McGowan’s alleged killer on trial in August
The first of two men facing capital murder charges in the November 2007 shooting death of a St. Clair Avenue resident will stand trial August 25 in Charlottesville Circuit Court. And, for the first time in a decade, a Charlottesville jury will decide whether to recommend the ultimate penalty for the defendant: death.
Both the first defendant, 22-year-old William Douglas Gentry (left), and his cousin, 19-year-old Michael Stuart Pritchett (right), whose trial date has not yet been set, are charged with a slew of felonies in addition to capital murder, including felonious entry, felonious use of a firearm, and robbery. Their alleged crimes took place on the night of November 8, 2007 at 807 St. Clair Avenue, a small, white cottage set approximately 200 feet back from the road. The rental property was home to 26-year-old Jayne Warren McGowan, a beloved UVA grad who’d moved from D.C. back to Charlottesville three months before her death to take a job with the non-profit AIDS/HIV Services Group
It’s been 18 months since the last capital trial in Charlottesville. In that case, a jury found Dale Anthony Crawford guilty of capital murder in the death of his wife, Sarah Louise Crawford, whom he killed in Northern Virginia before transporting to a Charlottesville motel. Despite the gruesome nature of Crawford’s crime, the jury did not have to deliberate on the death penalty which had been taken off the table in accordance with the wishes of Sarah Crawford’s family.
Charlottesville Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Claude Worrell declines comment on the case, but unless plea deals are struck, Gentry and Pritchett will likely face the possibility of the death penalty. Attorneys for Gentry, Lloyd Snook and Richard Davis, did not return the Hook’s calls, and Pritchett’s attorney, Rhonda Quagliana, co-counsel with Steve Rosenfield, declined comment.
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i hope this piece of scum gets sent to jail for the rest of his miserable life,
Just take a plea deal and spare us of having to sit through a trial….may you both rot in jail for the rest of your lives
They don’t deserve our tax dollars and 3 squares a day.
As I recall, Gentry’s got a couple of illegitimate kids with a former accomplice in crime, and his father was a part time crook too. I hope someone gets to those kids and raises them right (I hate to keep beating the same drum, but this is the face of the dreaded underclass we’re looking at right here). They once walked among us.
I sure hope Dave Chapman is personally doing these cases? Please say it’s so!
If so, I expect it will be over quickly
From a fiscally conservative point of view, I’d rather see these guys spend the rest of their lives in prison after a plea agreement. If they go to trial and wind up getting the death penalty, we’ll end up spending more money on the appeals process than if they just rotted in prison, which is what they deserve.
We need to end the death penalty in the U.S. It’s does not deter criminals, it’s expensive, its meted out arbitrarily and puts our justice system in a class with third-world countries.
This is going out to the readers who have made comments about Mr. Gentry’s father. His father never killed anyone so stop comparing the two. His dad has made some bad choices in his life but he has been given a chance to turn his life around. In this case it is not like father like son. His father is as shocked as everyone else. He does not know what was going through their minds.
The “powers that be” in Charlottesville will not allow the stage to be set for death sentences in ANY of these upcoming murder cases. Just watch and see. No murderer has to fear the posibility of a death sentence in this city. Deals will be made in this and other cases. The juries will cooperate with a liberal viewpoint. Charlottesville thugs will never be executed as it now stands. Thats just the way it is.
Lack of proper parenting is the issue I am driving at. I recall that Pritchett’s mother died young, and parents apparently were not in the picture. What business is it of ours is that while these are vicious adults now, proper nurturing during their childhoods is suspect. This gets to problems we are currently having with other groups right here in Charlottesville and everywhere else in this country at this time. Parents need to take responsibility for raising their kids, and society has a right to hold them to it. I hope Gentry’s two kids have a better upbringing.
My prayers go out to the families who are crushed by this tragedy, especially to everyone whose lives the lovely young lady, Jayne McGowan, touched.
The system has set up a jury situation that will accomplish a goal. These guys will not be executed. Heads have been put together already. It has all been thought through and worked out to avoid any possibility for a death sentence. Like it or not, Snook and company have a lot of power in this community. The possibility for execution has only been suggested for appearances sake. These guys will live out their lives in prison. The Charlottesville legal system will make it happen. The higher ups don’t believe in the death penalty. They work together to guarantee it won’t happen. Killers are now always protected from death in good ole Cville. Bringing up the possibility of execution is a joke in this town.
A crazy legal system protects bad parents for too long. Many of these kids would be better served if adopted out of the family before they are ruined. Too many excuses and allowances for bad parenting!
