Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 1

I 1 1 WEATHER 1 Tiirning I I Wyoming WEEKEND 7vA-. kPA- r- Hyper Bowl hyperbole AW II- i SPORTS 1 BYUpays I avisit rjy Cl twt-Wtthunt Founded in 1891 Casper, Wyoming Thursday, January 23, 1992 Wyoming's Statewide Newspaper Hopldiisoii maiiitaiiis innocence to the end State declares death at 12:57 a.m. Governor's statement i i Eunishment and to my personal cliefs in this particular case and have exercised what I viewed as my responsibility as governor." "The courts have spoken, and the state has carried out the sentence. 1 have prayed for the victims of these heinous crimes and their families. I now pray I for Mark Hopkinson and his family." Gov.

Mike Sullivan issued a statement at 1 :05 a.m. Wednesday morning, following the execution of Mark Hopkinson: "We have all suffered through and to this finality. Be assured one can feel only sadness that an execution has occurred. As governor, there is an added sorrow. "I have remained true to my personal beliefs regarding capital By JULIA PRODIS Associated Press writer and ANGELA PELKEY Star-Tribune staff writer RAWLINS Mark Hopkinson, the first person to be executed in Wyoming in 26 years, maintained to the end that he did not order the murder for which he was sentenced to death.

"They have killed an innocent man," he told Warden Duane Shillinger while strapped to a gurney awaiting the lethal injection to which he succumbed at 12:57 a.m. MST Wednesday. "You let the whole damn world and all those news people know that Mark Hopkinson was strong Rick SorensonStar-Tribune Department of Corrections spokesmen Robert Ortega, left, and Chuck Coon address reporters after Mark Hopkin-son's execution. Execution spokesmen and tight to the last," he said. "Help me do this, warden." Once the injection was made, the drugs quickly took effect, stopping Hopkinson in mid- sentence.

"Well warden, I feel it in my system. I'll Hopkinson's last words were; Please see HOPKINSON, A10 Sullivan attempts 'business as usual' Two-and-a-half hours of state 'processing' for death's witnesses c- i.J-i 4, r.y Division of Criminal Investigation, left about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, his press secretary, Dennis Curran, said. He, came in late Wednesday morning, he said. "It's been real slow.

He's trying to get back to business as usual," Curran said early Wednesday afternoon. "It's a subdued day here." He said the governor did not personally receive any last minute pleas for clemency for Hopkinson, although the staff fielded phone calls from citizens during the evening urging him to commute Please see SCENE, A10 By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE Gov. Mike Sullivan was "trying to get back to" business as usual" Wednesday after spending several hours late Tuesday waiting for the execution of convicted murderer Mark Hopkinson, a spokesman said. Prison officials, who had been in contact with the governor throughout the night, declared Hopkinson dead by lethal injection shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Sullivan, who arrived at his office shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday escorted by several agents of the Rick SorensonStar-Tribune About 40 people braved frigid cold on execution vigil 70,000 abortion foes mark Roe anniversary By KATHARINE COLLINS Southwestern Wyoming bureau RAWLINS Seven witnesses briefly viewed the ashen-faced body of Mark Hopkinson at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, 20 minutes after being informed the death row inmate had decided to be put to death by lethal injection in "total privacy." The one-minute viewing of Hopkinson draped by a white sheet up to his chin, and in the process of being inspected by two apparent physicians culminated two-and-a-half hours of tightly-orchestrated "processing" of the two women and five men selected by Hopkinson as witnesses to Wyoming's first execution in 26 years. Witnesses were informed at 12:30 a.m. of Hopkinson's desire to "die in total privacy." At 12:59 a.m.

Ron Ruettgers, maximum security unit manager, returned to lead witnesses to the death chamber a triangle formed by a glass wall on one side, a cement wall perpendicular to the glass, and an apparent temporary grill-like structure forming the third side of the triangle. Witnesses were led to the glass wall, where a curtain on the other side of the wall blocked the view of the death chamber. After a minute or so, the curtain parted, revealing Hopkinson, all color drained from his face, his left arm strapped to the gurney on which he lay, with two intravenous tubes leading from his arm through the grill-like wall. The double tubing conforms to the current lethal injection procedures used in Texas, according to testimony earlier this week at a state court hearing by state Department of Corrections Director Judy Uphoff. Uphoff testified Monday in a state court hearing in Laramie where the Hopkinson defense team demanded detailed information on Wyoming's execution procedures.

