Ellington

Throughout his trial, James Ford Seale appeared in court wearing slacks and a dress shirt. This morning, as he walked in shackles into a U.S. District courtroom in Jackson, he wore an orange Madison County-issued jumpsuit. Neither his siblings nor his children were present. He smiled at his wife, as guards escorted him to his seat next to public defenders Kathy Nester and George Lucas.

The courtroom looked familiar; almost all of those seated had attended Seale's trial in June. Many of them were family members of slain Charles Moore and Henry Dee, including Thomas Moore, Charles Moore's brother.

"James Ford Seale, you ran for a long time," Thomas Moore told the court. "You were reported dead until that hot day in July 2005 when David Ridgen and I observed you helping to get the groceries from the car. For 43 years you traveled the country as you wished, but on that day your time ran out, and from that moment, where you went would not be your choice."

Seale was convicted on June 14, 2007, on two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy in the abduction and murder of Charles Moore and Henry Dee. Judge Henry Wingate called it a ghastly crime.

"…Only a monster could inflict (this crime) upon these poor youths," Wingate said to a crowded courtroom.

Following statements from family members of the victims, during which Seale did not look away from the wall in front of him, Judge Wingate sentenced Seale to three life terms, one for each count. Seale declined to comment to the court on his behalf, but Nester said that he maintains his innocence and plans to appeal the ruling.

Nester made a request that the court recommend that Seale spend his term in a medical facility, a request to which Judge Wingate agreed. Seale suffers from cancer of the kidney, among other medical problems.

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Wan J. Kim said that today was a "great day for Mississippi and a great day for the country," adding that there are over 100 cold cases under review, and that the Department of Justice was in favor of legislation to fund cold case units.

Henry Dee's sister, Thelma Collins, and Moore said in separate addresses to the court that they did not hate Seale, but that they were glad that justice had finally been done.

Although it has taken 43 years for Seale to be tried and sentenced, Judge Henry Wingate said that "Justice is ageless." He emphasized that he considered several factors in making his decision, but that retribution was not one of them.

"I hope you spend the rest of your natural life in prison thinking of what you did to Charles Moore and Henry Dee and how you ran for a long time, but you finally got caught," Moore said.

Previous Comments

ID

131763

Comment

Well done, Maggie. Wish I were there for today's sentencing. It sounds like Wingate gave an inspired speech explaining his decision. Then again, he gave inspired speeches explaining boxed lunch options to jurors. Oh, and I should be referring to His Honor as Judge Wingate. The security guards gave me hell one day for asking if "Wingate" was presiding. "Wingate? I don't know any Win-Gates," they told me. They grew to love me, though, eventually dubbing me "Clark Kent," much to Donna's amusement.

Author

msaldana

Date

2007-08-24T20:25:29-06:00

ID

131764

Comment

What's not to love, Kent? ;-) We all miss you something fierce, Matt. Thanks for staying with us online.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-25T10:46:46-06:00

ID

131765

Comment

What a waste of air. Put him to death.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2007-08-25T11:20:49-06:00

ID

131766

Comment

What a waste of air. Put him to death. And what would that solve?

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-08-25T12:56:25-06:00

ID

131767

Comment

Let him live death is too good for him. At least we know he is suffering out his last days. I am sure those 2 young men would have loved to live long enough to get old even if sick and deseased. And people wonder why we are bitter.

Author

jada

Date

2007-08-25T13:03:21-06:00

ID

131768

Comment

Let him stew in prison. The death penalty would just give him a chance to be a martyr, something we don't want to give racists.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-08-26T13:34:21-06:00

ID

131769

Comment

"And what would that solve?" It would show those that commit MURDER that we as a society will not tolerate their behavior. Commit murder----Pay the ultimate price.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2007-08-26T15:30:38-06:00

ID

131770

Comment

So, we kill people in order to make the point that killing is wrong? How hypocritical (and un-Christian) is that?

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-08-26T18:47:18-06:00

ID

131771

Comment

If someoe doesn't want to be put to death, they shouldn't commit a capital offense. That's the law. So gold, you get to decide who's Christian and who isn't. How nice.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2007-08-26T18:54:42-06:00

ID

131772

Comment

Moreover, if a criminal decides to attempt grave bodily harm to the many concealed carry prmit holders in this state, we'll speed the process up a little. It's their choice.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2007-08-26T18:56:25-06:00

ID

131773

Comment

Who is and who isn't Christian is not for me to decide. I will say this: Jesus would not endorse capital punishment.

