Post by admin4laney on Jul 26, 2005 8:13:12 GMT -5
Samantha Runnion's Killer Sentenced
By Jeremiah Marquez
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than three years after 5-year-old Samantha Runnion was kidnapped and murdered, her mother said she feels guilty for "bringing that sweet baby into this world only to be tortured and terrified."
Erin Runnion addressed her daughter's killer in court Friday before a judge sentenced him to death.
Alejandro Avila was convicted of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the 2002 slaying. A jury recommended the death penalty in May.
"For the temporary gratification of his lust, the defendant destroyed an entire family's future," Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg said Friday. "He has forfeited his right to live."
Avila, a 30-year-old former factory worker, snatched the kicking and screaming girl as she played outside her Stanton home. Her nude body was found the next day about 50 miles away, left on the ground as if it had been posed. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated.
"The guilt I have to live with for bringing that sweet baby into this world only to be tortured and terrified — I am so sorry, and you should be so sorry you took her away," Runnion, crying, told Avila in court.
Avila, sitting motionless and looking away, did not appear to be moved.
More than 4,000 people attended Samantha's funeral and then-Gov. Gray Davis ordered an increase in the number of electronic billboards that flash information about a suspected abduction soon after it's reported.
Outside court, Avila's lawyer said she would not be surprised to see the issue of defense competence raised on appeal. "I can't help but think he would have gotten life if I had presented a better case," Assistant Public Defender Denise Gragg said.
www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/07052/2301_runion_killer_sentenced.html
Please visit: www.thejoyfulchild.org/
By Jeremiah Marquez
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than three years after 5-year-old Samantha Runnion was kidnapped and murdered, her mother said she feels guilty for "bringing that sweet baby into this world only to be tortured and terrified."
Erin Runnion addressed her daughter's killer in court Friday before a judge sentenced him to death.
Alejandro Avila was convicted of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the 2002 slaying. A jury recommended the death penalty in May.
"For the temporary gratification of his lust, the defendant destroyed an entire family's future," Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg said Friday. "He has forfeited his right to live."
Avila, a 30-year-old former factory worker, snatched the kicking and screaming girl as she played outside her Stanton home. Her nude body was found the next day about 50 miles away, left on the ground as if it had been posed. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated.
"The guilt I have to live with for bringing that sweet baby into this world only to be tortured and terrified — I am so sorry, and you should be so sorry you took her away," Runnion, crying, told Avila in court.
Avila, sitting motionless and looking away, did not appear to be moved.
More than 4,000 people attended Samantha's funeral and then-Gov. Gray Davis ordered an increase in the number of electronic billboards that flash information about a suspected abduction soon after it's reported.
Outside court, Avila's lawyer said she would not be surprised to see the issue of defense competence raised on appeal. "I can't help but think he would have gotten life if I had presented a better case," Assistant Public Defender Denise Gragg said.
www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/07052/2301_runion_killer_sentenced.html
Please visit: www.thejoyfulchild.org/