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A prisoner accused of killing a fellow inmate in Moberly more than 29 years ago wants a judge to allow him to wear street clothes during his December murder trial.
Murder charges were reinstated earlier this year against 51-year-old Reginald Griffin. The original charge handled in 1987 by then-Randolph County Prosecutor Paul Oesterreicher and the Missouri Attorney General's office alleged that Griffin and fellow prisoners Arbary Jackson and Doyle Franks stabbed inmate James Bausley to death in July 1983 at the Missouri Training Center for Men, which is now known as Moberly Correctional Center. While Griffin's murder conviction was overturned in 2011 by the Missouri Supreme Court, Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman is proceeding with the same original charge, which is Capital Murder.
The case has been venued to Adair County, and Judge Russell Steele has scheduled a five-day jury trial for December 10-14 in Kirksville. Judge Steele has also ordered Griffin jailed without bond. Griffin's attorney filed documents last week, requesting that Griffin be allowed to wear his own clothes at all court appearances, including his murder trial. Griffin also does not want to wear any restraints during his court appearances. The court is reviewing those requests.
In the 2011 ruling, the Supreme Court said corrections officers confiscated a weapon near the scene shortly after the murder, and that the state suppressed evidence that could have shown Griffin's innocence. The majority found no physical evidence connecting Griffin to the knife found at the murder scene. In a dissenting opinion, Judge Mary Rhodes Russell wrote that Griffin failed to demonstrate that the state suppressed evidence in violation of due process. The majority opinion was authored by Chief Justice Richard Teitelman. That ruling ordered Griffin's release, unless the state decided to retry him. While Griffin's conviction has been lifted, he's jailed without bond in Huntsville.
As for the other two suspects, Doyle Franks was convicted of second degree murder and is incarcerated in Licking. Arbary Jackson has since been paroled to St. Louis.
Murder charges were reinstated earlier this year against 51-year-old Reginald Griffin. The original charge handled in 1987 by then-Randolph County Prosecutor Paul Oesterreicher and the Missouri Attorney General's office alleged that Griffin and fellow prisoners Arbary Jackson and Doyle Franks stabbed inmate James Bausley to death in July 1983 at the Missouri Training Center for Men, which is now known as Moberly Correctional Center. While Griffin's murder conviction was overturned in 2011 by the Missouri Supreme Court, Randolph County Prosecutor Mike Fusselman is proceeding with the same original charge, which is Capital Murder.
The case has been venued to Adair County, and Judge Russell Steele has scheduled a five-day jury trial for December 10-14 in Kirksville. Judge Steele has also ordered Griffin jailed without bond. Griffin's attorney filed documents last week, requesting that Griffin be allowed to wear his own clothes at all court appearances, including his murder trial. Griffin also does not want to wear any restraints during his court appearances. The court is reviewing those requests.
In the 2011 ruling, the Supreme Court said corrections officers confiscated a weapon near the scene shortly after the murder, and that the state suppressed evidence that could have shown Griffin's innocence. The majority found no physical evidence connecting Griffin to the knife found at the murder scene. In a dissenting opinion, Judge Mary Rhodes Russell wrote that Griffin failed to demonstrate that the state suppressed evidence in violation of due process. The majority opinion was authored by Chief Justice Richard Teitelman. That ruling ordered Griffin's release, unless the state decided to retry him. While Griffin's conviction has been lifted, he's jailed without bond in Huntsville.
As for the other two suspects, Doyle Franks was convicted of second degree murder and is incarcerated in Licking. Arbary Jackson has since been paroled to St. Louis.
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