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Close Topic OptionsTessa Leadford
Tessa Leadford - Politics, Business, Civil, History - Posted: 6th May, 2009 - 2:57pm
Posts: 3 - Views: 1199
Post Date: 20th Apr, 2009 - 1:04pm / Post ID: #
Tessa Leadford
Tessa Leadford
What are your thoughts about the case of Tessa Leadford who was violently abused by her own father?
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| James Patrick Malicoat was sentenced to die for the brutal murder of Tessa Leadford, his one-year-old baby daughter, in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The baby's mother, Mary Ann Leadford, was sentenced to Life Without Parole for allowing the beatings that led to this murder. On February 21, 1997, Tessa had already been dead for several hours when she was taken to the hospital. She had been beaten, cut and bitten. Seven of her ribs were broken and she had suffered the rupture of several internal organs, including her liver, her lungs and a kidney. Bruises covered her body, she bled internally, she had a skull fracture and her brain hemorrhaged. Malicoat worked nights and cared for Tessa during the day while Leadford worked, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said. Malicoat was married to another woman at the time and also had a child with her. The jury took only 15 minutes to find him guilty and only 35 minutes to reach a death sentence. This is not a true execution date as Malicoat had previously waived his appeals but has now changed his mind and wants to continue to appeal. At a competency hearing in December before a County judge, Malicoat told the Court that his death was the only way to "atone for it," but has now given notice to the Court of Criminal Appeals that he revokes his waiver of federal appeal remedies. At the time of the competency hearing, prosecutor Brett Burns said "This was a very difficult case." He said he and District Attorney Gene Christian had both viewed the body of the child at the time of her death. "We saw the torture and injuries inflicted by James Malicoat. At the time I had a small child and I couldn't help identifying with Tessa," he said. Burns said Malicoat's actions were such that death was the only adequate punishment. "He showed no remorse. Now after four years he has found remorse. Even though we despise his actions, we do have a respect for his feelings to forego further legal appeals," he said. "He is resolved to the death penalty and is at peace with it." UPDATE: 2/7/01 - An inmate scheduled to be executed Feb. 20 received a stay Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange. Miles-LaGrange postponed the execution of condemned killer James Malicoat to give him time to pursue federal court appeals. Malicoat earlier had wanted to waive his appeals, but he changed his mind. He was convicted of 1st-degree murder in the 1997 slaying of his 13-month-old daughter at his Chickasha home. |
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