Moonlighting: The Ambush of Cpl. Betty Smothers and Kimen Lee

0:05 M M. A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh do some gird it's calling my name. There is no mercy and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream game Wrangle three. I'm here by.

0:46 Byma Dies inside these walls, inside the wild. Hadn't went no girl as I'm.

1:30 Hey everyone, and welcome back to Bloody Angola, a podcast one and forty two years in the making, the complete story of America's bloodiest present. I'm Jim Chapman, and today I'm gonna jump right into it and cover with you the story of Corporal Betty's mothers, who was tragically murdered while working extra duty for the Baton Ridge Police Department at just thirty six years old. And y'all, I remember remember this one distinctly. When this horrific incident occurred, I was a senior in high school. I was the same age as Betty's mother's son, war Done, who years later would play in the NFL and even when the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, he was an absolute stud on the field. And I knew firsthand because I played against wark Done when he was at Catholic High School and I was at Broadmoor High School in Baton Rouge. Now, I also had a lot of friends who were mutual friends with Wark done I grew up in a neighborhood where many of my friends attended Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, and all of my friends would describe Warwick as as good a person off the field as he was on the field, and that speaks to the way he was raised in The full credit there goes to his mother, Betty Smothers. So let me

3:04 tell you just a little bit about how amazing this woman was at the time of her murder. Betty'smothers had six children and these children ranged from the ages of nine to the ages of eighteen. Just shy of eighteen, war Dunbe was her oldest. He was weeks from being eighteen years old. She had been a police officer for fourteen years at this point with the Baton Ridge Police Department, and she was a single mother. She was doing all of this alone. Think about that her son, Warwick, as I mentioned, he attended Catholic High School in Baton Ridge, which is a very respected private high school where to send your kids there typically you had to be someone of some pretty affluent means. This was an expensive school, and this was where Warick's athletic ability would play a key role. Warwick was even well known before high school.

4:09 His athletic ability was very well known in the Baton Ridge area, and by the time he got to high school Catholic HI, they were more than happy to allow Wark to attend the school to wish him free in exchange for him playing football for the Catholic High Bears. So think of it as a high school version of a scholarship. In Warick, I'm sure was one of very few to attend Catholic HI without his parents even owning a home of their own in Betty's mother's case, which this fact would come into play a little bit later on in Warck's life. As you can imagine, with six kids, single mother, and you're a police officer, you have to work a lot of overtime to make ends meet, and Corporal Smothers she would do as much off duty work as she could possibly get. So I'm gonna take you back to January seventh of nineteen ninety three and Corporal Smothers is working a detail this night for a local grocery store. The grocery store closed and the manager escorted by Corporal Smothers, and they were both in her marked police car. They'd go to the night deposit of the bank to make the deposit. This was at twelve fifteen am on January seventh, nineteen ninety three. As soon as they pull up, a gunman appeared out of the dark

5:40 shadows of the bank and fires several shots, hitting both the female grocery store manager as well as Corporal Betty Smothers. Corporal Smothers slumps over the steering wheel, but somehow, I would say it was an absolute miracle. The store man, who has eleven bullet wounds, she manages to put the police car into gear and steer it away from the bank, which this totally foiled the robbery. As the guman they did not pursue that vehicle. Corporal Smothers was shot five times, killing her. The grocery store manager was shot, as I said, eleven times. Many of the bullets hit Smothers and then would hit her too. Her name was Kim and Lee.

6:34 She was injured, but she survived the attack just unbelievably. Police they arrived at the scene and it was determined from the spent shell casings. It was determined that twelve rounds were fired. One hand gun fired seven, the other handgun fired five, and they knew they were two different handguns because they were two different calibers. Now earlier, when I described scene, I used the term a gunman, and that was because the surviving victim, miss Lee, she only saw one gunman. However, you have two different weapons here, and police by this point they were pretty certain at least two people were involved in this shooting. So the whole community in Baton Rouge, they were shocked by this outrage by this. Corporal Smothers was beloved by everyone at BRPD and everyone who knew her outside of it. Her some work was extremely well known, one of the top recruits in the country at this point. He was a senior in high school, and this became national news quickly, and right off the bat Seemingly everyone wanted to help these kids. A memorial fund was set up the very next day, and even the governor of the state of Louisiana at that time, Edwin Edwards, he kicked in five thousand dollars to the already one thousand dollars crime stoppers

