| Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project |
| Working to Obtain a Nationwide Moratorium on Executions |
Virginia
| Virginia Assessment Team | Resources on the Administration of the Death Penalty in Virginia |
Professor Roger Groot, Chair of the Virginia Assessment Team, is the Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law. Professor Groot teaches criminal law and procedure. He has taught at Washington and Lee School of Law since 1990. Before teaching at Washington and Lee School of Law, Professor Groot taught at University of Georgia for nineteen years. During that time, he also served as a Visiting Professor to the University of North Carolina, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Virginia. Professor Groot has published extensively and some of his scholarly works include: Happy Days: Restoration of Cherished Ideals in White Collar Cases, 12 J. Civ. Litig. 11 (2000) and When Suicide Became a Felony, 21 J. Legal Hist. 1 (2000). Professor Groot is a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Association and is Co-Chair of the Capital Defense Workshop. He was a member of the Virginia Model Jury Instruction Committee and the former Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Virginia Bar Association. He graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and received his J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina.
William G. Broaddus is a partner at McGuireWoods LLP and specializes in commercial litigation. Mr. Broaddus has been involved in disputes involving commercial credit, public finance, product liability, and land use. He has argued numerous times before the Virginia Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and twice before the United States Supreme Court. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Mr. Broadus served as Attorney General to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Chief Deputy Attorney General, a prosecutor for Henrico County, Virginia, and as a clerk to Judge Harry L. Carrico of the Virginia Supreme Court. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Bar Association and is a member of the Judicial Council of Virginia. Mr. Broadus received his B.A. from Washington and Lee University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Craig Cooley is a Richmond, Virginia defense attorney, who recently served as co-counsel to Lee Boyd Malvo murder trial. Mr. Cooley has twenty-eight years of private practice experience and has participated in over 300 murder trials. He is an Adjunct Professor at the T.C. William School of Law at the University of Richmond and is a member of the Advisory Committee on Rules of Court of the Virginia Supreme Court. In the past, he has served as Chair of the Board of Governors for the Section on Criminal Law of the Virginia State Bar, as President of the Richmond Criminal Bar Association, and was named a Virginia Law Fellow. Mr. Cooley received his B.A., M.A., and J.D. from the University of Richmond.
Jonathan Shapiro is an Alexandria, Virginia defense attorney who served as co-counsel to John Allen Muhammad. Mr. Shapiro is an experienced attorney in capital cases. He has defended several high profile cases securing life imprisonment for several clients. Mr. Shapiro received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from American University.
Judge Paul F. Sheridan is an attorney at The McCammon Group in Richmond, Virginia, where he specializes in personal injury, legal malpractice, product liability, real estate, construction, and contracts. Previously, Judge Sheridan served on the 17th Judicial Circuit Courty for the County of Arlington, Virginia for eighteen years serving as Chief Judge for the last five years. While serving as an Arlington Circuit Court Judge, he also was an adjunct Professor of Law at George Mason Law School teaching trial advocacy. Judge Sheridan was a Partner at Siciliano, Ellis, Sheridan and Dyer of Fairfax, Virginia from 1964-1985 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958-1960. Judge Sheridan was a Fellow to the Virginia Law Foundation in 2004 and served as Chair to the Judicial Inquiry & Review Commission Judge Sheridan received his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
James C. Turk, Jr. is an attorney at Stone, Harrison & Turk and an experienced capital defense attorney. In addition to criminal defense, Mr. Turk practices civil litigation, estate planning, and real estate law. He was an Adjunct Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Radford University, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Student Assistance Authorities, and a Fellow at the National College of Advocacy. Mr. Turk is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Turk received his B.A. from Roanoke College and his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.
James Willett has served as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for the County of Prince William, Virginia since 1987. Mr. Willet recently served as a prosecuting attorney in the John Allen Muhammad case. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at the George Mason University Graduate School for Public Administration. Previously, he was an associate at Bremner, Baber & Janus and served as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Richmond. Mr. Willet also served as a clerk for the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1978. He is a member of the Board of Governors for the Criminal Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and a past President of the Richmond Criminal Bar Association. Mr. Willet received his B.A. from Monmouth University, M.P.A. from the Pennsylvania State University, J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law.
E. Tazwell Ellett has been a partner at Hogan & Hartson, LLP
in Washington, D.C. since 1988. He specializes in transportation issues.
Previously, Mr. Ellet worked as Special Counsel to the Administrator of
the Federal Aviation Administration and was a Special Assistant for the
National Transportation Safety Board. He also served as a clerk to Judge
Stanley S. Harris of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Mr. Ellett
is the immediate past President of the Virginia Bar Assoication and has
published two scholarly articles. Mr. Ellett received a B.A. from Davidson
College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Resources on the Administration of the Death Penalty in Virginia
· Virginia Execution Information Since 1976, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
· A Comprehensive Review of Indigent Defense in Virginia, The Spangenberg Group on Behalf of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, Jan. 2004.
