The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the last appeal by Elmer Leon Carroll to stay his execution, which is scheduled at Starke state prison in Florida at 6 p.m. this evening (May 29).
On Thursday, Herman Lindsey and Seth Penalver – the 23rd and 24th men exonerated from Florida’s Death Row – will deliver a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, signed by over 40 U.S. citizens exonerated from state death rows across the country. The letter calls on Scott to veto the Timely Justice Act, which will “lead to the execution of innocent men and women… By placing death row prisoners on a fast track to execution, without further investigation, we will never know how many credible innocence claims exist among them,” according to the signatories.
Lindsey and Penalver will also deliver a petition started by Juan Melendez, who spent almost 18 years on Florida’s Death Row before being exonerated. Melendez’s petition is signed by 6,000 people asking Gov. Scott to veto the Timely Justice Act. “This bill would increase your risk of executing an innocent person” writes Melendez. “I cannot stand by and allow this legislation to pass and you are the only person who can stop it.”
Gov. Rick Scott Signs 6th Death Warrant: Elmer Carroll Murdered 10-Year-Old Girl in 1990
April 18–Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday signed his sixth death warrant since becoming governor in January 2011, and the second this year. Larry Eugene Mann was executed just eight days ago, on April 10.
Scott’s latest death warrant is for Elmer Carroll, 56, who was convicted of raping and murdering 10-year-old Christine McGowen on Oct. 30, 1990, in McGowen own bed at her Apopka home.
Carroll, inmate No. 835908 at the Florida Department of Correction, was a twice-convicted child molester when he was living at a halfway house next door to McGowen’s house. At trial, a resident of the halfway house testified that Carroll had told him that McGowen was “cute, sweet and liked to watch him make boats.” The girl was seen talking to Carroll the day before the murder.
Robert Rank, McGowen’s stepfather, discovered her bloodied and dead in her bed at 6 a.m. that October day, when he went to wake her up. She had been strangled. The front door of the house was slightly ajar, and Rank’s pickup truck, bearing an ATC construction logo, was missing. A witness later identified Carroll walking away from the pickup truck east of Orlando on Highway 50, at 6:50, as the witness was leaving for work. “She did not think too much about it until she later heard over the radio that the police were looking for a white pickup truck bearing the ATC logo,” according to court papers. “After checking to see that the truck she had seen had the ATC logo described in the radio bulletin, she called the police.”
He was arrested that morning. A DNA profile from semen, saliva and pubic hair recovered from the victim matched Carroll’s DNA. Blood was also found on Carroll’s sweatshirt and on his penis.
Carroll at trial raised the insanity defense. But the State and the defense presented conflicting psychiatric testimony on the matter of competence. The jury found Carroll guilty of rape and murder, and returned a recommendation of death by a vote of 12-0. A judge sentenced him to death on April 16, 1992, 21 years and two days ago.
Carroll will be executed on Tuesday, May 6, at 6 p.m., at the state prison at Starke, 75 miles northwest of Palm Coast. Absent a stay of execution, he will be the second individual executed this year, and the 76th executed in Florida since the re-institution of the death penalty in 1976. Since then, 24 people on Florida’s death row have been exonerated. Carroll is one of 405 people on death row currently, all but five of them men.
Carroll will die by lethal injection.
Citizens looking to express their opinion about the death penalty may contact the governor directly. Rick Scott’s phone number is 850/488-7146. His email address is Rick.Scott@eog.myflorida.com.
r&r says
Finally!! He’s been living for over 23 years on the tax payers money. The sentence should be carried out within 6 to 12 month after conviction..
PJ says
Cound not have signed it soon enough…………….
Draco says
He should have to suffer the same fate as the little girl. Sodomize him with a broom stick and then cut off his penis. Pour honey on him and throw his ass on a fire ant hill !!!!
Gia says
That creep should had been hang longtime ago. Why wait solong?
