The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 3

Thursday September 12 The Knoxville News-Sentinel AS KAST Mwdteir dleffemidlamli guilty retrial By Cynthia Cummins bell who wu found by a neighbor about 10 am the next day He wum the backyard of a vacant house blocks from where the shooting occurred After the trial Wednesday Armitagel wife Jeanne Ray Flelden wu visibly upset The couple were married in May of 1989 after a Judge allowed Armitage to be raleased under police guard for no mora than two hours Armitage wu later freed on bond while his case wu awaiting retrial Before being taken back into state custody Armitage requested to be sent to Brushy Mountain Prison at Petros where he had served part of his former sentence Regardless of what happens to Armitage sister said she and her family will always live with the knowledge that Campbell wu killed and is gone forever "None of this will bring our precious Ray Welsh said something we will always have to live 1 company owner faces up to 25 years prison for the second -degree murder conviction and up to six yean for the conviction of aggravated assault a charge that stemmed from the scuffle between him and his former wife Card Rawlins on the front porch the night Campbell wu shot After dinner the night of Aug 10 1988 Campbell had brought Rawlins home and wu escorting her to the door of her Adair Drive residence when Armitage appeared on the front porch with a gun Rawlins had testified Monday that Armitage carefully aimed at Campbell and Shot him he Jumped over the porch railing and again he lay on the ground According to other testimony the gun discharged while Armitage and Rawlins were struggling with the gun After Campbell disappeared into the darkness Armitage shot at Campbell's tins and then drove home Rawlins did not call police but spent the next several hours looking for Camp expressed relief that Armitage wu convicted a shame that the people of Tennessee had to pay to retry this convicted murder but a relief to know that the criminal Justice system still said Marta Campbell Welsh DATE OF "Mike Armitage Ex-Wife had very weakcase After the first defense WAS SLAIN of insanity foiled ha obviously tried to (Convince the Jury it wu Prosecutor Bob Jolley said he wu glad the Jurors who had been out since 120 pun Tuesday decided to convict Armitage felt after the Jury convicted the first time on second-degree murder that it wu a second-degree murder he said hoped the Jury would convict on that verdict Sentencing for Armitage 49 is set for Oct 25 at 10 pin The former auto re- John Michael Armltege did not Hindi when a gree Wedi The case levied after a state peals court sent the case back to Knox County Criminal Court for retrial citing a lack of proof supporting the first ver-diet Armitage wu retried in the 1986 shooting death of Knoxville lawyer Ray Campbell Jr As the fc50 ajn verdict was read eyes filled with tears and even his former wife who testified sgainst him sat sobbing for several minutes "There's no doubt that this was a tragedy for said public defender Mark Stephens after the trial a tragedy for the Campbell family and for the Armitage family as sister who called her brother the finest man she ever knew John Michael Armltege Waiting hr court to convene KnoBriefs' Man 21 dies after being found shot in car along Interstate 40 A 21-year-old man was shot and killed inside a car on Interstate 40 Wednesday night Knoxville police said Officer Steve Tinder said an officer was answering a can of a stranded motorist between the 1-640 and Alcoa Highway exits When he arrived at the site about 11:20 pan he found the victim lying on the back seat A man police identified as the driver of the car was at the site Tinder said Police were interviewing the driver about the shooting The victim whose identity was not released was in cardiac arrest Tinder said He appeared to have an entrance wound to his side from a small-caliber weapon Tinder said The victim wu taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center where he wu pronounced dead arrivaL $225000 awarded in malpractice suit A federal Jury on Wednesday awarded 22-mmth-old Brandi Hill 8150JM0 and her mother 85000 for malpractice stemming from the child's Nov 9 1989 birth at Jellico Community HospitaL A nurse intending to inject Brandi with vitamin accidentally gave her a drug that her mother Michelle Hffl said MimH brain damage in her daughter IYndkaqyojnted by the verdict" said attorney JJX Lee said he thought the juty would award a much greater amount against the hospital Testimony began Monday in the triaL JL SuMnU aUt Construction craws on Wednesday put asphalt on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 between Cherry Street and Rutledge Pike exits The project Is being finished ahead of schedule 2 more suits filed in fence collapse Two more lawsuits have been filed in connection with the collapu of a fence at a Farragut High School football game last September Amelia Roberts and her father Terry Roberts are asking $90000 for injuries sustained in the Sept 7 1990 incident In a separate lawsuit Amelia Robots by next friend and individually by mother Vicki Roberts are asking I235JXNL Defendants in the Knox County Circuit Court lawsuits are Design and Construction Servicu Inc Richard Bender doing busineu Bender Associates Knox County and Knox County Board of Education On Aug 28 Jennifer A Morrow and John Morrow brought a suit against the defendants for injuries sustained by Jennifer in the fence collapse lanes to open for game Shuttle service set for IfT games K-Trans will provide'round-trip shuttle service from the University of Tennessee Agriculture Campus and the Civic Coliseum parking garage for all UT home football I games After some post-construction cleanup the new stretch of interstate wfll be opened leaving 12 miles of interstate to be widened between Broadway and 1-275 A public hearing to present design