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-08-26T22:08:23-06:00

ID

131774

Comment

As a point of clarification: Seale was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy, not murder. The maximum penalty for each of these convictions is life in prison, not the death penalty. However, even though the death penalty was ruled a "cruel and unusual" punishment for kidnapping in 1972 (eight years after Dee and Moore's deaths), it still stands as a capital offense. Thus, there was no statute of limitations to prevent Seale's indictment 43 years after the crime. (This was the subject of a lengthy pretrial motion hearing debate). In selecting the maximum penalty for each of Seale's convictions, Wingate also considered an extra determination from the jurors: Dee and Moore were "not returned unharmed." That is, Seale's kidnapping led, eventually, to their deaths.

Author

msaldana

Date

2007-08-26T23:15:21-06:00

ID

131775

Comment

Cliff, you know you have nothing but respect from me, but there's just no question that Jesus would oppose capital punishment. First, there's that whole turn the other cheek thang. Second, there's the whole fact that Jesus was a victim of wrongful execution! (This second point reminds me of a bit from Bill Hicks, who joked that Jesus would be very upset when he came back and saw so many people wearing crosses. "Hey," he imagined Jesus saying, "that's not a pleasant memory for me, OK?" He said in modern terms it would be like if Jesus got the electric chair and everyone wore little golden chairs around their necks.) As for the abortion question, the capital punishment question is sorta on thread, but what Jesus might think about abortion will definitely take us off into the wilderness, don't you think?

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-27T07:02:38-06:00

ID

131776

Comment

ABC News is reporting that Alberto Gonzalez has resigned. Will hold 10:30 a.m. press conference. Good Ridance!!!

Author

blu_n_a_redstate

Date

2007-08-27T07:04:21-06:00

ID

131777

Comment

Here is the link: http://www.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Politics/story?id=3421219&page=1 ABC News is reporting that Alberto Gonzalez has resigned. Will hold 10:30 a.m. press conference.

Author

blu_n_a_redstate

Date

2007-08-27T07:06:22-06:00

ID

131778

Comment

BTW, now that Matt is gone, our new assistant editor, Maggie Burks, is taking his place covering ("stringing") local and regional stories with national interests. Here's her first Reuters byline. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-27T10:05:45-06:00

ID

131779

Comment

Golden Eagle and Brian: Jesus most definately would believe in capital punishment. Hard to imagine a Hell if you do not think He would. Its hard to have read the Bible and believe that capital punishment is not a part of it. A recurring theme of the Bible is that if you do the crime, you will pay a price.

Author

Goldenae

Date

2007-08-27T11:36:24-06:00

ID

131780

Comment

Um. The Old Testament sure, and then you've always got that bloodbath in Revelation. But Jesus? His whole point was that you it is not our place to seek vengeance on those who wrong us. The fact that so many Christians miss that most fundamental point of Christ's ministry must really depress the hell out of the man upstairs.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-27T19:32:23-06:00

ID

131781

Comment

Brian: Lets not make this a Biblical discussion, but Jesus advocated that Christians abide by the laws of the land. Breaking laws carries with it punishment.

Author

Goldenae

Date

2007-08-28T22:12:27-06:00

ID

131782

Comment

Lets not make this a Biblical discussion, but Jesus advocated that Christians abide by the laws of the land. Breaking laws carries with it punishment. You can't use "laws of the land" as a reason here. If so, we'd still be living under Jim Crow.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-29T07:33:18-06:00

ID

131783

Comment

Ladd, it is Biblical that Christians should abide with the law of the land. Even though that is not the biblical justification for the Death Penalty, it is a factor. War is also a necessary evil in the Bible. There is no way to have war without people killing people. In Jesus' day, they executed criminals. He hung on the cross beside them. When in that situation, He did not use his abilities to free them or even argue that they should be. He forgave them for their sins, but they still faced an earthly punishment. It is just my personal belief that the death penalty is Biblical when justly administered. I will do a little personal research on that.

Author

Goldenae

Date

2007-08-29T13:07:15-06:00

ID

131784

Comment

Romans 13:1-7 was the passage I was referring to. I usually read the New International Version, because it clears up some of the old terminology.

Author

Goldenae

Date

2007-08-29T13:17:26-06:00