AN EXECUTED KILLER PRAISES OBAMA! (DALE LEO BISHOP: EXECUTED IN MISSISSIPPI ON JULY 23, 2008)

            On this date, July 23, 2008, Dale Leo Bishop was executed by lethal injection in Mississippi. He was convicted of the December 10, 1998 murder of Marcus James Gentry. I was speechless when his last words encouraged those abolitionists to vote for President Obama if they want to end the death penalty. I will post information about him from clarkprosecutor.org 

Dale Leo Bishop

INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/bishop1112.htm  

Citations:
Bishop v. State, 812 So.2d 934 (Miss. 2002) (Direct Appeal)
Bishop v. State, 882 So.2d 135 (Miss. 2004) (PCR).
Bishop v. Epps, 265 Fed.Appx. 285 (5th Cir. 2008) (Habeas). 

Final/Special Meal:
3 pieces of pineapple supreme pizza, cherries and cream ice cream and four root beers. 

Final Words:
"To Mark's family, I would like to express my sincerest apologies. It was a senseless act. It was a needless act. The world is worse off without him. To my family, I love you. It's going to be all good." He finished by referring to Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful. "For those who oppose the death penalty and want to see it end, our best bet is to vote for Barack Obama because his supporters have been working behind the scenes to end this practice. God bless America; it's been great living here. That's all."
 
Mississippi Department of Corrections - Death Row

Mississippi Department of Corrections
Offender Data Sheet

Inmate: Dale Leo Bishop
Offender Number: K1311
Date Of Birth: 05/05/1959
Height: Weight: 5' 10" 160
FBI Number: 795357V3
Hair Color: Brown
Complexion: Medium
Race: White
Sex: Male
Eye Color: Hazel
Build: Large
Entry Date: 02/04/00 

Mississippi Department of Corrections - Media Kit
July 23, 2008 Execution of Dale Leo Bishop
7:00 p.m. News Briefing 

Parchman, Miss. - The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) today conducted the mandated execution of state inmate Dale Leo Bishop. Inmate Bishop was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. at the state penitentiary at Parchman. 

MDOC Commissioner Christopher Epps said during a press conference following the execution that the evening marked the close of the Dale Leo Bishop case. Bishop was convicted by a Lee County jury for the December 10, 1998 kidnapping and murder of 22 year-old Marcus James Gentry. 

“It is our agency’s role to see that the order of the court is carried out with dignity and decorum. That has been done and justice was championed today,” said MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps. “In this final chapter tonight, it is our sincere hope that the family of Marcus James Gentry may now begin the process of healing. Our prayers go out to you as you continue life’s journey,” said Epps. 

Epps concluded his comments by commending Deputy Commissioner of Institutions Emmitt Sparkman, MSP Superintendent Kelly and the entire Mississippi State Penitentiary security staff for their professionalism during the process. 

July 23, 2008 Scheduled Execution of Dale Leo Bishop 
4:45 p.m. News Briefing 

Parchman, Miss. - The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) today briefed members of the news media of death row Inmate Dale Leo Bishop’s activities from 2:00 p.m. to approximately 4:45 p.m., including telephone calls and visits. 

Inmate Bishop’s Collect Telephone Calls
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
No phone calls. 

Today, Wednesday, July 23, 2008
No phone calls. 

Update to Inmate Bishop’s Visits
Visitors left Unit 17 at 3:00 p.m. 
• Timothy Bishop (Brother)
• Roy Bishop (Father)
• Brenda Bishop (Mother)
• Tonya Cunningham (Ex-wife)
• David Wolf (Nephew)
• Stacy Ferraro (Attorney)
• James W. Craig (Attorney)
He is currently visiting with MSP Staff Chaplain James L. Whisnant. 

