Global InformationWilliam Morva information
William Morva | |
|---|---|
 Morva's booking photo | |
| Born | William Charles Morva February 9, 1982 Midlothian, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2017 (aged 35) Greensville Correctional Center, Jarratt, Virginia, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Known for | Controversial execution, last person to be executed by the state of Virginia |
| Motive | Delusions[1][2] |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder (3 counts),[a] attempting to commit murder with a firearm |
| Criminal penalty | Death (June 23, 2008) |
| Details | |
| Date | August 20–21, 2006 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Virginia |
| Killed | Eric Sutphin, 40 Derrick McFarland, 32 |
William Charles Morva (February 9, 1982 – July 6, 2017) was an American-Hungarian man convicted of the 2006 shooting deaths of Sheriff's Deputy Corporal Eric Sutphin, 40, and hospital security guard Derrick McFarland, 32, in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. He was sentenced to death for the crime and was executed on July 6, 2017. Morva was the last inmate to be executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia before capital punishment in the state was abolished on March 24, 2021.[3][4]
The shooting deaths occurred near the university campus of Virginia Tech while he awaited trial for attempted armed robbery. A jury sentenced him to death on June 23, 2008, but some doctors stated that he had a serious mental illness,[5] a delusional disorder that caused him to kill.[6][2] Judge Ray Grubbs initially set the execution date for October 21, 2008. On June 4, 2009, an appeal for William Morva was made to the Virginia Supreme Court. However, the capital murder conviction and death sentence were confirmed on September 18, 2009.[7]
The United States Supreme Court declined to review the case in February 2017.[8] Subsequently, Judge Robert Turk set the execution date for July 6, 2017.[9] On June 20, 2017, Morva's lawyers, on his behalf, filed a request for clemency with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. They requested that Governor McAuliffe, in light of evidence concerning Morva's true mental state, commute his sentence from death to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[10][11] They also urged the Governor to ensure that Morva receive treatment with anti-psychotic drugs. Since Morva's lawyers filed his clemency petition, several local and international groups and 28 Virginia lawmakers called on Governor McAuliffe to halt the execution of Morva.[12] The daughter of sheriff's deputy Sutphin, one of the two men slain by Morva, expressed her support for his clemency petition and asked the Governor to spare his life.[13]
Despite the efforts of Morva's lawyers, and many supporters locally and internationally, Governor McAuliffe, declined to grant Morva's clemency.[14][15] Morva was being held at the Greensville Correctional Center, in Jarratt, Virginia.[16] Morva's lawyers released a statement on the Governor's decision. They stated that, although Morva lost his battle for clemency, "they hope by improving access to proper evaluation and treatment for persons living with severe mental illness, we can avoid future tragedies."[17] Morva was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and pronounced dead at 9:15 p.m. on July 6, 2017. He had no last words.[18] Morva was reportedly nervous and shaking in his final moments.[19]
The drug cocktail used for the execution was "a controversial lethal injection formula that may have subjected the last prisoner to be executed by the state to an excruciating death equivalent to drowning."[20] The last prisoner to be executed in Virginia using this drug cocktail was Ricky Gray, who was executed in January 2017.[21] Morva is also the last prisoner to be put to death in Virginia.
- ^ Hausman, Sandy (June 5, 2017). "State to Execute Morva Despite Serious Mental Illness". WVTF Public Radio. NPR/BBC/Music. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Board, Editorial; Board, Editorial (June 29, 2017). "Virginia's Governor still has time to save a mentally ill man from execution". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ Schneider, Gregory S. (March 24, 2021). "Virginia abolishes the death penalty, becoming the first Southern state to ban its use". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Kelley, Alexandra (March 24, 2021). "Virginia officially first Southern state to abolish the death penalty". The Hill. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Among U.S. Adults". Nimh.nih.gov. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Hausman, Sandy (June 5, 2017). "State to Execute Morva Despite Serious Mental Illness". WVTF Public Radio. NPR/BBC/Music. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Morva v. Commonwealth". FindLaw for Legal Professionals. FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ Sturgeon, Jeff (February 21, 2017). "U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of William Morva, who killed 2 in Blacksburg". The Roanoke Times. Newspaper. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Gangloff, Mike (May 9, 2017). "Morva execution set for July 6". The Roanoke Times. Regional Newspaper. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Durkin Richer, Alanna. "Attorneys: Morva needs mental health treatment, not execution". Richmond Times Dispatcher. No. June 20, 2017. Associated Press. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Hausman, Sandy (June 5, 2017). "State to Execute Morva Despite Serious Mental Illness". WVTF Public Radio. IQ Radio/NPR/BBC. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Pressure grows for Governor to stop execution of William Morva". WTVR.com. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Daughter of slain sheriff's deputy asks Va. governor to stop execution of her father's killer". Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Earley, Pete (July 7, 2017). "Virginia Gov. Okays Tonight's Execution of Prisoner With Severe Mental Illness Despite Pleas: But Claims To Be Mental Health Advocate". Pete Earley. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Balko, Radley; Balko, Radley (July 7, 2017). "William Morva killed two men. His execution shows no death penalty case is easy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Dashiell, Joe. "Governor McAuliffe says he will not stop William Morva execution". Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Spivey, Stacey (July 6, 2017). "Governor McAullife denies clemency for convicted killer". virginiafirst.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "The Latest: Virginia executes inmate for killing 2 in 2006". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ "Virginia executes convicted murderer William Morva". UPI. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed (July 5, 2017). "Virginia set to execute man using 'potentially torturous' drug cocktail". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Azadeh Ansari and Tony Marco. "Virginia executes convicted family killer Ricky Gray". CNN. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
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