8:06 reward for information that would lead to the capture of those responsible. And this was a fourteen year veteran of BRPD and the first officer to die in the line of duty in Baton Rouge in five years. Police wanted answers and the community wanted answers now the day after the shooting, and this is absolutely amazing to me considering her injuries, but the survivor, Kim and Lee, she undergoes hypnosis at the hospital and she was able to provide police with enough detail for them to create a composite sketch of the suspect that she did see. Remember she only saw one suspect. Then just a day after that, a confidential informant he tells a detective Denicola that someone by the name of Kevin Brumfield had killed Corporal Smothers and that another guy by the name of Eddie Paul had information about it. So police they pick up Eddie Paul and they bring him to the station for questioning and he tells police that his cousin West Paul, as well as Kevin Bromfield and someone that he only knew is aj Or Ray j had committed the crime. So based off of this information, police they get arrest warrants for both Kevin Bromfield and West Paul, and they are arrested.

9:30 And this is on January eleventh of nineteen ninety three, which is just four days after the shooting in the murder of Corporal Smothers. Now, police are also looking through arrest records and rap sheets to determine if they have ever arrested someone with the street name of ray J or DJ ORAJ or anything like that to figure out who this guy is. And they come across a man by the name of d Ron or Darren and Brooks, and they show a photo of the guy to Eddie Paul and they say, is this a guy you were calling ray J? And he says, yeah, that's the guy. So police get a warrant for Brooks. However, he's released from questioning rather quickly when it's discovered that he definitely could not have done this or been involved in it, because at the time this murder went down, he was in police custody. So they then focused their questioning on west Paul. Now when he was arrested, as soon as police arrive at his door, his comment was, quote I knew y'all was coming. He also said, quote I didn't shoot no police officer, and this was before anyone had told him what they were there for. Also, they got from his residence a camouflage jacket that Kim and Lee, the survivor, had said the shooter was wearing the night of the shooting. Now, in the meantime, Kevin Bromfield's questioning

11:03 was taking off, and initially, of course, he denies any involvement in anything, but under several hours of intense questioning, he confesses in a taped statement. So, according to his confession, he said that he and his friend who he described as Smoky which this was later determined to be Wes Paul, and a guy by the name of Henry Broadway where driving around. They were looking to what he referred to as quote hit a hustle, which he described as riding around looking for someone to rob. He said they were drinking and they somehow knew about the grocery store making these late night bank deposits, So they went to that bank and they hid in the bushes until Corporal Smothers and miss Lee showed up to make the deposits. That night, he said that he and Broadway jumped out of the bushes and Corporal Smothers saw them and that he panicked and he just started shooting, which he said made Broadway panic and he starts shooting. He said during this time Wes Paul was around the corner in the car to serve as the getaway driver. And he said that after the shooting occurred, they jumped back in the car freaking out obviously, and he said they actually passed police officers heading to the scene as they were making their getaway.

12:35 So at this point in the investigation you have Bromfield admitting to killing Corporal Smothers, as well as implicating Henry Broadway in the shooting and the killing and implicating Wes Paul as the getaway driver. Now and the questioning of these three a lot was determined. First a little over twenty four hours prior to it was determined that Kevin Bromfield and Henry Broadway they go to a psychic in the Baton Rouge area to obtain a tarrort card reading. And it was during this reading that Bromfield, who according to the psychic, was carrying a gun, said he planned to commit a robbery and he wanted to know the best day to do so, and with the cards tell him that. It also came out that the day after the murder, Bromfield told Eddie Paul, quote, I just killed a some bitch. Eddie Paul also said he heard Bromfield tell Broadway the murder was a waste of time because they didn't get any money out of it. Also coming out was that Broadway admitted to another robbery prior to that robbery in Clinton, Louisiana. So on February fourteenth, nineteen ninety three, twenty year old Kevin Bromfield, twenty two year old Henry Broadway in twenty year old West Paul, they

14:06 enter please of not guilty in court, which of course means nothing. They don't have anything to lose, and in almost every case you'll ever hear about, they plead not guilty right out of the gate, and the prosecutor in this case a legend, if you will, in the Baton Ridge area, prim Burns. She announced she would be seeking the death penalty for all three of these individuals in this case. Now. Shortly after this, it was also discovered that the informant who called in the police this was none other than Attie Paul himself. When the following article ran in a Baton Ridge newspaper over a month after those pleas were entered, and here's what the advocate had to say. It starts Eddie. Paul just wanted to do what was right when he called police on January tenth, gave them a tip that led to arrest in the death of Baton Ridge Police captain Corporal betty'smothers. But doing the right thing landed him in an isolation cell and cost him his personal belongings, some disability pay and peace of mind. Quote. I never had so many headaches in all my life, Paul said. I don't know what's going on.

