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Show TheSaltLake Tribune UTAH/NATION A20 Friday, November23, 2001 Lafferty’s Legal Fight for Life Not Over Yet of God claimed he was the most powerful being on Earth, and endowedwith theability to de- July 24, 1984, Ronald and Dan / Lafferty slasfied the throats of * Brenda Lafferty, 24, and her tect the presence of righteous and evil spirits. Lafferty claimed an evil homosexual Supreme Court refused his appeal, but killerstill has optionsfor challenging death sentence spirit called “Moroni” was try- BY STEPHEN HUNT ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Despite losing his appeal last week before the U Supreme Court, convicted killer Ronald Lafferty’s date with a firing squad could be years a The high) court's decision marked the end of Lafferty’s direct appeal of his conviction and death sentencefor the 1984 killings ofhis sister-in-law and babyniece in Utah County. Aquarium’s Photogenic Otter Dies BYDAVID L. BECK KNIGHTRIDDERNE SAN JOSE,Calif. RVICE —She may be only a number now they call her 199 but someday soon, a little sea otter from Santa Cruzwill face the public and her new tank mates at Monterey Bay Aquarium. She'll fill the place ‘in the popular exhibit left by the death this week of the aquarium’s most photographedfat 15-year-old sea otter But defense attorney Michael Esplin said Lafferty maynowfile writs of habeas corpusin both stateand federal courts. “His court remedies are far from over,” Esplin said this week. Assistant Utah Attorney General Kris Leonard agreed: “Tt could be a long time before heis executed.” Leonard said. she will request a new execution date from the trial court, after which the defense will seek a stay and the newround ofap- said he will ask to be excused from the case to facilitate that peals will begin. Lafferty, now 60, wastried and convicted in 1985 but won a new trial when the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found claim. Lafferty could also once again claim mental competency as an appeal issue. During his 1996 trial before 4th District Judge Steven he was not mentally competent. Hansen, Lafferty acted out in He was tried and convicted a second timein 1996. In the next appeal, Lafferty will be able to claim forthefirst the courtroom and verbally abused the judge, prompting an emergency competency hear- timethat Esplin, his trial attorney, was ineffective. Esplin ingto invade his body. But Lafferty said he was assisted by small buzzing “helperspirits.” Hansen heard eight mental health professionals testify aboutLafferty before ruling the defendant was well enough to ing that forced a two-weekhiatusin thetrial. standtrial. Trial testimony indicated that Lafferty, in what he claimed wasa revelation from God, was ordered to “remove” the wife of his brother, Allen The self-described prophet Lafferty, and two others. On 15-month-old daughter, Erica, at the victims’ American Fork home. The brothers were unable to find the other intended victim. Ron Lafferty — whochose a firing squad instead of lethal injection after his 1996 convictions — has claimed he was framed. In testimony at Ron Lafferty’s trial, Dan Lafferty took responsibility for both killings. Dan Lafferty was also tried on capital murder charges but is serving a life prison term because his jury could not unanimously agree ona death sentence. ~ Score Big With 3500 Minutes, A Free Motorola Phone, And A Trip To Super Bow! XXXVL, name ‘oscoe, The otter called 199 was found on the beach at Corcoran Lagoon near the foot of 17th Street, in Santa Cruz,Calif., on April 17. An estimated 2 days old, she weighed less than three pounds. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center brought her to Monterey, Calif. Policy has been to name the otters at the aquarium on Cannery Row for Steinbeck char- acters. But the planfor naming 199 is still being worked out. “That's. something we haven't had to face in a long time,” said aquarium spokesman Ken Peterson. “Part of feeding andtrainingis, youcall them out by name.” The Name Game: Thepublic maybe askedtohelp choose froma list the staff comes up with. “TIt's) got to happen. pretty quickly,” sea’ otter aquarist Laura Kovalek said, because training for 199 will probably / Motorola ROeae 3200Night &Weekend Minutes Nationwide Long DistanceIncluded Bonus $29.99 Pace -$29.99 Main Rebate Tea i Reaesaan ty BsCER Issaea LOAN ieSERINUN FREE?tin begin in December. She will be introduced to HaileyandGoldie, theotherotters in the exhibit, in a backstage environment that allows them to see and smell but not touch one another. When she first goes into the exhibit, she'll probably go alone, according to Kovalek, to let her get used to the windowed tank. If all goes as planned, the public will get its first look at her early next year, “T haven't seen herin a few _ months,” Kovaleksaid. “I hear she’s a cutie Meanwhile, museum officials say Goldie and Hailey probably don’t realize that Roscoe is gone for good. Peterson used a particularly human metaphorto explain the two females’lack of reaction to their companion’s death Wednesday. Hesaid it’s as though “he wentoff on a businesstrip — as opposedto, he wentoff on a business trip and his plane crashed,” Roscoe, 15, was euthanized Check out our selection OE aS Hurry in to a Verizon Wireless Communications Store and enter for a chance to win 1 of 3 Deluxe Super Bowl Prize Packages. Enter between11/14 — 11/25/01. Includes: $ tickets to Super Bowl XXXVI $99.99 Price = $30.00 fata, i in New Orleans % + 2 roundtrip airline tickets + After $69,99* worn + 4 nights luxury accommodations “With annual agreement, Only available at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, while supplies last. Expires 11/25/01. at the aquarium Wednesday when veterinarians performing surgery were unable to lo- cate the cause of his internal bleeding andstopit. inconclusive Exam:A postmortem exam was inconclusive, Petersonsaid, andtest results, expected in “a few weeks,”, may not show anything. The necropsy found “nothing obvious.” Goldie and Hailey are 17 years old going on 18, and according to Julie Hymer, who the program for returning ottersto the wild, have had more medical problems than Roscoe did. “We thought they'd be thefirst to go.” Roscoe was the dominant oneofthe trio. Jeffries expects Hailey and Goldie to “sort things out among themselves. ‘They adapt pretty darn quickwith ly,”she ilfe.” said. “They get on Even when age atlast claims Goldie or Hailey, the exhibit will remain a unisex one. Atone time,the exhibit contained four otters, Milk Dud died in 1993, Roscoe no offspring with his colleagues in the exhibit, though not for lack oftrying, Homernoted. 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