Ohio | Federal court rejects appeal from man convicted in dying blink case

CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal court on Friday turned down an appeal from an imprisoned Cincinnati man whose 2013 murder trial hinged on the paralyzed, hospitalized victim having blinked his eyes to identify a picture of his shooter before dying.

The convicted man, Ricardo Woods, challenged how that blinking testimony by David Chandler was allowed to be used in court as a dying declaration. Woods, now 42, argued that his right to confront the witnesses against him was violated in the Hamilton County case.

Woods also argued that prosecutors improperly kept a potential juror off the jury based on race.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those challenges Friday, affirming an earlier state court decision that upheld the conviction.

His attorney, Jennifer Kinsley, said they may press the case further.

“Ricardo Woods is innocent, his conviction was unconstitutional, and we will continue exploring all options to prove his innocence in court,” including possibly asking that the case be reviewed by the full Sixth Circuit Court or the U.S. Supreme Court, Kinsley said in an email.

Woods was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison on murder and other charges after unsuccessfully challenging the reliability of the blinking testimony during his trial, which drew national attention.

Source: The Associated Press, Staff, May 22, 2020

Ohio man gets 36 years to life in dying blink case

CINCINNATI (AP) — A man paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator after he was shot in the face and neck could only communicate by blinking his eyes, but those blinks helped lead to what could end up as life in prison for the man convicted of murdering him.

Ricardo Woods, 35, was sentenced Thursday to 36 years to life in prison for the murder of David Chandler and for felonious assaults and weapons charges. The murder trial drew national attention when the judge allowed jurors to see a police interview of Chandler two weeks before his death during which he blinked in response to questions about who shot him.

Woods was convicted last month of murder and felonious assault charges after jurors watched the interview which prosecutors say shows Chandler blinked his eyes three times for “yes” to identify a photo of Woods as the man who shot him. Chandler was shot while sitting in a car on Oct, 28, 2010, and left paralyzed from the neck down,

The defense tried to block the video, saying Chandler’s blinks were inconsistent and unreliable.

Woods, who insists he is innocent, stood stoically before a Hamilton County judge on Thursday and showed no visible emotion as she sentenced him. Judge Beth Myers said the sentence she gave him was “necessary to protect the public and punish Mr. Woods.”

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 37 years to life, the maximum, while the defense had asked the judge for the minimum, 18 years to life.

Assistant county Prosecutor David Prem told the judge prior to sentencing that Woods’ previous criminal history, including prison terms for attempting to kill someone and drug trafficking, should be taken into account.

“He is a dangerous and violent offender,” Prem said, adding that it was time for the Chandler family and the state of Ohio to get justice.

Defense attorney Kory Jackson told the judge that Woods has “always maintained that he is not guilty and still maintains that today.”

Woods nodded yes when the judge said she understood that he planned to appeal.

Jackson stressed again after court that Woods has always insisted he is innocent, even when he was offered a deal prior to the trial requiring him to plead guilty in exchange for a five-year sentence.

“He said that he was innocent and that ‘I’m absolutely not going to take a deal,’” Jackson said.

No members of Chandler’s family spoke at Thursday’s hearing, but the victim’s mother said afterward that she was pleased with the sentence.

“I’m happy my son got his day in court,” Jean Bradford said.

Prem said that Chandler “hopefully will never get out of prison.”

“Mr. Woods deserved every day of the 36-to-life sentence he received,” Prem said.

Jackson says he expects the video interview to play a role in Woods’ appeal.

A doctor who treated Chandler testified during the trial that Chandler was able to communicate clearly. But the defense argued that Chandler’s condition and drugs used to treat him could have hindered his ability to understand and respond during the police interview.

A jailhouse informant testified that Woods told him he shot at Chandler because he caught him buying drugs from someone else while still owing Woods money for drugs. But the defense argued that the informant, who faced armed robbery charges, was trying to get a lighter sentence for himself.

