The Latest: Official: Inmate scream not from execution drugs
February 24, 2018 by admin
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The Latest on Florida Execution (all times local):
9 p.m.
Authorities say they don’t believe the loud scream that came from the mouth of a Florida inmate as he was being put to death in Florida for a 1993 rape and murder was caused by the lethal injection procedure.
Forty-seven-year-old inmate Eric Scott Branch received the lethal drugs Thursday evening at the Florida State Prison in Starke. Branch was convicted of raping and killing 21-year-old college student Susan Morris in 1993. He screamed and shouted “murderers!” repeatedly.
Asked whether Branch’s scream could have been caused by the execution drugs, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Michelle Glady said afterward that “there was no indication” of that. She says that conclusion was confirmed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The murder victim’s family later released a statement saying they are still grieving the young woman’s death a quarter century ago. Wendy Morris Hill, the victim’s sister, read a statement declaring the slain woman “will never be forgotten by those who love her.”
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7:30 p.m.
A Florida inmate convicted of raping and killing a college student decades ago screamed and yelled “murderers!” repeatedly as he was being put to death.
Authorities say 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch was pronounced dead Thursday evening after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Branch was convicted of the 1993 rape and fatal beating of 21-year-old college student Susan Morris, whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave.
Just as officials were administering the drugs that included a powerful sedative, Branch let out a loud, blood-curdling scream. He then thrashed about on his gurney and yelled “murderers!” three times before falling silent with a groan.
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7:15
Florida has executed a man convicted of raping and killing a college student in 1993 so he could steal her car.
Authorities say 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. Thursday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison.
Branch was convicted of the rape and fatal beating of University of West Florida student 21-year-old Susan Morris, whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave near a nature trail.
Evidence shows that Branch approached Morris after she left a night class on Jan. 11, 1993, so he could steal her red Toyota and return to his home state of Indiana. He was arrested while traveling there.
Branch also was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Indiana and of another sexual assault in Panama City, Florida.
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6:30 p.m.
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied last-minute appeals to halt the execution of a Florida inmate convicted of the 1993 rape and murder of a college student.
The court rejected the appeals of 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch without comment Thursday, about a half hour after his scheduled execution was initially to have taken place. Authorities can now proceed with a lethal injection at Florida State Prison.
Branch was convicted in the death of 21-year-old University of West Florida student Susan Morris, whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave.
Evidence in the case shows that Branch approached Morris after she left a night class on Jan. 11, 1993, so he could steal her red Toyota and return to his home state of Indiana. He was arrested while traveling there.
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6 p.m.
Florida authorities are awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on whether to proceed with executing an inmate convicted of the rape and murder of a college student.
Forty-seven-year-old Eric Scott Branch was set to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. Thursday at Florida State Prison. But that time passed with correction officials still awaiting a decision on the inmate’s final appeals.
Branch was convicted in the death of 21-year-old University of West Florida student Susan Morris, whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave in 1993.
Evidence in the case shows that Branch approached Morris after she left a night class on Jan. 11, 1993, so he could steal her red Toyota and return to his home state of Indiana. He was arrested while traveling there.
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4 p.m.
A man scheduled for execution in Florida for raping and killing a college student in 1993 has had his last meal and was described as in good spirits.
Barring a last-minute stay, 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch will be put to death by lethal injection at 6 p.m. Thursday at Florida State Prison.
Corrections Department spokeswoman Michelle Glady says his last meal was a pork chop, T-bone steak, French fries and 2 pints of Ben Jerry’s ice cream. He was visited by his daughter this morning and refused a meeting with a spiritual adviser.
Branch was convicted of the January 1993 rape and fatal beating of 21-year-old University of West Florida student Susan Morris. Authorities say Branch killed Morris so he could steal her car. The woman’s body was found buried in a shallow grave.
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Florida is scheduled to execute a man convicted of raping and killing a college student in 1993 so he could steal her car.
Barring a last-minute stay, 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch will be put to death by lethal injection at 6 p.m. Thursday at Florida State Prison.
Branch was convicted of the rape and fatal beating of 21-year-old University of West Florida student Susan Morris whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave.
Evidence in the case shows that Branch approached Morris after she left a night class on Jan. 11, 1993, so he could steal her red Toyota and return to his home state of Indiana. He was arrested while traveling there.
Branch was also convicted of another Florida rape and one in Indiana.
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In Woodbury, St. Francis, other districts, school threats investigated
February 24, 2018 by admin
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Woodbury police and South Washington County Schools are investigating a shooting threat made on social media against East Ridge High School on Friday, adding to the number of Minnesota school districts that have responded to alleged threats this week.
There have been no arrests and there is no danger posed to students, Woodbury district spokeswoman Cassondra Knudson said. School staffers told students and parents about the threat, which was not described in detail.
“Any kind of threat, especially after what happened in Florida, we’re going to take very seriously,” Knudson said.
It was the second investigation of alarming social media posts involving East Ridge High School this week. On Tuesday, officials investigated an Instagram post made by a student that referenced school shootings.
The Woodbury instances are just two among a string of reported threats to schools and references to shootings made across the Twin Cities.
Earlier Friday, police in St. Francis arrested a 17-year-old student in connection with a threat that led to school closings.
Map: School has been canceled Friday in the St. Francis Public School District, where police are investigating a threat made by a secondary-school student.
“This was a verbal threat that was taken seriously by law enforcement and St. Francis area schools. … At this time there are no other known threats toward any St. Francis area schools,” St. Francis police said in a news release.
Earlier in the day, the school said on its website, “To ensure safety of all our students and staff, the decision was made to cancel school for today. … All buildings will be closed and staff are directed to stay home.”
Early childhood programs, community education classes and all after-school and evening activities also were canceled, the district said.
The notice did not specify the nature of the threat, but police has identified the student who made it is believed to have targeted the Crossroads School, a school for students with special needs.
It was the second threat this week in St. Francis, a district of about 4,800 students in northern Anoka County. On Feb. 15, the district investigated an alleged threat made by a St. Francis High School student. Police determined the threat was not credible, but extra police were sent to the school on Feb. 16.
A bevy of threats
Friday’s closure in St. Francis came a day after a juvenile student in Orono was charged with making threats on social media. The threat forced buildings in the west metro district to go on lockdown Wednesday.
In Aitkin County, schools in Hill City closed Thursday because of a threat circulating on social media. Two girls, ages 15 and 13, were arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of having made terroristic threats, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which added that there was no known plan to carry out the acts. Both girls remain in juvenile detention.
Four other Minnesota schools reported this week that possible threats had been investigated.
In Orono, schools were closed Wednesday after a threat to shoot students appeared on social media. A 17-year-old male student has been arrested and charged in that case.
The Prior Lake School District said it and police investigated Thursday after hearing of concerns about comments made by a student at Hidden Oaks Middle School. The student was arrested in connection with alleged threats toward other students. Authorities declined to release further details.
In Richfield, police and school officials said they were investigating “a school safety concern,” adding, “While we have not been able to substantiate the rumor or gather any additional information to consider this a credible rumor, we have taken extra precaution. … Please know that we take safety and security very seriously, which is additionally why teachers are allowed to lock doors during instruction.”
In Blaine, police received several reports of a threat people had seen on social media referencing “bhs.”
“The information received was a screen shot that appeared to be from Instagram,” police said in a news release Thursday. An investigation revealed that the screen shot was taken from a news story in Belen, N.M., and had no relation to Blaine or its schools.