Andrei.Hicks
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Australian Politics
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Carlsbad, CA
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What would he get in Australia? 10 years? Out in 8?
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MEMPHIS, TN - Memphis, TN (WMC-TV) - A jury gave the death penalty to a Memphis man who murdered the mother of his three children, and then dismembered her body. He will die by lethal injection.
It took less than two hours for the jury to convict James Hawkins on Friday, it took them just over two hours to decide on the death penalty.
Saturday, jurors heard testimony from Hawkins mother, Della Thomas, who told the jury she did not want her only son to die.
Hours before jurors would decide his fate, James Hawkins gave up his right to testify on his own behalf. He did ask the judge if he could say one thing.
"I do want to apologize to the Gaither family for what I did do," Hawkins said.
The family of murder victim Charlene Gaither hugged each other outside of court.
"Nobody won in this situation," Gaither's sister Cynthia Guy said.
"I'm relieved this is all over," Gaither's father, Louis Irvin Jr. said.
Hawkins mother quickly left the courthouse. Another family member placed her purse in front of TV cameras.
"Privacy, if your son was put to death would you want to be seen right now?" the family member asked.
Perhaps, the people in the toughest position, are Gaither and Hawkins three children.
They already lost their mom, at the hand of their dad. Now they know they will lose their father too.
Their daughter testified that her father forced her to help him cut up her mother's dead body. They then scattered the body parts in DeSoto County. She was 12 at the time.
"She has her days like everyone but with church and all these loved ones she'll be doing fine," Guy said.
Gaither's father said with God's help his grandchildren will be just fine.
"My mother was gone when I was two," Irvin said. "I'm not a murderer. I don't steal. I work every day. They can survive that's all I go to say."
"Ya'll keep us in your prayers, thank ya'll," Guy said to reporters before leaving.
The jury had to see some disturbing images during this trial, images that will stick with them for their whole lives.
Jurors do not receive any counseling after cases like this one.
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