Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 17, 2006 23:03:36 GMT -5
Death penalty trial delayed until 2007 for Killeen man
The death penalty trial for a 27-year-old Killeen man accused of slaying
four people over the 2004 Thanksgiving weekend was set to begin Monday
with jury selection, but has been delayed until January.
2 of Richard Lee Tabler's three attorneys are no longer working on the
capital murder case.
Waco attorney Russ Hunt filed a motion to withdraw from the case. His
motion to Judge Martha Trudo of the 264th District Court stated there was
a "situation created by the defendant which created an ethical problem for
attorney Hunt and the mitigation specialist."
Trudo granted Hunt's motion, and attorney John Donahue of Waco replaced
Hunt as lead counsel.
Court documents stated that Tabler fired his pro bono attorney, Michael F.
White, of Temple, because of a conflict of interest. No one has been
selected to replace White.
Killeen attorney Buck Harris is still on the capital murder case.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 16, with the trial starting Feb.
20.
Tabler is charged in the Nov. 26, 2004, deaths of Haitham Zayed, 28, and
Mohamid-Amine Rahmouni, 25, and in the Nov. 28, 2004, deaths of Tiffany
Lorraine Dotson, 18, and Amanda Benefield, 16.
Also charged in the deaths is Timothy Doan Payne, 19, a former 4th
Infantry Division soldier.
The slayings of the 4 individuals - all employees of Teazers Gentlemen's
Club in Killeen - took place over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The bodies of Zayed and Rahmouni were discovered outside the Killeen city
limits near West Fort Hood. They died of multiple gunshot wounds to the
chest.
In an arrest affidavit, Tabler and Payne admitted to killing the 2 men.
Tabler stated that he met Zayed and Rahmouni on the pretense of buying
stolen items. Tabler admitted that he shot the 2 men while Payne
videotaped the incident. Both men said they searched Zayed's and
Rahmouni's bodies for money.
In a separate affidavit, Tabler said he lured the two dancers to a remote
area of Simmons Road on the promise of crack cocaine. Tabler stated he
shot Benefield because she made comments about the earlier shootings of
Zayed and Rahmouni.
Police believe that Dotson was killed because she was at the wrong place
at the wrong time.
Apparently, both men told investigators that the murders were part of a
revenge-based plot to kill at least 12 people who worked at the
gentlemen's club, people Tabler believed had wronged him.
Tabler later recanted his confession in a letter he sent to the Killeen
Daily Herald in which he stated he had never admitted to killing anyone.
Tabler said in the letter that the information being released about him
was false.
(source: Killeen Daily Herald)
The death penalty trial for a 27-year-old Killeen man accused of slaying
four people over the 2004 Thanksgiving weekend was set to begin Monday
with jury selection, but has been delayed until January.
2 of Richard Lee Tabler's three attorneys are no longer working on the
capital murder case.
Waco attorney Russ Hunt filed a motion to withdraw from the case. His
motion to Judge Martha Trudo of the 264th District Court stated there was
a "situation created by the defendant which created an ethical problem for
attorney Hunt and the mitigation specialist."
Trudo granted Hunt's motion, and attorney John Donahue of Waco replaced
Hunt as lead counsel.
Court documents stated that Tabler fired his pro bono attorney, Michael F.
White, of Temple, because of a conflict of interest. No one has been
selected to replace White.
Killeen attorney Buck Harris is still on the capital murder case.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 16, with the trial starting Feb.
20.
Tabler is charged in the Nov. 26, 2004, deaths of Haitham Zayed, 28, and
Mohamid-Amine Rahmouni, 25, and in the Nov. 28, 2004, deaths of Tiffany
Lorraine Dotson, 18, and Amanda Benefield, 16.
Also charged in the deaths is Timothy Doan Payne, 19, a former 4th
Infantry Division soldier.
The slayings of the 4 individuals - all employees of Teazers Gentlemen's
Club in Killeen - took place over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The bodies of Zayed and Rahmouni were discovered outside the Killeen city
limits near West Fort Hood. They died of multiple gunshot wounds to the
chest.
In an arrest affidavit, Tabler and Payne admitted to killing the 2 men.
Tabler stated that he met Zayed and Rahmouni on the pretense of buying
stolen items. Tabler admitted that he shot the 2 men while Payne
videotaped the incident. Both men said they searched Zayed's and
Rahmouni's bodies for money.
In a separate affidavit, Tabler said he lured the two dancers to a remote
area of Simmons Road on the promise of crack cocaine. Tabler stated he
shot Benefield because she made comments about the earlier shootings of
Zayed and Rahmouni.
Police believe that Dotson was killed because she was at the wrong place
at the wrong time.
Apparently, both men told investigators that the murders were part of a
revenge-based plot to kill at least 12 people who worked at the
gentlemen's club, people Tabler believed had wronged him.
Tabler later recanted his confession in a letter he sent to the Killeen
Daily Herald in which he stated he had never admitted to killing anyone.
Tabler said in the letter that the information being released about him
was false.
(source: Killeen Daily Herald)