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Updated: 9:55 AM Nov 5, 2002
Carr Brothers’ Sentencing
A jury must decide whether two brothers should be sentenced to death or life in prison.
Posted: 9:55 AM Nov 5, 2002 |
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A jury must decide whether two brothers should be sentenced to death or life in prison for five killings, including a quadruple murder of friends who were forced to engage in sex acts with each other before each was shot in the head.
Reginald Carr, 24, and Jonathan Carr, 22, did not show any visible reaction when they were convicted Monday of the five murders after a nearly two-month trial.
As he had been throughout much of the trial, Reginald Carr was in shackles because he allegedly threatened deputies.
Prosecutors argued that the defendants were motivated by greed and lust and plan to seek the death penalty. Defense attorneys declined comment, saying the trial was not yet over.
The penalty phase is set to begin Tuesday.
Each brother was charged with the same 47 counts, with Reginald Carr facing an additional three counts for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors said in the Dec. 14-15 spree, the men entered a Wichita home and forced two women and three men inside to engage in sexual acts with each other and to withdraw money from ATMs. The women were repeatedly raped before the five friends were taken to a soccer field, forced to kneel in the snow and shot in the back of the head.
The Carrs were convicted of capital murder in the deaths of Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. Befort's girlfriend, then a 25-year-old teacher, survived the shooting and ran bleeding and naked through the snow to seek help. She identified the Carr brothers as the assailants.
The brothers were also convicted of first-degree murder for the Dec. 11, 2000, shooting of Wichita symphony cellist Ann Walenta.
Lawyers for each of the brothers sought to blame the other for the crimes. Jonathan Carr's attorney said his client was innocent and that Reginald was the leader in the quadruple murder. Reginald's attorney contended that most DNA evidence pointed to Jonathan.
More than 850 pieces of evidence were introduced and 97 witnesses testified. Only five of the witnesses were for the defense and all five testified on behalf of Reginald Carr, not Jonathan.
After the verdict, the victims' relatives hugged each other, as well as prosecutors and an investigator who worked on the case.
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