ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 11, 1996 TAG: 9612110055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: JARRATT
SOURCE: Associated Press
MEMO: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
Larry Stout, calling friends in his final hours to say goodbye, was executed Tuesday night for the murder of a shopkeeper nine years ago.
Stout, put to death by injection at the Greensville Correctional Center, was the sixth person Virginia has executed this year and the second of five scheduled this month. He was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m.
Stout also met with his minister and lawyers as the execution hour approached. Gov. George Allen denied him clemency Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. Supreme Court had rejected his final appeal earlier in the day.
Stout pleaded guilty to slashing the throat of Jacqueline Kooshian during a $1,200 robbery at her dry-cleaning shop in Staunton on Feb. 17, 1987. Kooshian, 40, was the mother of two children.
``There is no question that Stout murdered Mrs. Kooshian during his robbery of her store,'' Allen said.
The governor rejected Stout's argument that he received poor legal help at trial. ``These are important issues that must be considered, and they have been fully litigated and thoroughly considered in the courts,'' he said.
The Supreme Court voted 7-2 to reject Stout's request for a stay with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens dissenting. The court also turned down a separate appeal by Stout.
``Larry was mentally very well-prepared for his execution,'' said Michele Brace, one of Stout's lawyers. ``I think that Larry was given a very strong message when he was young that his life was worthless. The execution is just another step along that way.''
About 35 people had marched at the entrance to the State Capitol grounds Tuesday to implore Allen to stop the execution.
One of the demonstrators was Ulysse Desportes, 76, of Staunton, who said he knew Kooshian and that he supports the death penalty. But he said he opposed the execution of Stout.
``We have this nearly illiterate man advised by an overworked public defender,'' said Desportes. ``I really think this was a crime of rash stupidity and not a premeditated murder.''
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB