husband there with them. She asked where he was and soon became frantic, The men ,after a struggle shot my aunt in the face in her own home.They then stole the jeep and travelled further to California and Mexico where they claimed to have killed a waitress.Charlie and Joe were just good Samaritans, as was Mr Drummond and for their kindness they died at the hands of these men.
Please help us show Governor Matt Blunt and the state of Missouri that this man does deserve the sentencing handed down from the MissouriCourts.

For Charlene and Joe :http://jennilyn06.tripod.com/forcharlieandjoe/

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/den...grant-clemency

[Amnorix]

Yeesh, didn't even notice that this was an old thread.

Sounds like the ole gene pool is going to get a bit of chlorine added.

[dtrain]

Originally Posted by Micjones

He was afforded due process in that regard, but...
The death penalty denies him due process of the law altogether...
This man can never benefit from new evidence or new law that could possibly mitigate his sentence or overturn his conviction.

New evidence I'm sure he left plenty of evidence in several states like bullets matching the gun he was caught with and stolen item.

I can't believe that in all the years this man was alive he was never taught it is wrong to steal and kill!

BURN BABY BURN!