Yohn, Beverly: 2004

Beverly Yohn was stabbed more than a dozen times by her boyfriend, Andre Staton. Ms Yohn had sought and been granted a protection-from-abuse order, and was staying at her mother’s home at the time of her death. Staton, who was already on parole from a previous stabbing someone, went to the house and brutally killed Ms Yohn while two of her three small children looked on.

Staton, originally from Baltimore, stated he was high at the time. Incredibly, he claimed the murder was in self-defense. District Attorney Richard Consiglio argued for the Commonwealth, and Staton was convicted of first-degree murder in May 2006. He was sentenced to death, and Judge Elizabeth Doyle upheld the sentence in June of 2007. Staton is African-American, and can now be seen featured on a certain website’s so-called “Book of the Dead.” This website calls most prosecutors (including, one assumes, Mr. Consiglio), “pretty despicable persons,” and the public defenders are “slipshod.” One judge is called a “butcher,” and many prison guards are “not of sound mind.” Contact information for those who wish to help the prisoners is also provided. Anyone who seriously buys into these sort of things must be a pretty despicable person not of sound mind.