Death!

UPDATE:  Curtis Giovanni Flowers was sentenced to death today, Saturday, June 19, for the execution-style murders of four people at Tardy Furniture store in Winona on July 16, 1996.

After about 20 minutes, the jury told the judge they could not all agree on death or life without the possibility of parole, and the judge responded that the “jury did not have to worry about that.” The jury then reconvened and after an hour or so, the jury foreman handed the written statements to Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Lanelle Martin.

Martin read the statements as the defendant, Curtis Flowers, looked on expressionless.

Some on the jury panel were crying.

More details will follow.

GUILTY!

WINONA – (June 18) It took a jury less than 30 minutes to find Curtis Giovanni Flowers guilty of four counts of capital murder Friday afternoon. This is Flowers’ sixth trial and fourth conviction. Three prior convictions were thrown out.

After hearing from family members of the victims, jurors heard from Flowers’ mother and father, and others who testified as to his character.

The court was in session until 9 p.m. Friday night, until they were dismissed by the judge.

Saturday morning at 9 a.m., the jury will hear closing arguments from the State and the defense before deciding whether Flowers will get the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Flowers is charged with the murders of Tardy Furniture store owner Bertha Tardy, 59, on July 16, 1996, and three employees Carmen Rigby, 45, Derrick “BoBo” Stewart, 16, and Robert Golden, 42.

Stewart had been working at the store for two days and Golden started that morning. All four victims had been shot in the head with a .380 automatic pistol.

Golden, the only black victim, had been shot in the head twice.

Flowers, a former employee of Tardy, had been fired nearly two weeks earlier.

More details to follow.