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Post by sclcookie on Jun 6, 2006 1:43:01 GMT -5
Brizzi: Case 'screams' for death penalty
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Sunday he will seek the death penalty against Desmond Turner in Indianapolis' worst mass slaying.
"This case screams for the ultimate punishment," Brizzi said, hours before a service at the Near-Eastside house where seven family members, including three children, were gunned down Thursday. "It sickens you to the core." Although Turner, 28, and James A. Stewart, 30, both of Indianapolis, are being held by police on identical multiple murder and robbery charges, Brizzi said "all indicators" point to Turner as the mastermind of the shootings.
Brizzi said prosecutors will ask a Superior Court judge for a 72-hour extension of the time the state can hold the suspects before formal charges are filed. If approved, the extension would give police and prosecutors time to review and gather more evidence.
"With this case, the community needs for us to make a decision quickly," Brizzi said.
Turner and Stewart declined requests for interviews Sunday.
Stewart was arrested May 16 on a charge of driving while intoxicated and was released on his own recognizance, over objections by the prosecutor's office. He was released because of jail crowding, Brizzi said.
As a result, Brizzi said Sunday, he had spoken with Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter and will contact other area sheriff's departments to determine whether Marion County inmates could be held in those jails when Marion County's is full.
(source: Indianapolis Star)
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