15:27 They made my life a living hell. I know that since calling police. Paul, who is fifty, was arrested as a material witness and spent five weeks in a cell at Parish Prison, booked as a principal to first murder in smother's death. He was released February eighteenth. While he was in prison, someone broke into his apartment. Quote, they took everything I had, Paul said. They left my thirteen year old daughter there by herself. Paul's daughter moved in with her mother. Paul, a disabled McCann, moved to a new apartment while he was in jail. The government discontinued his disability payments, but his sense restored those. He said, quote, I don't sleep well at night, Paul said, I'm back on medicine. I take nerve pills. Sometimes it looks like they don't even work. Paul's tip led police to three men who were indicted in February for first degree murder.

16:22 The thirty six year old officer was in bushed inner police car on January seventh and shot repeatedly. She was accompanying a grocery store manager to make a bank deposit. The manager was severely injured. Paul tip police that Kevin Bromfield, twenty, told Paul Hugh shot someone. Quote he didn't say who he shot, Paul said Monday, as he waited to testify in pre trial hearings for Bromfield Henry Broadway in West Paul his cousin three days later. Bromfield had a gun and children were playing nearby. Paul said, quote, Kevin was hanging out around my house with a gun. That's why I called the police on him. Police investigating the complaint did not find Bromfield, but brought Paul in for questioning.

17:06 Bromfield was later accused of shooting Smothers, Broadway of shooting her passenger, and west Paul of driving the getaway car. Paul said he knew nothing of the case other than Bromfield's comments quote, they took me to jail for all that from the day they locked me up. I didn't know what was going on. And that was an article by The Advocate released March thirty first, nineteen ninety three. So it takes a couple of years before this case goes to trial, and in the meantime, one of those charges, wes Paul, the getaway driver, he cuts a deal with prosecutors. And that's not surprising. By the way, the prosecution was going to seek the death penalty against wes Paul, and it's probably not something they were really going to do for the getaway driver. Be real hard to get a death penalty to stick against a getaway driver who didn't actually kill anybody. But prim Burn's amazing prosecutor and likely was using this to scare Westpaul into cutting a deal, which he did, and that deal stated that in exchange for his testimony against Bromfield and Broadway, he would get twenty five years and not life. In present and certainly not the death penalty. So in July of nineteen ninety five, a little over two years after the murder of Corporal Smothers and the attempted murder of Miss Lee, Kevin Bromfield and Henry Broadway they go to trial. Now, during this trial,

18:39 some key evidence comes out outside of the fact that these guys had confessed to several people about the murder, and most notably was the fact that the shellcasings found that the scenes matched guns that were found with Bromfield and Broadway. Judge Ralph Tyson, he presided over the proceedings in two hundred the perspective jurors were actually narrowed down to twelve for this trial. In the end, in early July of nineteen ninety five, both Bromfield and Broadway are convicted of first degree murder and both get sentenced to death via lethal injection. Now, like the vast majority of stories, I tell you, here's where the story really gets started.

19:27 Of course, especially with death penalty cases, you expect most of the convicted are going to exhaust their appeals completely. Maybe they'll get lucky, maybe a technicality is going to be found somewhere, whatever, So in Bromfield's case, his appeals really stood on one thing, and that was his mental capacity was consistently measured between seventy and seventy five, which would indicate a mental disability and cognitive impairment. Which here is my opinion on this. You commit murder, this murder right here, and then you take steps to hide the fact that you murdered someone. That proves to me you knew murdering this amazing lady and damn near murdering another.

20:21 You knew that was wrong, but you did it anyway. You weren't so mentally incapacitated, you didn't know right from wrong, otherwise you wouldn't have been trying to hide it after the fact. So while all these appeals are going on and they're moving forward, so is the family of Corporal Smothers Warwick. Despite all the odds, I mean, this guy had to become a mama and a daddy overnight. In addition to going to college, he went on to become a major football star in college, playing for Florida State, much to my chagrin because I'm an LSU Tiger guy.

21:02 In nineteen ninety seven, he was drafted as the twelfth overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he goes on to play in the NFL for twelve seasons. He made two Pro Bowls, He won the Walter Payton Mann of the Year Award, and all kinds of other awards. Off the field, he was equally outstanding. He established the Quote Home for the Holidays program, which assists single parents with down payments and fully furnished homes. Which I can't think of a more amazing way to honor your single mother and everything that she did for her kids than by assisting other single parents with down payments for homes because his mother could never afford a house, and it just gives me chills thinking about it. He's helped over three hundred families through that program. Now. In twenty sixteen, something I consider shocking occurred when Kevin Bromfield is resentenced from death row to life in prison after a court apparently disagreed with me and decided that his mental capacity was such that he couldn't get the death penalty. Warick

22:32 Dunn himself was against this. They felt he was too mentally disabled to be sentenced to death. Then in twenty twenty three, it was Henry Bromway's turn to try and get out of death row, and in a clemency hearing, famed lawyer Barry Sheck. You may remember him from the OJ Simpson trial. He is also the founder of the Innocence Project, which is now a national nonprofit that fights to get people off death road that are innocent of crimes. And I have respect for that. And he has had several high profile cases where people were exonerated by DNA and it was through pushing for their innocence through that program.

