THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608230363
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 49 lines
I am writing, again, regarding Joe O'Dell. He killed my sister. He imposed the death penalty against her, but all we hear about is his.
She had no chance to appeal her sentence. Maybe had she been given the opportunity to go on the Internet prior to her execution by Joe O'Dell, she would have been able to enlist the groundswell of support to save her life that he now has in place to spare his. Whenever we see that face in the newspaper (especially when it's attached to another bleeding-heart story by Joe Jackson), on TV or through some other media outlet, we go through everything all over again. The ``we'' is me and the rest of Helen's family - the family that hopes to see closure to this sordid mess someday.
I have pointed out many inconsistencies in O'Dell's claims of innocence, like the blood found in his car and on his pants that he never explains. That blood was a perfect match with my sister's.
There are so many inconsistencies in his claims to those of us who were there and know what was presented at trial. For a person who appears to spend most of his time talking, it seems strange to me that he refused to take the stand to defend himself. The guy has 17 felony convictions against him; that would lead me to believe he knows the importance of defending himself in the courtroom. He knew all his lies would catch up with him if he took the stand, which is why he didn't. Nobody said he's dumb.
I would like to clear up one issue once and for all: O'Dell and his band of death-penalty opponents continue to base their pleas for intervention on a claim that Virginia's courts have refused to hear DNA evidence that would allegedly prove his innocence. They go on to say that the 21-day deadline for offering new evidence after a conviction is the reason why poor old Joe can't put this vital evidence in a courtroom.
The truth is, the DNA evidence was presented in a courtroom in Virginia Beach on Oct. 23, 1990. O'Dell was brought back from death row to attend the hearing. This was four years after he was convicted - slightly more than 21 days. He elected to present three samples of 20 or more tested for DNA. The judge ruled that nothing in the DNA evidence exonerated O'Dell. It's a matter of record. Why didn't he at that time offer the other test results?
How much more of this charade do we have to witness? O'Dell was found guilty and sentenced to die for what he did to my sister. His case has been appealed and reviewed so many times by so many courts that we've lost track. It's been long years. I just hope public opinion will not be swayed by O'Dell's lies and misstatements to the point that someday, somehow, he winds back on the streets to kill again.
ROBERT M. CAPPS
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Aug. 9, 1996 by CNB