proposals on that project could be scheduled by late spring or early summer 1992 said Gwen Hop-Idns state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Designs under consideration include wid ening that stretch of interstate to eight lanes and modifying pnsent interchanges to indude lanes for acceleration and deceleration gin etching grooves into the cement surfaces of the newly constructed viaducts to provide skid resistance when it rains "It channels die water off the deck and prevents hydroplaning of the Hill said "Every bridge dedr hu to have H01 said tiiat during grooving only me lane each way will be open to traffic on weekdays Two lanes will be open on all weekends Lights and sign need to Closed 1-40 By adpLjdray Interstate 40 between Rutledge Pike and Broadway win have two lanes open in each direction on Saturday when the University of Tennessee Volunteers meet the UCLA Bruins at Neyland Stadium "We have any lane closures" said Robert Hill vice president of Renfro Construction which won the bid to widen 1-40 to eight lanes Hill said the reconstruction project could be completed by the end of September or the first week of October Construction crews are expected to finish paving both sides of the interstate by Sept 20 he said Next week workers are scheduled to be- Shuttle service for physically disabled (including passengers in wheelchairt on crutches or with braces) also wifi be available from the agriculture campus Buses will start two hours before kickoff and immediately after the game until aU passengers are returned to their cars The cost to park is $2 per car at the Coliseum and $3 at the agriculture campus The round-trip bus cost (including The LIFT for disabled passengers) is $2 per person Children 4 and under ride free For further information call 637-3000 "The number of lanes hasn't been determined Hopkins said adding that an environmental impact study win bis completed before any design is approved for be erected including an exit-only sign for westbound interstate traffic en route to Broadway The project will be completed six months yiijdule Ministers endorse Ashe Robertson hammers on hiring By Pot Parity Ashe spoke of increased minority hiring in the city government a $14 million Five Points improvement project and renovations set for tee Eastside YMCA and Morningside and Harriet Tubman parks as positive steps taken for East Knoxville during his first term Mayoral candidate Robertson continued to take issue with city polices that permit exemptions to tivil service hiring rules In a Tuesday ness release he condemned tee hiring of undercover agent Richard Allen May brother of Knox was out of town and unavailable for comment Candidate Scott Evans said Robertson should not make May a campaign issue "Agent May is not a part of Mayor administration He is a hard working agent for the KPD" Evans said Late Wednesday Robertson questioned whether Ashe really wanted to work with anybody citing conflicts between Ashe and County Executive Dwight Kessel and other county officials Ashei imwigw theme is Keep Working Robertson said running dispute with Kessel has helped no one "I think time to declare a cease-fire and get about the business of consolidating the city and county governments improving educational opportunities for our children and improving the services and infrastructure government should provide to its Robertson said Race In mayoral election action Wednesday a group of blade ministers endorsed Mayor Victor Ashe as Claude Robertson continued to criticize exemptions to civil-service hiring rules and Scott Evans hammered Robertson for making an undercover narcotics agent a campaign issue The Rev WC Parker of Peace and Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church on Woodbine Avenue accompanied by about a dozen bUck ministers announced the support for the re-election of Ashe "We the ministers of Knoxville especially the East Knoxville area are Just coming to endorse Mayor Victor Ashe for Ms second candidacy because we feel we owe Mm an appreciation for what he has done in the last 3)4 years and whst we expect he win do in the next four coming Parker said Parker said the ministers who are supporting Ashe indude the Rev Harold MkkUebroak the Rev Alfred Williams Bishop Jenkins Bed the Rev HE James the Rev GE Brantley the Rev Velma Smite the Rev Clarence Hall the Rev Reid the Rev WJ Daniel the Rev ArzoDa Cooker and the Rev JJWiDiama i ti tant Joe May Police Chief PM1 Keith previously explained that Richard ADen May was hired before Ashe came into office May foils under a special exemption which allows dvu service rules to be circumvented in the case of undercover agents Keith said Keith and the Police Benevolent Association defended May's continued usefulness as an agent citing his record of successful busts in narcotics and organized crime Robertson said the city charter did not allow for a "contract po-fice force" and he said May had not been an undercover operative since August 1989 Chief Keith George Korda Ashe's campaign spokesman said the record of working with people is supported by numerous endorsements from government and community leaders Ashe worked with county government to lower the local amusement tax on the unification committee on Cedar Bluff Road A coalition of black ministers endorsed Mayor Victor Ashe on Wednesday Front row left to right the Rev GE Brantley of Betheny Mission Baptist Church the Rev WC Parker of Peace and Goodwin Missionary Baptist Church Ashe and the Rev Veh a Smith of Martin Chapel United Methodist Church In the background are left the Rev Rekf of Wilder Missionary Baptist Church and the Rev Clarence Had president of Knoxville Baptist Ministers Association and in many other ways Korda Dwight Kessel he said he could completely the opposite He will said work better with the mayor than say anything if ho thinks it helps "When Robertson ran against Kessel couldt Now Essaying Korda said.