23:17 So I got nothing but love for that program. I think if someone is innocent, the last thing you obviously want to do is put him to death. And they've done some great things there, but here they're not fighting for someone that's innocent. And he spoke, of course, in defense of Broadway. But guess what Ward done? Was there? Ward done? Sister? Was there? Many people were there and Ward Done. He was having none of this. And you have absolutely got to hear this in its entirety. This is the clip from the hearing for Henry Broadway when he was seeking clemency, and you're gonna hear Ward Done speaking to the Louisiana Pardon Board. You're gonna hear his sister, you're gonna hear the former chief of police b RPDS great fairies, and you're going to hear the decision of the board after they make their comments. So here's that club.

24:14 First, we'd like to hear from the victims' family, mister Dunn. Could we hear from you, sir? Yes, ma'am. You know this is. You know, it's heartbreaking because I mean, I understand individuals go to prison. We're only convicted. I do understand that in this situation, that's not the case. And it's really disrespectful, and I mean, I'm over here getting emotional listening to you know, nonsense, not even understanding that if someone is shot and killed your family members they come to your front door, you're not going to have that. You're not going to have that perspective. And then, if you think about it, we have police officers that are supposed to be protecting us, serving and protecting, and all of a sudden, now we got a guy who's been on death road for thirty years. He's able to get up every day, eat three meals, call his family and what my kids, my brothers and sisters, kids, you know, grandkids, won't be able to meet their grandmother. They don't have that experience of, you know, the values she could have added to their life.

25:31 And then everyone wants to talk about you know because I play professional football and you know I help families. Well, I'm not able to do the things that I do for other individuals because my mom is not here. She sacrificed her life to protect people. And to listen to this nonsense, This is nonsense about an individual who has been convicted, convicted, not innocent. And also well I heard in the past, well he put a gun to another lady's head in it jammed. No one talks about that.

26:14 I mean, this is it's just it's just frustrating because people, people are sacrificing our lives, and the police officers, you know, I you know, we let someone off death row lest some clemency this or that any individual in this country will go around thinking they could just kill and shoot people and their consequences is that I'm just going to spend the rest of my life in prison and I need three meals a day, spending taxpayers dolls. Please, it's just disrespectful and I mean, I'm I pose you know, these two individuals, you know everyone who who's opposing that, you know he needs clemency, that he needs to be off death row or I just I oppose that. And you know, I know my sister. I don't know if she's able to talk, but she can also express herself in a way that I mean, my younger sister didn't have her mother nine years old. You think she could have been a better woman today than she is now. Yes, my sister could have. So you guys, don't understand anything and go out defend people. I don't want innocent people to die lose their life. I'm all about that, but in this case, don't don't commit me and my family

27:46 who suffered all these years because at eighteen years old, I had to become a father and I took care of my brother's sister because that's what my mom trained me to do over the years. Because we couldn't afford a house, we could could afford this, and that we were surviving. Thank you, mister done. That's summers. Mothers or would you like to say a few words, Hey, you're you're still on me. I'm sorry, I'm in the car trying to uh drive out me right you right?

28:26 So I apologize, Okay, is there something like to know? Just to piggyback off of my brother, I did write a speech and just wanted to make you guys aware. As we reflect on this thirty year journey without our mother, we're a constant reminded that we have a hold in our horse that would never be filled. The pain won't stop. In some memories fad, but the constant flashback of January seventh, nineteen ninety three remains the worst part of it all. I remember like it was yesterday. Each year getting harder and harder to process. We all have grown up with kids of our own, which makes it this part of life most difficult to bear. People often ask, how do you hear it from something like this? I replied, you never heal, You always be broken. You always wondered what life could have been if she was still here, But instead we constantly try to explain to our kids who our mother was. Have you ever imagined trying to explain to a child what a cemetery looks like, why she's not there, not here with us, or when they asked to see their grandmother, you have to take them to a burier, apply a tombstone that can't speak words of comfort back or give them reassurance that everything is okay.

