St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 6

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Verdict 6X Aug. 15, 1982 SI Me said he had stolen about half of Ihe $3,400 he said he had with him shortly after the robbery, but not from Pope's. He said he had taken the money from an unlocked automobile in a shopping center in West County. He said he had saved the other half CENTERS IJ ver a period of time from his wages.

His laxe-nome pay trom his job as a pest exterminator was about $100 a week. Byrd had sprayed Pope's XX FROM PAGE ONE I by his attorneys, William Aylward and Michdel Young, both assistant public 'defenders. As he was led from the courtroom by shtritTi deputies. Byrd was asked (or hi reaction to the verdict. Appearing 18 i be neat tears, he called over Ms stftmlder, "Tell my wife I love her." Apparently, there were no relatives of the victims in the courtroom.

Byrd has been held in St. Louis County Jail for a year. Bond had been denied. He was indicted in June 1981. -b Byrd also faces charges in Savannah, of killing a liquor store owner in a robbery.

He was arrested in Savannah, where he had gone to live three days after the Pope's killings. Authorities described the Pope's killings as one of the worst crimes in this area. The four victims apparently were lined up against a wall in the cafeteria office. Police described the Cafeteria two days before the killings. Byrd testified that he could not recall the name of the shopping center from which he had stolen the money from the car.

He said it "was in the Your choice of 6 Creve Coeur area along Olive Street Road west of Interstate 270. i Mark Martroano, an employee in the St. Louis County Police Department's records section, and Dennis Spoerry, a Creye Coeur Police detective, said no such theft was reported at that time. Byrd also testified that on the day of the killings he had reported for work and had pretended to go to his service Instead, he said, he had gone home, because he had a hangover and slept. He said he had faked work and account records to show that he actually had worked.

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Sal an Ham biaicataa' by n4 aett anly. Also on Saturday, David Robinette, Byrd's employer, showed company records that indicated that the accounts Byrd had said he had not serviced actually had been serviced by Byrd. Robinette testified earlier that Byrd had called him frcm his route the morning of the murders and said he had THE ORIGINAL RIVIE wanted to go home because he had had a headache. He said that Byrd had left the office shortly before noon. The killings occurred at Pope's Cafeteria in the West County Shopping Center, Interstate 270 and Manchester CUSTOM MAKE Road.

The four employees had been shot in the back or head. Killed were James E. Wood, 51, of Florissant, the manager; and three cooks, Carolyn -h killings at executions. The victims had 1. 1 -been shot in the head, some of them as many as three times.

One of the victims was shot In both eyes. According to testimony at the trial, Byrd had told a friend in Savannah that preferred to shoot victims in the eyes so that if they lived, they could not Identify him. After the verdict, defense attorney Young said: "I have to abide by it. 1 won't quarrel with the verdict, but 1 'don't agree with it. The next step is to persuade the jury that the gas chamber is not merited by this case." 1 J' Young said he would bring from four rto stt defense witnesses to the stand Monday' when the jury deliberates on Byrd's punishment.

Ankney called the jury's decision the verdict with the evidence. It was a strong case. There was little rebuttal." -He said that he still would ask for death penalty at Monday's hearing, but that he would introduce no witnesses. In his closing statement, Ankney Byrd as a "cold-blooded, calculating killer." "There is no doubt he was the man who pulled the trigger," Ankney said." "He was cool and calm about the way this crime was committed. There can, no doubt he knew what he was Ankney defended the credibility of 1 key Witnesses in his prosecution, saying that the Pope's killings were the type of crime that left no complaining, witnesses or victims.

"The 'witnesses are dead because that's the way Maurice kills," he said. Defense attorney Aylward devoted much of his hourlong statement to attacking the prosecution's witnesses who had testified that Byrd had told them he had committed the killings. Aylward said those witnesses had i much to gain from their accusations, X. 1 Two of them, he said, were, facing criminal charges. t'Y "Did we leave our common sense at 1 home to believe that they would not gain?" he asked the jury.

ipe Mil A rO LIST 4, PRICE sSJ I 4T PLUS Ww '7x3 I VjrgS IV that '0 OFF PLUS Turner, 51. of High Ridge; Edna R. Ince, 68, of St. Louis; and Judy Cazace, 37, of Mehlville. Byrd's weeklong trial was marked by a number of damaging setbacks for the defense and by the arrest of Byrd's second wife, Saundra, on a perjury charge.

Over the protests of the defense, Judge Ruddy ruled that Mrs. Byrd could be ordered to testify. The defense contended that the law prevented a wife OFF THAT WITH THIS COUPON WITH THIS COUPON OVER 100 COLORS TO CHOOSE BRING MEASUREMENTS INSIDE WALL PAINT OUTSIDE HOUSE PAINTS from testifying against her husband. But the prosecution presented evidence FLOOR PAINTS TRIM PAINTS OFF WHITES COLORS showing that Byrd had not divorced his first wjfe before marrying Saundra, thus they were not legally married. Testifying on Wednesday, Mrs.

Byrd denied saying that Byrd had told her he On All Special OrcWi Minimum Freight I Handling will oddad No otW Coupon Valid with mil Sal Solo Good On Wook Only VISA had killed three people in St. Louis so that he could be with her and their child in Savannah, Ga. She repeated her denial 1 after her tape-recorded statement about Byrd's confession was COUNTY-WIST 1225N ARSON H. 997-1600 cavt sfamos ixit 4001 ClOVEKltAf M. 925-1205 "He admits that he is not a perfect fcAUWINMANCHISTll 47T IAVCTTI CNIt 227 3311 5t -if LLiLl LULL ST.

IOWS WIST 6204 l. KING O. 382-5000 DECORATING 1 HAZILWOOO 9 VUlAGt SOUAKf SHOT Ct. (95-4400 played in court. She then was charged with perjury and jailed overnight.

1 On Thursday, Mrs. Byrd recanted her testimony, saying she had lied I loved him and I was so scared." The perjury charge against her was dropped. Byrd and Green face charges in the holdup killing of a liquor store clerk last year in suburban Savannah. If tried and convicted in that case, Byrd could be sentenced to the electric chair in Georgia. man.

He said he stole some money (from an automobile). He is guilty of getting drunk. He is guilty of being a black man. But he did not kill anyone." Earlier Saturday, three witnesses rebutted Byrd's alibi about his whereabouts and activities at the time of the robbery and killings Oct. 23, 1980.

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