Brandon Eugene Lacy - Black, age 28

Sentenced in Benton County, Arkansas

By: a jury

Date of crime: August 30, 2007

Prosecution’s case/defense response: Lacy, along with Broderick Lloyd Laswell, broke into the home of Randy Walker (age 47) to steal guns. They beat him and stabbed him with a fire poker. Defense argued he was guilty of murder, but not capital murder. Defense argued that despite Lacy’s “despicable act” he was “nonetheless a human being.”

Sources: AP Alert 10/09/07 - AR 12:44:47, 12/04/07 - AR 14:31:33, 09/01/08 - AR 20:57:35, 05/09/09 - AR 19:38:56

Jason McGehee - White, age 21 (resentencing after appellate review)

Sentenced in Baxter County, Arkansas

By: a judge upon jury recommendation

Date of crime: 1996

Prosecution’s case/defense response: McGehee, Chris Epps, and Benjamin McFarland, tortured and strangled to death John Thomas Melbourne Jr. (age 15). The police believe that the men killed Melbourne because they believed he had told the police about their check theft and forgery scheme. The case was held in Baxter County, and not Boone County, because of a change in venue. The original sentence was thrown out when a U.S. District Court Judge said that more evidence of McGehee’s childhood should have been allowed at the sentencing phase.

Sources: AP Alert 1/8/08 - AR 14:19:00, 12/17/09 - AR 10:38:53; Baxter Bulletin (Mountain Home, AR) 1/9/08 (2008 WLNR 27335196), 1/10/08 (2008 WLNR 27335211).