29:37 Have you ever opened a piece of mail and thought you'd seen a ghost? Asking yourself, why does God keep punishing us? We all received a letter from this attorney office back in April, not knowing one of us or not. One of us told the other one that we have received this letter because it was going to open a door that we all try to keep close. Within thirty years. Within thirty years, we have never had anyone from the defendant side check up on us. But what amazed us as soon as Governor Edwards announced it was against he was against the death penalty. The office engaged at the defense victim out of specialists to inform us of the new development in the case. We started trying to place pieces together. We made phone calls to figure out what was going on, and that's when we were informed of Broomfield me I'm sorry Broadway petition to appeal once again.

30:27 How can you ever hear from something if it's a revolving door. Our family has been through so much and other in another. We're just devastating to the families. This not only affects us, but our kids who now tried to protest what's going on, learning about the unspoken, unfilled to truth of our mother's death that we tried to protect them from. They never knew the impact of our minds have had on us. They just thought, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, somebody called. They just start trying to place pieces together. Can found polity figure out what's going on? I'm sorry. Our family has been through through so much in another just depth stating to our families does not only affects us, but we're trying to process what's going on, learning the unspoken truth of our mother's death. They just started trying to notice the trends and behave you when it comes to certain things in milestones. As I close, I want to understand. I want you guys to understand that hurt, the pain and love that I can't get back.

31:24 Imagine yourself at fourteen, being woken up to your news that your mother was shot and kill not because she was doing anything wrong, but because she was serving and protecting the citizen of back Rudge. Now you and your sibling has to figure out like who's gonna provide for you, where you're gonna live, Who's gonna be or we're gonna be able to stay together all why our prepreen to bury your only parents you have? But we accept the fact that mister Broadway continues to breathe life, get three meals a day, continues to have conversation and see his family, a privilege that we can't experience and have an experience for the last thirty years. But we have to talk to the tunes songs that don't speak back. We will be about I'm sorry to interrupt. Can you wrap it up for us please? Yes, ma'am, I'm finishing up when we would be allowed to, when we would be allowed to feel like the system isn't broken and here's our Christ. All we want is justice that's overdue. And I don't have the luxury to know what the true mother loves feel like. I'm opposed to this a petition for appeal for clearancy. This this is something that we deal with all the time, and we just u on my behalf of my sister and brothers.

32:26 We're opposed to this clemsy petition. Yes, ma'am, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. Its sleep. Thank you's for going to read this opportunity to steal. I have been silent for almost thirty one years. To be exact, and not to take anyway thing away from Betty. God rest your soul. But I lived in the shadows. When this tragedy it's talked about, I'm not even spoken of. I have, however, been living this every single day of my life. January seventh will be thirty one years ago this happened. This tragic event took everything from me. I lived with surviv I lived with survivors guilt, and at times it's more than I can bear.

33:18 Any past I've lived in fear. I would look out my window and feel so hopeless, sad and depressed. NICKI saw the glass half full. Not long after everything happened, I found myself locked up in a mental hospital for three and a half weeks. I tried to heal and move long with my life, but it felt impossible. I saw a therapist for over three years. I couldn't understand why this happened to me, How could anyone do this? As time passed, I learned to pick myself up and tried to move forward. Every day was a challenge. I lived every day of my life with PTSD. I will for the rest of my days on earth. My coworkers, my friends, my family, my neighbor.

34:00 No never to. Walk upon me without my full attention, because it sends an into a dark place of fear and anxiousness. Please understand by you doing this brings pain into all of our lives, who will never give back what was taken from us. I ask, and I beg of you, please do not do this. One life was lost and several lives were changed forever. By reducing the sentence from death to life imprisonment, you were diminishing the atrocity of what was done to us. Betty died, our children's lives changed forever. I live with this my whole life. Our lives mean. More than this.

34:42 And I will say, without any certainty, I know who I identified, and I stand tall and. One hundred percent certain. I know the man that I saw that night and that raining night was here Broadway without any doubt in my mind. And I beg of you, Please don't do this. You've lived in pain for so long. Thank you, Thank you, mister Daniels. Yeah, I sam for you. In oppositition named tomorrow Day representative Adage Police Department's times A chiefs Fat.

35:30 I think this is one of those events that you grew up. In what do you work when you heard and it occurred. I also. Not a police officer at jack time, but over the last twenty five plus years than our agency, I get to watch and see that the time is still had to heal. This is one of the still one of the most common topics stussed in our police. Department, and we're still assisting. A lot of our officers were there or we were friends who actually responded to the scene that night because.

