Sunday, March 09, 2008
A trial that's the talk of the town
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William Morva's appearance was the talk of the Washington County courtroom -- and Montgomery County.
Since it was reported that he escaped from police custody in August 2006, Morva has been photographed with short brown hair and with a prominent and recognizable chin -- the chin that a Deli Mart clerk testified last year stood out in the masked man who attempted to rob her store in the summer of 2005. (Morva is already serving 38 years in prison on seven convictions related to a string of botched robbery and burglary attempts in the summer of 2005.)
But in a hearing Feb. 1 -- his first hearing since a judge attempted in September to seat a jury for Morva's case in Montgomery County -- the now 26-year-old appeared with shoulder-length hair and a full beard. Few people saw him that day as he appeared in a nearly empty courtroom for a motions hearing related to his capital murder case.
But Tuesday was different. The response was overwhelming after new photos of Morva were posted on the Internet and footage was shown on TV.
Some people might not be the right people to sit on the jury for a capital murder case.
Some are against the death penalty. Others are a little too much for it.
In an attempt to drive that point home, Morva's defense attorneys told potential jurors that some people just aren't right for certain cases. For example, defense attorney Tom Blaylock has told some groups that his wife has "a big old dog" who weighs about 150 pounds.
She walks it first thing in the morning. She walks it in the evening.
"She loves that dog," he said.
Because of her affinity for dogs, he said, she might not be the right person to sit on a jury for "a Michael Vick-type case."
"She's got these feelings about what should happen to somebody who hurts a dog," he said.
Potential jurors nodded in understanding. His story had not only driven the point home but also provided a much-needed moment of comic relief to the folks who had sat quietly through hours of jury selection.
The media always seem to take a hit during jury selection in a high-profile case.
Prosecutors told jurors that anything they've read or seen or heard from the media is hearsay.
Reporters, they said, may try but don't always get it right.
Nearly 19 months have passed since William Charles Morva, a former Blacksburg High School student well known around downtown Blacksburg, escaped from police custody at Montgomery Regional Hospital and was accused of killing two men. Last week, his trial got under way in Abingdon and is expected to continue all this week. The Roanoke Times has been following the case in Washington County Circuit Court, publishing photos and stories that capture the most important points of each day. But other things have happened in the courtroom that are topics of conversation among folks at the trial. Here are a few, day by day, of those moments.
Morva has lost his water bottle
For the past two days, everyone seated at the prosecution's table -- Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch, Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt and legal assistant Sharon Flinchum -- and at the defense table -- Morva and defense attorneys Tony Anderson, Tom Blaylock and Melissa Friedman -- have had a bottle of Deer Park water.
But Morva's bottle was noticeably out of his reach Thursday.
His bottle was pushed farther down the table, and his attorneys poured his water into a Styrofoam cup.
Along with the deputies keeping a close watch on Morva, a juror is keeping an eye on him as well.
While most of the 13 other jurors (a panel of 12 plus two alternates) have been closely watching witnesses testify and the victims' family members' reactions to that testimony, there is one who almost constantly has his eyes on Morva.
It's impossible to know exactly what he is looking for (reporters aren't allowed to talk to or name or photograph the jurors), but most of the reporters in the room often watch for Morva's reactions and it's interesting to see a juror who appears to be so intent to do the same.
"Don't get accustomed to this"
Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs said that to jurors as they were released at 3:35 p.m., after Grubbs had told them earlier to expect to be in court until 5:30 or 6 because there were no more witnesses on hand to call to testify.
Court staff here isn't used to having media around
They've been clear about that from day one, but they've also been fantastic about trying to accommodate the media -- which, so far, has included WDBJ (Channel 7), WSLS (Channel 10), WSET (Channel 13), The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Associated Press, the Bristol Herald-Courier and, of course, The Roanoke Times.
Court Street, which runs next to the courthouse, has been blocked off in one direction so the TV stations can park their giant satellite trucks, and the TV stations' camera equipment has been set up on the front steps of the courthouse so reporters can film their live shots.
And, thankfully, Randall Blevins, a probation director with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, has given up his office for the media. The office is just around the corner from the courtroom, making it easy for reporters and photographers to come and go between the rooms.
The room has been completely overtaken -- filled with extra tables that are covered in recording stations for video footage and reporters' laptops, cellphones and notebooks.
Capital punishment = strong opinions
That has become increasingly clear during jury selection. Many potential jurors have been dismissed because they're either against the death penalty or strongly for it. And many of them have had some interesting -- and thought-provoking -- things to say about it.
Here are a few quotes from folks who didn't make it into the jury pool:
"The two people that were killed had no choice."
"If I was on a jury that imposed the death penalty, I don't know what that would do to me."
"Murder's wrong for them to commit, so I feel that it would be wrong for me to be involved in putting someone to death."
"To me if you sentence someone to death, you're punishing their mom and their family, not them."
The courthouse
In this beautiful third-floor courtroom with its high ceiling, giant wooden doors, wood-framed windows and ornate wooden bench and tables, the eight wood-slatted benches that make up the gallery are a perfect fit.
After all, the Washington County Courthouse that stands at the top of a hill on Main Street in Abingdon was built in 1869 to replace an earlier version burned during the Civil War. Tiffany windows were added several years ago as a memorial to World War I veterans, and a statue of a Confederate soldier stands proudly next to the entrance.
Wooden benches are an appropriate fit in this courtroom.
But hours of sitting on them is like sitting in a concrete stadium.
You could tell that Tuesday afternoon, as the sounds of people shifting in the benches -- after trying to be still on them for hours -- nearly drowned out the words of attorneys and potential jurors.
But Wednesday, several people brought chair cushions to sit on. They say they're happy they did.
A few more familiar faces from Montgomery County began to appear in the courtroom, including Circuit Court Clerk Erica Williams and Deputy Clerk Krystal Stephens.
Sheriff Tommy Whitt was also in the courthouse Wednesday -- although he hasn't been in the courtroom because he may be called to testify in the case.
Witnesses aren't allowed to watch the proceedings, so attendance has been fairly low. So far, most of the folks who have been in the courtroom during jury selection are family members of McFarland or Sutphin or members of the media.
