Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 30, 1994 TAG: 9401300066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHATHAM LENGTH: Medium
The jury, which convicted Fitzgerald of two counts of capital murder Friday, deliberated four hours before recommending two death sentences for the murders of Coy White and Huie Morrison.
The jury's recommendation came exactly one year after the deaths of White and Morrison and the rape of two women during a five-hour crime spree by Fitzgerald.
In addition to the two death sentences, the jury also recommended four life sentences for a pair of robbery charges, a rape and an abduction, 40 years each for another rape and abduction, and 30 years for a breaking and entering conviction. Circuit Judge B.A. Davis has not yet set a date for Fitzgerald's sentencing.
During the sentencing phase, Commonwealth's Attorney David Grimes called Jan. 29, 1993, one of the most violent days in the county's history and described Fitzgerald's actions as a "one-day reign of terror."
Grimes told the jury that Fitzgerald, 24, posed a future danger to society, and the death penalty "is where you can show mercy for the people the defendant might encounter in the future."
Defense attorney David Melesco asked the jury to spare Fitzgerald's life, saying that the prosecution's call for the death penalty "smacks to me of the Old Testament - an eye for an eye."
The defense conceded Fitzgerald committed the crimes and was hoping for a first-degree murder conviction, which does not carry the death penalty.
Fitzgerald killed White, 39, the uncle of his girlfriend, and Morrison, 72, a cab driver who drove his girlfriend to a clinic to get prenatal care. The girlfriend, Amanda White, testified that she told Fitzgerald that Morrison "was feeling on me in his cab."
by CNB