36:12 They're still in the hell process. We're very great opposition of this request. We asked that you peace deny it and again we pray for the family, law enforcement as well as personally. Thank you, sir, mister mister Ferris H. Yeah, I'm fair glad. I'm Brett ferris Will, Chief to ninth grade. And just a moment to rest the shares comments, every confidences siggestion was gone.

36:59 Thanks to spect. Here side and. All the way is what it is because kid states the true lead is very strongly. Any chillative of police officers is one of the most famous crimes. That can be committed because it is an attack on civilization. It's the attack on the people. Team keep keep civilization. That the nearest civilization will be its many killings of police officers.

37:45 Or what I would call them popular somebody who's newly arranged or maybe a police officer responds to the investing issue. By the investig issue, where emotions are at their peak, he or she shot and kill. This wasn't the end. This was three people. Driving to set up and on the bank and Gilts family and try to kill them successibly one unsuccessful, say kill two people to commit an arm mode.

38:26 It's about as bad as it gets. The way of. Kill him remeditated, replanning and tragically executed. Quite quite see, I cannot speak with the authenticipate of work or summer. But let me take keep back. So I sat in my vetter today. I have to kill him a revery unteen unity three Tom and he and I went to be very my engage both in the buildings. The old man singing a chair on the right Olympic child and get us laugh struck and said and company the child, well, it said, I kissed. It's the child said you can on the back. I've been a tough mission.

39:30 That, of course is important. He has been incredibly successful, even being successful man high school, college and front the Star running back Bounce as philanthropists. Often he has accommis to the lots. But what he does not have never it's his buildings. Give his mother house procurred old day to be with her.

40:11 She passes away from the age of being. Never happened. Broadway. Two of the people pride and ambush, steal some money and to kill people seemed to be killed two people I find January nineteen ninety. They succeeded that. You bet. It's about like almost see. Broadway has been through proud, It's been through feels all the way up from the certain vision I think, and how before that process has been that eviction best and firm.

41:00 I have no reason, no reason to supports. A check's attention that this was a bad investigation for a bad team that I constructed in chief of. Jacknives don vote just had to be done out absolutely right. This was a feeling of resee officer, the most sensation around that happened the batterie since January nine, seventeen and had to be done right. And it's totally irresponsible, as. Some chief rejectives. Three days later it was as an out of time.

41:45 Yes about a check, Uh, you'd been out a whole time. Super basket advised like a road now in Chicago? Was that go home and gets to sleep for folic part in war. So for based fandom strong appetitions, there's. Thank you, so right, mister Molimus Barbara, all turnt everything else, good warning warnings, all the checks.

42:26 Uh you know, I just. I listened to all these statistics from these generations and say I just need to step it, reponstrate it right now that when we have an offender the foinder post invasion, we in federal court and the judge turns that there is a degree of intellectual visibility that we mean that person cannot be executed and we entered into a contract for life and that person's into the rest. Of his life. In general population in Angola, that is not an exoneration. And it is extremely effensive that these anti death penalties zealous.

43:06 They have the right to their opinion. Disagree with it, they have the right to their opinion, but don't misrepresent the statistics. And hear no mention of the cases where additional DNA testing is ordered and it in fact further confirms the victims I've written this identification of the rapists one day I had just. A few years ago and meets back of cherish. So yes, it's real easy to focus on the case since DNA and make it exonerated people and we can throw out names. But let's not talk anymore about those cases. Let's talk about the fact that Kim and Me, by the grace of God, was here to speak to you this morning. Let's talk about the fact that, as retired Chief Berry said, civilisation is completely disrupted and someone decides to kill a law enforcement officer, someone who takes their life to their hands every day. This was not a domestic violence situation. We have unfortunately lost law enforcement in our.

44:16 Communicates to that. This is a man who plotted with his whovivot to commit this arm probbery. This is a man who. During his time at Angola, he filed complaints because his sex novel wasn't delivered timely, or he didn't know the method of execution. He waited to start taking classes. I think living in Balance just started in twenty twenty three. This is a man who testified in this defense at a trial and didn't just say I am innocent. He alleged that Kevin Lee was him on this, that this was.

44:56 An inside job. It doesn't get much more offensive than that. As mister Lampert said, we sincerely appreciated having the opportunity to speak to you at this phase of the process. It is unprecedented and we thank you for that. This individual is not intellectually disabled. There are still post combition relief proceedings pending as we speak in federal This, ladies and gentlemen, I respectfully submit to you, is not.

45:37 The forum to litigate this claim of innocence. The United States. Supreme Court deny exert in this case. It is now post conviction relief proceedings. Let that be litigated. There is not a depth for it in this case. Henry Aureed, whoever you pronounce its first name Broadway is not condemned. They are proclaiming innocence. They obviously. Are seeking release into our population, not general population at Angola.

