William Morva laughs as he hears his sentence.
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A jury recommended the death penalty yesterday for William Morva, who was found guilty of killing two in Montgomery County in August 2006.
The Washington County jury deliberated for three hours before agreeing that 26-year-old Morva should be executed rather than be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Yesterday's decision took slightly less than the three-and-a-half hour deliberation at the same courthouse on Tuesday that found him guilty of capital murder.
Morva was found responsible for killing an unarmed hospital security guard, Derrick McFarland, as well as sheriff's Cpl. Eric Sutphin of the Montgomery County Sheriff's office, following his escape from Montgomery Regional Hospital. Morva was also convicted of an additional count of capital murder for killing two people within three years.
In addition to the three counts of capital murder, Morva faced two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, one count of assault and battery of a police officer, and one count of escape with force, according to the Commonwealth Attorney's Web site.
Members of the victims' families and Morva's mother wept after the reading of the verdict, while Morva snapped his fingers and slightly smiled at the decision of his fate.
According to the AP, Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch called for the death penalty in his closing statement, saying Morva's crimes presented a danger to society and depravity of mind, the two legal conditions for the most severe punishment. Defense attorney Tony Anderson argued that the killing spree was spawned by Morva's fear of returning to jail, and that life in prison would be a more severe punishment than death.
Witnesses who went to high school with Morva described him as caring and gentle, but a psychiatrist who examined him after his arrest said he exhibited nearly all of the traits of schizotypal personality disorder, making him an intense, inflexible person unable to see the perspective of others.
On Aug. 20, 2006, after complaining of a sprained ankle, Morva was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital from Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on charges of robbery.
After using a restroom at the hospital, he overpowered the deputy guarding him with a toilet paper dispenser, shot and killed McFarland and fled from the hospital. His escape prompted a 36-hour manhunt by police in the area.
On Aug. 21, he killed Sutphin, who was on bicycle patrol while participating in the search for Morva on the Huckleberry trail.
During the hunt for Morva, Virginia Tech canceled the first day of classes and closed the campus.
Morva's trial was moved to Washington County after an unsuccessful jury selection in Montgomery County. The defense was concerned that Morva could not receive a fair trial because of the case's high profile in the area.
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wow, we finally got the penalty for manson.
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Actually, Morva killed two more people than Manson. So, I suppose you could say he was worse than Manson.
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Justice has been served
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Hey Hokie...everybody has right to their own opinion. Calm down there....obviously you're very much bothered about this. Maybe you should become a judge and decide on these sentences yourself for the future.
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He was a friend of mine when I lived in SW VA, and a really good dude. Serves those pigs right for holding him for close to a year with no bail for a crime he didnt even originally commit. Good riddance to the pigs you dusted, Billy Boy. You will be remembered with honor my friend.
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You gotta be kidding me proph. Saying it was OK to kill those cops? I do not believe that Sutphin and McFarland gave him his sentence for the robbery...wasn't their fault.
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Proph is a punk and an idiot. A crime he didn't commit? He was so stupid, he took a gun to rob a store that was closed at the time, making it a felony. Your "good dude" was just a paranoid whackjob who couldn't tell reality from fantasy. He won't be missed.
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Proph is an idiot...Morva could have used to be a 'good dude', but he eventually lost it. During these crimes and now, he is mentally unstable. You're wrong proph.
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Proph seems quite unstable also...hopefully someone is keeping a close eye on him as well. I knew WM as a patron of the restaurant where I worked in BBurg. I agree he always seemed very nice and polite..but some people aren't what they seem. I'm glad he'll pay for his crime - he deserves it, in my opinion. Also, it is sad that some people who commit crimes see themselves as victims (as proph sees WM) This is sick.
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Hokie: I've put words to your action and have witnessed the death sentence carried out at Greensville Correctional Center. It wasn't tortuous at all. Why don't you get in contact with them (ask for the Operations Officer) and go see it for yourself?
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morva is a freak... is it just me or do scraggly beards make people look even more crazy... why bother with a tie..
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I think Morva was trying to show defiance to authority with the scraggly look. He will not be allowed that in the Virginia Dept. of Corrections system. They require just above a crew cut and clean shaven for all inmates incarcerated.
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Will shouldn't be anyone's hero. He is dangerous and deranged. When I first met him, I saw him as the cheerful and off-beat bohemian character with unconventional ideas of government and culture. When his anarchist ways meant that my roommates and I were responsible for his food, water & shelter (we all had jobs in order to pay our way thru Tech) he wasn't as much fun as he used to be. He was taking full advantage of us, and when we finally stood up to him, he responded with rage, saying that kicking him out was the same as attempted murder. He made threats against all of us. He broke into a locked female roommate's room in the middle of the night and was caught menacingly standing over her as she slept. Do I believe he should die for his crimes? I don't know, but I do know that Sutphin and McFarland didn't deserve to die trying to keep society safe from people like Will.
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I went to High school w/ the loser. Yeah, he was a loser then , and he is a loser now. Keeping him alive would be a huge waste of taxpayer money. You really want to hear the most ironic part of the whole thing is....? He used to protest the death penalty at Amnesty International, anti Death Penalty rallies. Now the boy is waiting to be fried. Good riddance, I say, another maggott down the drain. From someone who knows this douchebag pretty well.
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I am amazed at the comments that the police deserve to die. I would have assumed there would be educated people commenting here but... To all of you who say the police deserve to be shot or so what he killed a cop- next time you are in trouble make sure to call someone like Morva and let us know how that turns out. VTWehrwolf I encourage you to walk into any police department and let them know what a "good guy and true soldier" Morva is and please be sure to add "so what he killed a cop" He did not just "kill a cop" he killed a husband, a father, a son, a brother , and a friend
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