Wednesday, 06 February 2013 11:38
Court refuses appeal of Missouri man on Texas death row
HOUSTON (AP) - A federal appeals court has refused an appeal from a Missouri man condemned for the slayings of a Texas Tech University dean and an 18-year-old Lubbock woman 12 years ago.
The ruling late Tuesday from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals moves 41-year-old Vaughn Ross a step closer to execution for the fatal shootings of 53-year-old Douglas Birdsall and Viola McVade.
Birdsall was associate dean of libraries at the Lubbock school.
Ross, a former Tech student from St. Louis, had been dating McVade's sister.
The victims were found shot in the head Jan. 31, 2001, inside Birdsall's car. DNA evidence tied their deaths to Ross.
Ross' unsuccessful appeal contended deficient legal help early in his appeals prevented him from pursing appeals that his trial attorneys also were deficient.
The ruling late Tuesday from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals moves 41-year-old Vaughn Ross a step closer to execution for the fatal shootings of 53-year-old Douglas Birdsall and Viola McVade.
Birdsall was associate dean of libraries at the Lubbock school.
Ross, a former Tech student from St. Louis, had been dating McVade's sister.
The victims were found shot in the head Jan. 31, 2001, inside Birdsall's car. DNA evidence tied their deaths to Ross.
Ross' unsuccessful appeal contended deficient legal help early in his appeals prevented him from pursing appeals that his trial attorneys also were deficient.
Published in
Local News
Latest News
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
ANGER, FEAR, TEARS NORMAL RESPONSE TO DISASTERS
BOSTON (AP) -- Kaitlyn Greeley burst into tears when a car backfired the other day. She's afraid to take her usual train to her job at a Boston hospital, walking or taking cabs ins...
LEAVING HOSPITAL? HEED CARE TIPS OR YOU MAY RETURN
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Lee knew he was still in bad shape when he left the hospital five days after emergency heart surgery. But he was so eager to escape the constant prodding...
A BIT SLIMMER: CHRISTIE HAS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie, who once famously called himself "the healthiest fat guy you've ever seen," disclosed Tuesday he had secretly undergone weight-loss surger...
OFFICIALS ALARMED BY INCREASING SUPERBUG REPORTS
NEW YORK (AP) -- Health officials are reporting an alarming increase in some dangerous superbugs at U.S. hospitals. These superbugs from a common germ family have become extreme...
COURT: CAN HUMAN GENES BE PATENTED?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- DNA may be the building block of life, but can something taken from it also be the building block of a multimillion-dollar medical monopoly? The Supreme Court...
MORNING-AFTER PILL USE UP TO 1 IN 9 YOUNGER WOMEN
NEW YORK (AP) -- About 1 in 9 younger women have used the morning-after pill after sex, according to the first government report to focus on emergency contraception since its appro...
Study: Better TV might improve kids' behavior
SEATTLE (AP) - A new study has found teaching parents to switch channels from violent shows to educational TV can improve preschoolers' behavior, even without getting them to watch...
Early number sense plays role in later math skills
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - We know a lot about how babies learn to talk, and youngsters learn to read. Now scientists are unraveling the earlies...