46:21 That man wants to be walking the streets. With you, Me, Myron Daniels, Day May's Clarence mclarno, retired Chief Fairies hill or Moore, Kiman Lee and God forbidding the rest of the Smothers family or or summer the rest of them. Let this work itself out in federal court. This conviction has been upheld. There have been evidentiary hearings and district court. I believe there were five separate hearings days in front of the Honorable Ralph Tyson thanking someone to the federal for to grant let me senioring for this man would just be one step further. And we all know he will not be satisfied in general opulation.

47:16 He once out on behalf of the family, half of one. Yes, at least not. Needs the best. Thank you, Thank you. Smart did you want family? It's all good on more than so? What for. Year and Jonny Jacksons charges have been around and you know all the other general so we respect this year and you know talk and turns. Marbella, I understand your books from why you do what you're doing on have you think you are pat them?

48:00 And this case is a little beneath, a little different. I only wanted to stick up the manner in which these folks would notify of what was going to happen, and that it is really offensive. They received the letter in the mail from a law office representing the defendant. In that letter, it said that we have hired a special victims council for you. They don't work for us, they work for you. Ring my letter and please call my office and get you in touch with you're a victim representative. When they got that letter, warren't done called me and said, look in the hell this going on? We obviously had no idea, and on that day all of these fishers were filed in mass at one time, obviously something I'd been in plans for a very long time, and no notice was given.

48:51 To us all the day that letter. And I can tell you that over in years the number of times that I've called mister on sometimes in answers. Sometimes it takes time because he wants to know what's happening. That I could I could see the face, I can hear it in this this this is show me you know this family and all the other families that will see THEE and a'mother picture. Guys in such a difficult position, that a tough job to be. We work respectfully. Buys the more specifics than. Thank you, thank you. There's no other comments to be made, so I think there to them. I'm start with missus Jackson.

49:42 First, I'd like to plank here and want today. Yeah. For me, one thing is really important from me is consistency and how I did things as a judge and tried to be They've been handed in every case that I have because it's important. I think that goes a long way to. Ensuring justice as well as confidence in the system. With that being said, this war set certain guidelines for consideration of onaments the application mister Broadway, and his application needs social requirements just as any other applicant would, and granting a hearing is.

50:40 Not insurance in any way. Believe it's just a qut a process in place, and I believe in a process in twice you should follow that process. Another thing that concerns me in this case is that there were three people involved in the stere all three of them equally as culpable, every single one of them. And yet Kevin Romphield, who is clearly acknowledged as being the person. Who actually killed Officer's mothers I had. His will not ever be executed.

51:25 There's a claim of intellectual disabilities, but as I read the police reports time and time, his name came up as the maid actor, the mastermind, and yet he is not facing executions all equally as culpable led to attempt on robbery receiving a twenty five year sentence. The only person facing execution is hum be wrong. I will tell you that trouble that troubles me.

52:06 Wow. And so, because he makes the requirements for hearing, and because of my concern about the inconsistency of the outpout in these stations, my. Role would be to grant a hearing. Thank you, missus Jackson, mister rushed, Thank. You, Madam Trevor. A lot of the information controls me also. But and. Louisiana Cool, I was going to.

52:50 Section five. Eight. You know eight reasons why I could deny an application, and I'm just going to mention a couple of those nature the serious nature of their gregious nature of the crime, and is no more henny his crime than the murder of a police officer, even if that person is not a record responsible for he participated in a felony that result in the death of a police officer and a seriously woman warning of an assistant manager of a superlogist or in the progress of doing their job. The second reason that I'm going to use is his civil vision in history. Mister Broadway has been a supervision on cheap DIFTI occasions. Both of those occasions he was terminated unsatisfactory simply because he had other fellainies all miss demeanor convictions,

54:21 and knowing I would I know after this ultimous lee, the express opposition in the victim's family, mister Dunn and his sister Summer, the adamate opposition from me Louisiana State Troopers Association and the Turney General of the State of Louisiana, bad News law Enforcement and the d a's office. And he's bat Newish, who is admirally opposed to hearing this based upon to Coma that it could it would inflict on the viacan's family. I have no other charge then to deny and reject this application based on information. All right, I'm true.