Legal experts say such cases — where prosecutors attempt to show a defendant was identified by a gesture — are unusual. Dying identifications relying on gestures rather than words are often not used in trials because of concern over reliability or differing interpretations. But some have been used in murder cases around the country that have resulted in convictions.

Source: The Associated Press, Lisa Cornwell, June 21, 2013

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Alabama | Gov. Ivey commutes Charles “Sonny” Burton’s death sentence

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton, who was set to be executed Thursday. The governor’s office released the following statement: “Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced that she has commuted the death sentence of Charles L. Burton to life in prison with no chance of parole. Mr. Burton was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1991 capital murder of Doug Battle in Talladega, Alabama. As required by law, the governor first reached out to a representative of Mr. Battle’s family. She also notified the attorney general. Governor Ivey’s letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm is attached.

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Texas executes Cedric Ricks

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Missouri Man Said DNA Test Could Prove Innocence. He Was Executed Before a Court Ruled.

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Supreme Court Denies Alabama Appeal, Allowing New Trial in Death Row Case

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Alabama | Death row inmate granted clemency shares emotional message on day he was set to die

Alabama governor commuted death sentence of Charles Burton, 75, who didn't kill anyone An Alabama man who was outside a building when a man was killed in an armed robbery is looking at life as "a gift from God" after being granted clemency by the state’s governor just days before he was scheduled to be executed. Charles "Sonny" Burton, 75, was sentenced to death for his role in the robbery of a Talladega AutoZone store that left a man dead in 1991. While Burton left the store before Derrick DeBruce gunned down customer Doug Battle, he was tried and convicted as an accomplice, with prosecutors insisting Burton acted as the group’s leader in the armed robbery.

U.S. | These States Don’t Want You to See the Cruelty of Their Executions

The use of the death penalty has risen sharply in the United States, with more executions in 2025 than any year since 2009. It is a cruel and unjust development. In theory, the death penalty is reserved for “the worst of the worst.” In practice, it is very different. People who are executed for their crimes are disproportionately poor or intellectually disabled and often lacked good lawyers. They are also more likely to be sentenced to death if they have been convicted of killing a white person. Anthony Boyd, who maintained his innocence until Alabama executed him last year at age 54, had an inexperienced court-appointed lawyer and was convicted on disputed eyewitness testimony. Charles Flores, 56, has spent 27 years on death row in Texas for a murder conviction based solely on unreliable testimony from a hypnotized witness. Robert Roberson, who has autism, remains on death row there despite having been convicted on now-debunked evidence that he had shaken his daughter to death.

Prosecutors seek death penalty in 2 Georgia cases

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in two separate Georgia criminal cases. One involves the killing of a Gwinnett County police officer and another is over the death of a 4-year-old girl in Hall County . Kevin Andrews is charged in the death of 25-year-old Gwinnett County Police Officer Pradeep Tamang, who was shot and killed while investigating a credit card fraud case. Authorities said Andrews had an outstanding warrant and shot at officers without warning. Another officer, David Reed, was seriously injured.

Florida | Governor DeSantis signs death warrant in 2008 murder case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Michael L. King, setting an execution date of March 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. King was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2008 kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old North Port mother. On January 17, 2008, Michael Lee King abducted 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee from her North Port home by forcing her into his green Chevrolet Camaro. He drove her around while she was bound, including to his cousin's house to borrow tools like a shovel. King took her to his home, where he sexually battered her, then placed her in the backseat of his car. Later that evening, he drove to a remote area, shot her in the face, and buried her nude body in a shallow grave. Her remains were discovered two days later. During the crime, multiple 9-1-1 calls were made, but communication breakdowns between emergency dispatch centers delayed the response. The case drew national attention and prompted w...

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Cedric Ricks is set to be killed on March 11 Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” The Tarrant County jury was unmoved. Ricks has spent the last 13 years on death row and is scheduled to be executed on March 11.

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