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Show The Selina Sun Thursday December 25, Second Degree Murder Plea Entered 1980 The Salma Sun SECD 478080 East Main Street 9 Salina Utah 84654 Telephone The Salina Sun (SECD 478080) is published each Thursday for $8.00 per year in Utah and $10.00 per year out of Utah, by The Salina Sun, 60 East Main Street, Salina, Utah 84654. Second class postage paid at Salina, Utah 84654. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Salina Sun, P. O. Box C, Salina, Utah 84654. Single Copy: 25c Mark G. Fuellenbach, Publisher Hal C. Edwards, Editor Judy Zumwalt, Associate Editor 6Q Editorial 529-783- . . . Prayer at Christmas Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift, and good desire with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessings that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thought; forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus sake. Amen. Robert Louis Stevenson A Christmas Prayer Just as Dead The week-lon- g Sevier County murder trial which ended in Saturday plea bargaining has raised questions among normally peacefully, law abiding folks in Sevier County, on whether justice has been done. With practically an case, as far as proving that the A. Scott Howard another suspect who will go and defendant, on trial soon, Robert W. Dunn, were in the motor home of Ernest O. Sprinkle of Ontario, Calif., from the time it left Richfield until it was stopped in Salina, there is little doubt that one of the two fired the gun which pumped two bullets into Sprinkles chest and killed him. air-tig- ht Brown also referred to an incident on Oct. 29. At that time, another Sevier County Jail inmate, Moses Shepherd, told officers Scott admitted to him that he had killed Sprinkle. Brown concluded by saying that the murder of Sprinkle was done during an aggravated kidnapping, which constitutes first degree murder. Ernest Sprinkle? Under the law, if both men were in on the plot, both are guilty, regardless of who fired the fatal shots. The trial failed to produce solid evidence of who actually fired the gun which killed Mr. Sprinkle. A jury, listening to the case for four days, and deliberating over 20 hours, could not decide who fired the shots, either. And because of the jurys lack of a decision on the first degree count, plea bargaining has now reduced the charge to second degree murder, with stipulations that the prosecution will not seek the death penalty in the kidnapping charge, of which the jury did find Scott guilty. Who then, killed werent or sure, they certain remember couldnt incidents surrounding the case. Tesch also raised the question of the . Tesch said. not been They also said Scott had --- --- casion some 15 years ago. Showing considerable emotion, Scott said under questioning earlier by Mr. Tesch, that he had heard Utah courts were hard on blacks and he was afraid of what might happen to him. He urged the jury to consider the. facts of the case, and not be convinced because of the good character of officers who testified and of their testimonies. He pointed out several instances of witnesses staing they Mr. Brown who was called by the defense as an adverse witness, said that he refused the defendants request but offered to for a psychiatrist, provide Scott with an attorney, which he refused. t IF YOU BUY BEFORE DEC. 31, 1980 . Robert Howell, a clinical psychologist with the Utah State Hospital, told the jury that his evaluations of Scott during his stay at Dr. the Provo facility, showed Scott with a Students Write Poetery Students in Mrs. Lillian Talbots third grade class at Salina Elementary School experimented mosaic with writing poetry recently. Three of their creaA tions: A Skunk Is, Table Is, and A Rotten Egg are printed below, with the authors names. A SKUNK IS A skunk is black and white A skunk has four legs A skunk is a popular Salina Locals and Mrs. Mr. Keith movie maker A skunk lays 2,000 eggs a day A skunk stinks a lot. A skunk sprays you, Is a shaggy animal make things on. You can write on it. A table is a nice thing to have. Cindi, Bill, Mary, Cas-- , sidi, Raylan, Julie, Mark,. Ernie, Jana. Eats rotten eggs. A skunk is a bath in A ROTTEN EGG tomato juice. A skunk is no good. A rotten egg is a yckie thing, Corry, Travis T., Matt, John, Aaron, Jeff, Jodie, Smells like a skunk Jeremy, Cheyenne, and spraying you. A rotten egg tastes like Brady. mud, A table is . . . Is something you cant eat. Something you put food A rotten egg is green and on. You eat on it. purple with no legs. A rotten egg looks spotty Its something that has four legs. Does not have bones. A rotten egg is ugly. Its made of wood. A rotten egg is a terrible You can do work on it. You can sit things on it. thing. You can hide under it. Mosaic poetry by A table is something you Mrs. Talbots Class ALL INTERNATIONAL EQUIPMENT WILL Barrett entertained Sunday at a party at their Acord Whether it is first degree or second degree, the victim is