Outsider says
Good riddance. Let the scumbag fry.
Tressie DuPont Paytas says
Thank God for DNA test. Think God he was not able to hurt any other little child, makes me sick.
Outsider says
This guy is sick, and has wasted too much oxygen for too long. Fry his ass.
Nancy N. says
The blood lust in these comments is sickening. We should be better than this scumbag, not let his crimes drive us to the same homicidal tendencies he was driven by.
R&R – it takes more than 6-12 months to get a court date for an appeal. Two dozen people have been exonerated from death row in the so-called “modern” era of the death penalty (although it should be more accurately termed medieval throwback). So you’re saying you are fine with two dozen innocent people being executed so you can satisfy your bloodlust quicker? You may have no problem with being a serial murderer, but I do.
NortonSmitty says
And who do we thank for the fact he had been convicted twice for the same perverted crime and was awaiting release as a free man to do it again? Who signed off on his “Rehabilitation” to turn him loose for a third try? How did he pass muster for release when he couldn’t even control himself long enough to make it through the few months in the halfway house?
Before we all start screaming for Tallahassee to stiffen the penalties, remember this was twenty years ago. Since then all Laws, especially dealing with child predators, have been drastically tightened. This sick bastard would probably still be in prison today for the first offense and gotten life for the second if it happened today and we wouldn’t have to be discussing the death penalty because he finally murdered a victim. That poor girls death is the fault of the system back then that released him.
I usually do not support the death penalty and think it is handed out much too freely in certain States. But it’s cases like this that make it tough to argue for abolishing it altogether. I’m sure not going to try to talk anybody into letting this bastard waste air that could be better used by somebody else.
Outsider says
Call it what you like, Nancy, but there is no punishment too harsh for this animal. I am in favor of the death penalty when it is absolutely irrefutable that the person committed the crime. Obviously, this is the case here. Yes, there were instances in the past where a conviction was based on eyewitness testimony only, or the color of the suspect’s skin, and for that reason I believe there must be incontrovertible evidence to a person’s guilt for a death penalty to be levied. As the father of two daughters, I will sleep better knowing this slime ball will never be able to repeat this act on my, or anyone else’s children. Too bad, as Norton said, they didn’t get it right the first time.
Alfred E. Newman says
It’s always so ugly and sickening to hear a crowd clamoring for blood.
Your voice is a breath of fresh air.
Thank you.
guilty says
NANCY- did you read this article? They shouldnt have even wasted time w/ a trial for this waste of life! The overwhelming DNA evidence says it all… Im sorry, you wanted to give some big shot lawyer a chance to get him off so he could possibly be freed to go try it again. I understand if theres reasons to think they may not be guilty not to execute but in this case, everyday after October 30, 1990 was one to many days and none of which he deserved!! NONE!! Call it blood lust if you have to, quit being so nice to the damn criminals and perhaps they may start changing their minds about committing these unthinkable crimes!
Sherry Epley says
Thank you again, Nancy! Your point is well taken by any “civilized” person. The hate filled comments here reflect a local society that is becoming more and more fearful, negative and violent, How extremely worrying and sad that these are some of our neighbors. What does this trend hold for the future of our nation and of our planet? Seems like we are de-evolving back to the savagery of the cave. . . scarey!
RG says
To Nancy and Sherry there is still time to may be save others from your perception of injustice. May be some of these lost souls may come live and sleep in in your homes. You can pray with them and help them improve their misdirected poor souls. As God fearing loving folks that im sure you folks are no pun intended. Prove to the rest of us that they are redeemable open your homes and hearts. And if by some remote chance that they rape and kill while they are with you im sure they should be forgiven and given another chance.
Outsider says
Sherry, you CAN’T be serious. You lament the possibility of us devolving back to the savagery of the cave while ignoring the fact that some, like the subject of this article are so far beyond savagery any sane person would recognize it as pure evil. Now excuse me while I go vomit.