Uphoff said at the hearing that Wyoming's execution procedures are closely modeled on those of Texas, and that double tubes have been used in the wake of one execution in which the single tube "blew out." At the prison, witnesses were accompanied throughout the evening by 12 unarmed male and female prison officials. One witness said that "procedural overkill" and "hype" of the event in- i eluding frequent and exhaustive body searches were calculated perhaps to draw attention away from the "business of killing" which the state of Wyoming has now undertaken. But a state Department of Cor-. rections spokesman said the state was merely following "recom- mended national standards" used to secure penal institutions in the 30-plus states that carry out death sentences. Please see WITNESSES, A4 WASHINGTON (AP) Abortion foes massed 70,000 strong Wednesday on the national Mall, marking the 19th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion with a new optimism that the ruling's days may be numbered.

"I just feel it," said Vi Randall of Godfrey, 111., pointing to changes that have swung the high court rightward since its landmark decision in 1973. A day earlier, the court agreed to review a restrictive Pennsylvania abortion law, and activists on both sides of the issue have said the justices may well use that case to undermine the Roe vs. Wade decision. Anti-abortion activists also rallied in dozens of other cities Wednesday, including a crowd of 5,000 in Atlanta who heard Roman Catholic Bishop James Lyke declare that America has been "torn asunder over a law which makes life cheap." Most of the marches were accompanied by smaller groups of President Bush, addressing the Washington crowd over loudspeakers, got cheers when he said: "I want to reaffirm my dedication and commitment to the simple recognition that all life is a precious gift, that each human being has intrinsic dignity and worth." Marchers in Washington and the other' cities said that in addition to changes in the makeup of the Supreme Court they also see changed in public views of abortion. "There's a change in attitudes, especially the attitudes of young said Mary Ellen Fattori of Havertown, an English professor; at Villanova University.

"They have a conscience like they haven't had for 1 5 years. The apathy has gone away." Said Michael Quinn, 69, of Bay Shore, N.Y. "People are impressed that we fight and die to preserve freedom all over the world, and they realize that they should also preserve the lives of babies right here." The sense of a turning point was also evident among abortion-rights proponents staging counter-demonstrations, including several hundred who lined a block of Constitution Avenue to exchange chants and finger-pointing with the marchers. Aundrea Cika of Alexandria, 28 years old and eight months Please see ABORTION, A10 INDEX Casper Area A3 Classified C8-10 Comics C5-6 Community B4 Crossword C5 Hopkinson A4-5 Landers C6 Letters, Opinion A8-9 Markets B3 Movies Obituaries, Diary B2 Omarr Sports CM Wyoming Bl Wyoming Weekend Bush pledges $645 million in help to former Soviets i -a ill W.v Jk fVv-4 Old vf urouun I think I might have tried to take the day off. WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush pledged $645 million in new U.S.

aid Wednesday to the beleaguered people of the former Soviet Union as they struggle to "make the leap" from communism to democracy and free market economies. Bush's unexpected gesture at a 47-nation conference on emergency relief to the Soviet people could inspire others to hike their own contributions even though Secretary of State James Baker had said there would not be a bidding contest. In fact, several of the governments participating in the conference came forward later in the day with offers of new assistance, said U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The prospective donors and the amounts were not disclosed.

At a luncheon, meanwhile, Baker singled out oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Australia and New Zealand for private consultations. The United States "cannot and will not falter at the moment that these new states are struggling to embrace the very ideals that America was founded to foster and preserve," Bush said in opening the conference. His aid proposal, which must be approved by Congress, marked a shift in emphasis since the new aid would not have to be repaid. Bush told the gathering that the United States has pledged more than $5 billion in various forms of assistance, but most has been in the form of agricultural credits that will benefit U.S. farmers.

"Let us join together to give these people a reason to hope," Bush said at the ceremonial opening of the two-day summit. "Let us commit ourselves this morning to work in full partnership as we proceed." The bulk of the new aid would be used to set up a $500 million account for humanitarian assistance. Another $25 million would purchase badly needed pharmaceuti- Pleasesee AID, A10 RESULTS II The Star-Tribune Classified Section is not just tor selling unwanted items! If there is something you would like to buy or trade for, don't wait for someone else to place a 'For Sale' ad in the running your own advertisement in 136-Want to BuyTrade. Right now, you can buy a classified ad there for just $6 for 7 days! Just call 266-0555 or 1-800-442-6916 (in WY toll-free) for more details! AP The Space Shuttle Discovery is reflected in a canal as it lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday. See story, A 10.

First 1992 flight.