Harris County judge Chuck Silverman gave a death sentence to serial killer Lucky Ward for the murders of several transwomen. After getting the verdict, deputies were surprised when Ward, aged 55, did not have any reaction when given the sentence. Before leaving the courtroom, he eyes one of the victim's family members when walked out.
In the court trial: The verdict
The five hours less delay take by the jurors to decide on the death penalty, not life without parole for the brutal and cold slaying of transwomen, Charlie Rodriguez and Reita Long. Besides the two brutalized murders, he also has strangled three women as well.
According to Harris County prosecutors, who cited that Lucky Ward is a menace to society and very dangerous too.
In an interview, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg stressed, "Jurors had the courage to look at all the evidence, give a voice to the victims, and declare that he was the worst of the worst." The DA added how he caused suffering and brutally ended them mercilessly.
The office of DA Ogg pursued capital punishment for Ward's actions on a second time.
Most death sentence inmates will have an automatic appeal in the state of Texas. Defence attorneys on the case hoped that jurors will not go for 'death', based on his mental health and abuse as a minor,
The defence did not comment after the sentencing. On Tuesday, closing statements did not convince the jurors to less than the death penalty.
Arguments of the District Attorney and the Defense Lawyers
An experienced criminal defence lawyer Allen Isbell remarked that losing this case is better, better to plead for life than asking for the death penalty.
The defence brought up the past of Ward who was abused as a child and a father who beat him up. Trauma from his past and fragile mental state led to schizoaffective disorder. He was first jailed at 16 years old.
Lawyer Jimmy Ortiz argued that all who judge should walk a mile in another's shoes and he got a bad deck of cards too, refering to Ward, who was the defendant.
The DA then said whether the accused should be pardoned for his crimes, she added that he made the decision and no one else.
Background of the case
In 2010, police were investigating three strangulations in 610 Loop. Rodriguez a transgender hairdresser, was found dead and without clothes with only a blanket. Long, a homeless teacher was also strangled to death. Carol Flood, also homeless, was killed at the steps of a local YMCA. All of them suffered and died brutally at the hands of their killer.
Lucky Ward was convicted for the deaths of Long and Rodriguez. He emains a suspect in the Flood slaying as well as in the death of transgender Myra Ical in 2010 and Birdell Louis in 1985.
But the defence said that all five murders were not done conclusively by the defendant Ward to be used as a basis for the final verdict by the chosen jury.
In the end, the jury gave the death sentence finding the serial killer guilty for the slaying of a transgender women.
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