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Daryl Atkins

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Daryl Atkins
Daryl Atkins Eligible for execution is about Daryl Atkins murder case. Unlike most murder cases though Daryl Atkins was mentally retarded and the debate wasn’t weather he was guilty or innocent, it was if he should receive the death penalty for his crime or not. The location of the crime played a big role in the jury selection because York County was a more white area compared to Hampton County where Atkins abducted Nesbitt. “The prosecutor is the public official who represents the people in legal actions against the criminal offender” (pg 25). For serious cases like this case the prosecutor gets involved earlier and work with the police to create a case. Virginia appoints lawyers that meet certain qualifications to represent people who can’t afford a lawyer. Hampton County appointed George Rogers for Atkins and 2 lawyers for William Jones (Timothy Clancy and Leslie Smith). “Under Virginia law “the willful, deliberate and premeditated killing of any person during the commission of a serious crime, such as robbery, abduction, or rape, constitutes capital murder” (pg.30). Daryl Atkins bail was overly excessive at $650,00 considering he wasn’t believed to be the killer, had know violent acts prior, and was to poor to actually post that bail amount. A grand jury is when a group of people are presented evidence from the prosecutor. The grand Jury looks over this evidence and decides if the case should go forward and proceed to trial which would be a ‘true bill indictment or if the case should be thrown out. The book talks how a grand theft charge can be moved down to a petit larceny charge through plea-bargaining. William Jones struck a plea bargain by saying he was guilty to all charges except non-capital murder. Punishment must fit the bill in the U.S. criminal justice system. A person who steals a TV isn’t going to jail for life but a person who kills a person may be going to jail for life. The more serious the crime the more time must be spent on gathering


Cited: Walker, Thomas G. Eligible for Execution: The Story of the Daryl Atkins Case. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2008. Print.
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