To be able to do this
- I must visibly mark all details and facts that affect my opinion of "John Doe"
- I must write my thinking in the margins
I will show this by handing in an annotated article with comments in the margins that show my opinion
Read through the document below and answer the question in the reading and at the end of the reading.
The 7-Eleven Robbery-Murder of Albert Owens
On
February 28, 1979, a man (John Doe1) murdered Albert Lewis Owens
during a robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Whittier, California. Here
are the details of that crime from the the Los Angeles County District
Attorney's response to the man’s petition2 for executive clemency3.
Late on the evening of February
27, 1979, a man ( introduced his friend Alfred Coward, a.k.a.
"Blackie," to a man named Darryl. A short time later, Darryl, driving
a brown station wagon, drove John Doe to the residence of James Garrett. Coward
followed in his 1969 Cadillac. (Trial Transcript (TT) 2095-2097). John Doe
often stayed at the Garrett residence and kept some of his belongings there,
including his shotgun. (TT 1673, 1908).
At the Garrett residence, Doe
went inside and returned carrying a twelve-gauge shotgun. (TT 2097-2098).
Darryl and Doe, with Coward following in his car, later drove to another
residence, where they obtained a PCP4-laced cigarette, which the
three men shared.
Doe, Coward and Darryl then went
to the residence of Tony Sims. (TT 2109). These four men then discussed where
they could go in Pomona to make some money. (TT 2111). The four men then went
to yet another residence where they smoked more PCP. (TT 2113-2116).
While at this location, Doe left
the other men and returned with a .22 caliber handgun, which he also put in the
station wagon. (TT 2117-2118). Doe then told Coward, Darryl and Sims they
should go to Pomona. In response, Coward and Sims entered the Cadillac, Doe and
Darryl entered the station wagon, and both cars traveled on the freeway toward
Pomona. (TT 2118-2119).
The four men exited the freeway
near Whittier Boulevard. (TT 2186). They drove to a Stop-N-Go market and, at
Doe’s direction, Darryl and Sims entered the store to commit a robbery. At the
time, Darryl was armed with the .22 caliber handgun. (TT 2117-2218; Tony Sims'
Parole Hearing Dated July 17, 1997).
Opinion: What is your opinion of John Doe so far?
Johnny Garcia Escapes Death
The clerk at the Stop-N-Go
market, Johnny Garcia, had just finished mopping the floor when he observed a
station wagon and four black men at the door to the market. (TT 2046-2048). Two
of the men entered the market. (TT 2048). One of the men went down an aisle
while the other approached Garcia.
The man that approached Garcia
asked for a cigarette. Garcia gave the man a cigarette and lit it for him.
After approximately three to four minutes, both men left the market without
carrying out the planned robbery. (TT 2049-2050).
He Would Show Them How
Doe became upset that Darryl and
Sims did not commit the robbery. Doe told the men that they would find another
place to rob. Doe said that at the next location all of them would go inside
and he would show them how to commit a robbery.
Coward and Sims then followed
Doe and Darryl to the 7-Eleven market located at 10437 Whittier Boulevard. (TT
2186). The store clerk, twenty-six year old Albert Lewis Owens, was sweeping
the store parking lot. (TT 2146).
1.
Joh Doe: A general name given to a person whose name
is not identified.
2.
Petition:
A formal request made for something desired. The request is often made to someone of
higher authority.
3.
Clemency: The act of showing forgiveness, mercy, or
leniency.
4.
PCP: A drug that causes
over-aggressive, schizophrenic behavior.
Albert Owens Killed
When Darryl and Sims entered the
7-Eleven, Owens put the broom and dust pan down and followed them into the
store. Doe and Coward followed Owens into the store. (TT 2146-2152). As Darryl
and Sims walked to the counter area to take money from the register, Doe walked
behind Owens and told him "shut up and keep walking." (TT 2154).
While pointing a shotgun at Owens' back, Doe directed him to a back storage
room. (TT 2154).
Once inside the storage room,
Doe, at gunpoint, ordered Owens to "lay down, mother f*****." Doe
then chambered a round into the shotgun. Doe then fired the round into the
security monitor. Doe then chambered a second round and fired the round into
Owens' back as he lay face down on the floor of the storage room. Doe then
fired again into Owens' back. (TT 2162).
Near Contact Wound
Both of the shotgun wounds were
fatal. (TT 2086). The pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Owens testified
that the end of the barrel was "very close" to Owens' body when he
was shot. One of the two wounds was described as ". . . a near contact
wound." (TT 2078).
After Doe murdered Owens, he,
Darryl, Coward and Sims fled in the two cars and returned home to Los Angeles.
The robbery netted them approximately $120.00. (TT 2280).
'Killing All White People'
Once back in Los Angeles, Doe
asked if anyone wanted to get something to eat. When Sims asked Doe why he shot
Owens, Doe said he "didn't want to leave any witnesses." Doe also
said he killed Owens "because he was white and he was killing all white
people." (TT 2189, 2193).
Later that same day, Doe bragged to his brother Wayne about
killing Owens. Doe said, "you should have heard the way he sounded when I
shot him." Doe then made gurgling or growling noises and laughed
hysterically about Owens' death. (TT 2195-2197).
After annotating the text, answer the complete the following sentences
1. One important annotation I made was . . .
2. This line affected my opinion about John Doe because . . .
Exit Ticket
Can John Doe do anything to change your opinion of him? Why or why not?
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