They won’t allow a pro death penalty individual to slip in on this jury. Why doesn’t Chapman just decide himself whether or not these thugs deserve to die? I think we know the answer. He doesn’t want to make the decision. My guess he disagrees with the death penalty. If he were to pursue execution, he would lose his job here. The DEMS in Charlottesville’s legal system are as tight as ticks. They’re all working together to shield any murderer from death.
Shock ‘em, hang ‘em, gas ‘em, or lock ‘em away for life. All options will take these demons off the street BUT there are more where they came from and they will not be deterred by potential punishment any more than these monsters were. That is why 40% of Virginia households choose to keep a legal firearm for the legitimate purpose of self defense. Police aren’t guarding the door and punishment does not discourage evil. Guns aren’t the best choice for everybody, but self defense is the ONLY defense when evil strikes.
As an aside, in reference to another recent incident, when police send a midnight military style invasion against the home of an innocent homeowner, 40% of the time they will have to shoot that innocent man because he picks up his gun, thinking Gentry and Pritchett are coming through the door. It’s a shame that Mr Dawson was permanently disabled this way. Because evil like Gentry and Pritchett lurk, our police leadership should formulate strategies based on the truth that many innocent homeowners are prepared to defend themselves and their families, as they should.
As for these two, I’ll trust the selected representatives of the people to permanently remove them from decent society in the manner they best see fit. Nothing will bring Jayne back and I don’t care in what manner this evil is gone, as long as they are gone for good.
Yes, they’ll be “gone for good”. They will escape death themselves and by the careful design of the system. The bad thing, they will be fed, clothed and watch all the TV they wish to watch, while in prison and at taxpayer expense. They should at least be assigned to a life of hard labor. Maybe that would make them blink. We all know they will not be made to work while incarcerated. Something is wrong there.
maybe they’re born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline
Family Guy, You say you trust selected representatives to make the decision. The jury will certainly be “selected” to fit one view. My guess, they will be carefully hand-picked to represent one mindset. I don’t believe the city will allow for any real push for execution, within this jury body. The legal staff does not want to deal with the death penalty. The funny thing here, they’re not fooling anyone. It is easy to see what is going on. It is unacceptable too.
The people elected them. There they are. If you don’t like the way the job is done, be sure to participate in their next job review.
Nothing will bring back Jayne. Threat of capital punishment didn’t save her from evil. I don’t care what happens to the monsters as long as they’re gone. Food and beds vs years of mandatory appeals both cost big bucks and have the same results to me.
If Jayne had been able to shoot down both of the rabid threats where they stood, it would have provided more deterrence and cost less and saved her life. Yet, here we are.
quote: “As an aside, in reference to another recent incident, when police send a midnight military style invasion against the home of an innocent homeowner, 40% of the time they will have to shoot that innocent man because he picks up his gun, thinking Gentry and Pritchett are coming through the door.”
Welcome to America 2008. Police shootings are always justified. Even if not at first, the officers are provided a free defense by the taxpayers until the cops are finally cleared of all wrongdoing. A civilian will often have to spend $50,000 to $150,000 out of his own pocket to clear themselves in a self-defense shooting if the case is presented to a grand jury.
We realize the city legal system is one-sided. All I’m saying is, all this talk about possible death sentences is a silly joke. So why do the powers that be even suggest death could happen? We all know it will not happen. The local system discourages ownership of guns. Most young women in Cville would never think of owning a gun.
Fact: It costs more taxpayer money to execute someone than to imprison them for life. So, executing these two idiots doesn’t save anyone any money.
I don’t know why this country insists on killing people to prove that killing people is wrong. That’s like spanking your child to prove that hitting is wrong. Monkey see, monkey do.
Sentencing these guys to life in prison is no ride in the park. I used to work for one of state prisons, so I know a few things about how the system really works vs. what the public perception is. Before you think they’re getting off easy, try living in a maximum security facility (where they’re bound to go given the nature of the crime) for a week. Trust me, it ain’t no walk in the park.
Realist, You don’t need to preach. We know all of the facts related to the $$$$. C’ville is trying to trick the public. Why not just admit it? There is no way the death penalty will be entertained. Just be forthright and honest. We’re all laughing at the court system here. It is truly a JOKE.
i wish yall would quit yacking bout these kids yeah they made a mistake and they r gonna pay for it but dont everybody make mistakes
Thankfully, I don’t think murdering innocent people in their homes is the type of mistake that everyone makes.