55:25 Thank you, mister Osha, Thank you about it. Gentlemen. I would like to thank everybody for being here, certainly the victims in this case, the victims stamping. As mister Moore pointed out, I've got a lot of friends involved in this case. This is an extremely difficult case. This is an administrative hearing to determine if this inmate meets eligibility requirements for hearing. At this hearing, we have allowed public comments comments those in and those who are opposed to a recommendation from hearing. As a member of this Pardon Board, I think it's important to note that every sector of the criminal justice system has its own obligations and responsibilities. Law enforcement has their responsibilities and their appligations.

56:20 I can tell you by fifty years in the criminal justice system, I have the utmost respectful. Prosecutors have their obligations and responsibilities. I respect them. I was a prosecutor, and I believe that I hope that I honorably carried out those responsibilities. I respect the defense lawyers for the job that they do. I was a defense lawyer. I hope that I honorable character. Judges have their responsibility in this system. I was a judge. Hope that I'm honorable character. Legislators also have their obligations and responsibility, and the Pardon Board as its obligations and responsibilities as well. And there are difference, And I hope when this is all said and done, and I'm offered the word that I can honestly say honorably carried out. But I don't be my obligation.

57:21 On the part of board. Our responsibilities, duties, and obligations are to consider all of the circumstances and factors involved. We do not retry cases. We do not find fault in. The prosecution, jurors, or the course. We do look at the facts of the crime. We certainly look at the effects upon the victims and their families. Clearly, the pain the grief suffering if they have ended is unimagined. While considering all of these factors, our primary duty and responsibility is to look at the inmate today. Who was he when he committed this horrible crime nearly thirty one years ago, How, if in any way, has he changed in the last thirty years of incarceration. Who is he today? I think it's important to point out that we are not being asked to release this inmate. We are being asked to consider granting this inmate an opportunity to have a hearing to determine it he merits a recommendation from this board to the God to change his sentence from death to life with them rule.

58:40 This is what this hearing has been. After reviewing the entire recD, including public comments, the comments of those in favor, and the comments of those approach after nearly thirty one years, Sir, he is classified as a Lewis. He's got a good disciplinary record, nine write ups, it has a good overall institution. My vote is that this indate does meet the eligibility. I vote to brand the here, ma'am Allen. Mister okay, A lot of things said this morning. First off, I want to thank every want for showing up today.

59:24 Uh, you know, it is hard. I'm sorry that the. Dunk family has to keep reliving this every time something changes in our laws and every time they try to change the way things are looked at. But you know, there is a process that we look at. This is a capital murder, a capital murder of a police officer, which theres no way they can say didn't know she was a police officer, she was in her unit, Miss Lee. They meant to kill you, there no out my mind. They meant to kill you also, And so I'll look at that process. A capital murder deserves more.

1:00:11 Looking at and less and you should have to do more to be eligible for relief in an a capital murder case. And so that my problem and my vote get. Is to the not thank you, mister Crean. I have reviewed. You know, this process was a little different than what we usually do through administrative review. We had a lot more information to look at than we usually do. After considering all that, I noted that mister Broadway's case was affirmed. As has been mentioned by the Supreme Court, his sentencing conviction was affirmed over twenty four years ago in nineteen ninety nine. He has no depth. He does have posting adiction hanging in the Froneral Court up and after listening to Miss Lee and mister Dunn and the smother's family, I cannot vote to move this application forward to a hearing and put these people through basgain. So my vote today is to deny the application for a clemency hearing.

1:01:18 Mister Broadways received two favorable votes to move forward. He's received three votes to deny his applications to move forward. So today his application for clendency hearing is denied. So there you have it, denied. I love it. I think that's the right decision. And I'll tell you what, I don't know if you were as upset as I was when one of those Parole board members said, oh well there's you know, the other guy got off and he I understand got off because of his mental capacity, and maybe your mental capacity is not such. But there's so many and I'm paraphrasing here, twisting turns to this case that you should also get off of death row.

1:02:04 What is wrong with people? I'm sorry, that's shocking to me. Where is that lady's heart? And that was a female, she knows what it's like. I'm assuming she was maybe a mother. If she was, you know what it's like to be a mother, And you still fight for this guy that killed someone and gravely injured another. Horrible but there you have it. Clemency denied in Henry Broadway, to this day remains on death Row. Thank you so much for listening. Check out the Patreon commercial, free early releases, and more Patreon dot com, slash Bloody and Gola podcast and until next time for Bloody and Gola, a podcast one hundred and forty two years in the making, the complete story of America's bloodiest present. I walked straight line.

1:03:19 Shackle change, Oh weesome, girdie, it's calling my name. There is no. Mercy and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream game wrangled the three. I'm here be. B I'm here to die. Inside these walls, inside the wild. Hadn't went no girl.

1:04:00 Time. No, it's abody angle, ohbody angle.