· Steven M. Schneebaum, How Steve Roach of Stanardsville, Virginia, and Kingman Brewster, President of Yale University, Combined to Teach Me About the Meaning of Democracy, 35 U. Tol. L. Rev. 641 (2004).
· G. Jack King, Jr., Virginia Indigent Defense System is Failing, 27-MAR Champ. 30 (2004).
· Broken Justice; The Death Penalty in Virginia, ACLU of Virginia, November 2003.
· Stephen P. Garvey and Paul Marcus, Virginia's Capitol Jurors, 44 Wm. & Mary L. Rev 2063 (2003).
· Progress Report: Virginia's Public Defense System, Virginia Indigent Defense Coalition, March 2003.
· James Hingeley, Gideon Belongs to the Community in Virginia, 27-FEB Champ. 48 (2003).
· Meagan E. Costello, Smashing the Tragic Illusion of Justice: The Reprehensibility of the Death Penalty in Virginia, 41 Cath. Law. 255 (2002).
· Alex B. Long, A Historical Perspective on Judicial Selection Methods in Virginia and West Virginia, 18 J.L. & Pol. 691 (2002).
· Herman J. Hoying, A Positive First Step: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's Review of Virginia's System of Capitol Punishment, 14 Cap. Def . J. 349 (2002).
· Review of Virginia's System of Capitol Punishment, Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission of the Virginia General Assembly (2002).
· Sarah M. Braugh, Inconsistencies in Virginia's Capitol Jurisprudence, 14 Cap. Def. J. 1 (2001).
· Kathryn Roe Eldridge and Matthew L. Engle, Case Note: Code of Virginia, 14 Cap. Def. J. 217 (2001).
· Latanya R. White, The Long and Winding Road: The Quest for Admission of Prison Life Evidence in Virginia Capitol Sentencing Proceedings, 13 Cap. Def. J. 359 (2001).
· Jeremy P. White, Establishing a Capitol Defense Unit in Virginia: A Proposal to Increase the Quality of Representation for Indigent Capital Defendants, 13 Cap. Def. J. 323 (2001).
· Ross E. Eisenberg, Statue Note: 443 H.B. 2580 (VA. 2001), 13 Cap. Def. J. 443 (2001).
· The Virginia-Pilot and The Ledger-Star Series, Jan. 2001
Tim McGlone, Matthew Dolan and Bill Sizemore, A Near-Fatal Injustice,
Jan. 22, 2001
Bill Sizemore, Fixing the Flaws, Jan. 23, 2001
· Melissa A. Ray, "Meaningful Guidence": Reforming Virginia's Model Jury Instructions on Vileness and Future Dangerousness, 13 Cap. Def. J. 85 (2000).
· Paige Mcthenia, The Role of Forgiveness in Capital Murder Cases, 12 Cap. Def. J. 325 (2000).
· Robert H. Robinson, Improving Process in Virginia Capitol Cases, 12 Cap. Def. J. 363 (2000).
· Symposium: A Quarter-Century of Death: A Symposium on Capitol
Punishment in Virginia Since Furman v. Georgia
Introduction
Hammad S. Martin, Part I: Expansion of Section 18.2-31 of the Virginia
Code, 12 Cap. Def. J. 7 (1999).
Heather L. Necklaus, Part II: Predicate Felonies in the Context of
Capital Cases, 12 Cap. Def. J. 37 (1999).
Jason J. Solomon, Part III: Future Dangerousness: Issues and Analysis,
12 Cap. Def. J. 55 (1999).
Douglas R. Banghart, Part IV: Vileness: Issues and Analaysis, 12
Cap. Def. J. 77 (1999).
Kelly E. P. Bennett, Part V: Proportionality Review: The Historical
Application and Deficiencies, 12 Cap. Def. J. 103 (1999).
Alix M. Kari, Part VI: Suggestions for Capitol Reform in Virginia,
12 Cap. Def. J. 123 (1999).
Conclusion
· Laura LaFay, Indigent Defense in Virginia: Poorest in the Nation, 22-MAY Champ. 10 (1998).
· James P. O'Brien, Jr., DND Fingerprinting: The Virginia Approach, 35 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 767 (1994).
· William W. Hood, III, The Meaning of "Life" for
Virginia Jurors and Its Effect on Reliability in Capitol Sentencing,
75 Va. L. Rev. 1605 (1989).