just as dead. But the law insists that it is motive which determines the penalty, even though the victim is still just as dead. There are arguments pro and con in plea bargaining. There if a person kills someone in an obviously planned crime, is charged with that crime, cannot be convicted and then is charged with a lesser crime, even though the victim is just as dead. Without the plea bargaining, a new trial would had to have been called. The evidence would have had to be presented again. The witnesses would have testified again. A jury would have to be selected again. And the cost of going through the trial would have to be borne by the taxpayers again. Perhaps justice is better served with some kind of a conviction than none at all. are those who claim that justice is not served Lakes cabin. A large Christmas tree outside was decorated with tiny lights. Santa Claus arrived with gifts for all persons attending. Dinner was served at 4 p.m. to 40 guests. The evening was spent visiting and playing games. Mr. and Mrs. Rex Christensen, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Sorensen, and Mr. and Mrs. Glen Zumwalt attended the annual Christmas party of the Sevier Valley Hospital board of directors and staff last Wednesday at the hospital in Richfield. Christensen, Sorensen board. t Prisons have very little rehabilitation power. They are mainly for punishment and keeping societys outcasts out of circulation. But anything less than the death penalty almost certainly assures that anyone who is sentenced to jail will, eventually be out again. A second costly trial in the same murder will probably begin next week. Will a second jury be able to convict this man of the same crime which the first jury was unable to do? If they do, will justice have been served the first time, or the second time the only justice? These are questions which cross the minds of those who see a growing concern for crime control, and at the same time, more violence, including murder, in our own area. The trial of Robert W. Dunn will be perhaps even more interesting than the one concluded, in that the same charges, with perhaps some additional evidence, will be pushed. Whether Mr. Dunn is found innocent, guilty of first degree murder or of some other charge, we should still remember that Mr. Sprinkle is just as dead. Lambertsen Will Leave For Mission Mi M Every in Bob White, Craig White, Mike Shaw, Helen Willardson, Ann Warren, Leslie Carthey, Jan Bosshardt, Viola Larsen. Merry Christmas day. every from: y ODOoEb 4, chohdy$ - He is a 1980 graduate of play production of the Gunnison Valley High year and then went on Utah School, where he was tour throughout active in speech and with the play. He was drama. He participated accepted as an official in many competitions and member of the Delta Psi represented Gunnison in Omega fraternity. Adelaide 1980 as the speech and Australian, Elder Lambertsen will Mission. drama Sterling Scholar. Elder Lambertsen is a He attended Dixie report Jan. 8 to the son of Mr. and Mrs. Max College where he par- Missionary Training in Provo. Colter Lambertsen, Mayfield. ticipated in their first and Zumwalt are members of the On the other hand, if the defendant did do the shooting and is sent to jail for life, he will be eligible for parole in a few years. Will he be back, hitching a ride again, and then shooting someone again? V is no proof, In his closing argument, court appointed defense attorney Joe Tesch, Salt Lake City, continually emphasized the statement that if it is not proven, it is not guilty. The vehicle was observed by two witnesses from the time it left Richfield, when the victim was seen alive, until it was stopped in Salina and the victim was dead. MAYFIELD A farewell testimonial at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 in the Mayfield Ward Chapel will honor Elder Philo Otto Lambertsen prior to his leaving for the were at the below average education; below drinking at the time they in Mesquite. Village Western average intelligence and described him as a loner. Lt. Jerry Nice, Sevier County Office was again called to the Sheriffs Two employees of a Mesquite, Nev. stand to refute an earlier statement establishment, told the court that Scott had been in Utah only once. Tesch pleaded with the jury to be gambling and that during the time Scott, Dunn He had testified earlier in the case. sure they know rather than guess, when route en there had stopped Sprinkle it comes to their verdict. It was pointed out that Scott had been from California to Utah, Scott had nortrouble counting money when making in Southern Utah once and in the ocon another state the of "Take away the confession and there change. thern part confession being voluntary. He pointed out that no one would know the feelings and mental state of the defendant when he made the confession. (Continued from Page One) fession, Brown said. Heaths m i Accounting & Management Services BocnTh yWappy DEBOSmiNSURANCELCORPORA K A V am 4 |