Update to Execution Witnesses (Change of law enforcement witness from Lee County S/O)
Execution Witnesses
Spiritual Advisor for the condemned MSP Staff Chaplain James L. Whisnant
Member(s) of the condemned’s family Inmate Bishop requested that his nephew and ex-wife witness:
David Wolf (Nephew) and Tonya Cunningham (Ex-wife)
Attorneys for the condemned Stacy Ferraro and James W. Craig
Member(s) of the victims’ family Kathy Gentry (Mother of Marcus James Gentry) and Gerald
Gentry (Uncle of Marcus James Gentry)
Sheriff or Designee Chief Deputy Sheriff John Hall
Governor’s Witness C. Daryl Neely, Policy Advisor
8 Members of the Media Joey Barnes, WCBI-TV
Randy Bell, Clear Channel Radio
William Browning, The Greenwood Commonwealth
Robert Byers, WTVA-TV
Jimmie Gates, Clarion-Ledger
Stephen Koranda, Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press
Scott Phillips, Mississippi News Network 

Activities of Inmate Bishop:
Inmate Bishop ate his last meal at 4:45 p.m. Ate 3 pieces of pizza, one 20 oz. root beer, 8 oz. cherry ice cream. He has chosen not to take a shower and has not requested a sedative. Inmate Bishop remains under observation. Officers have observed Inmate Bishop as still being talkative.
INMATES EXECUTED IN THE MISSISSIPPI GAS CHAMBER
Name Race-Sex Offense Date Executed
Gerald A. Gallego White Male Murder 03-03-55
Allen Donaldson Black Male Armed Robbery 03-04-55
August Lafontaine White Male Murder 04-28-55
John E. Wiggins White Male Murder 06-20-55
Mack C. Lewis Black Male Murder 06-23-55
Walter Johnson Black Male Rape 08-19-55
Murray G. Gilmore White Male Murder 12-09-55
Mose Robinson Black Male Rape 12-16-55
Robert Buchanan Black Male Rape 01-03-56
Edgar Keeler Black Male Murder 01-27-56
O.C. McNair Black Male Murder 02-17-56
James Russell Black Male Murder 04-05-56
Dewey Towsel Black Male Murder 06-22-56
Willie Jones Black Male Murder 07-13-56
Mack Drake Black Male Rape 11-07-56
Henry Jackson Black Male Murder 11-08-56
Minor Sorber White Male Murder 02-08-57
Joe L. Thompson Black Male Murder 11-14-57
William A. Wetzell White Male Murder 01-17-58
J.C. Cameron Black Male Rape 05-28-58
Allen Dean, Jr. Black Male Murder 12-19-58
Nathaniel Young Black Male Rape 11-10-60
William Stokes Black Male Murder 04-21-61
Robert L. Goldsby Black Male Murder 05-31-61
J.W. Simmons Black Male Murder 07-14-61
Howard Cook Black Male Rape 12-19-61
Ellic Lee Black Male Rape 12-20-61
Willie Wilson Black Male Rape 05-11-62
Kenneth Slyter White Male Murder 03-29-63
Willie J. Anderson Black Male Murder 06-14-63
Tim Jackson Black Male Murder 05-01-64
Jimmy Lee Gray White Male Murder 09-02-83
Edward E. Johnson Black Male Murder 05-20-87
Connie Ray Evans Black Male Murder 07-08-87
Leo Edwards Black Male Murder 06-21-89 

PRISONERS EXECUTED BY LETHAL INJECTION
Name Race-Sex Offense Date Executed

Tracy A. Hanson White Male Murder 07-17-02
Jessie D. Williams White Male Murder 12-11-02
Bobby G. Wilcher White Male Murder 10-18-06 

MISSISSIPPI STATE PENETENTIARY
• The Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) is Mississippi’s oldest of the state’s three institutions and is located on approximately 18,000 acres in Parchman, Miss., in Sunflower County.
• In 1900, the Mississippi Legislature appropriated $80,000 for the purchase of 3,789 acres known as the Parchman Plantation.
• The Superintendent of the Mississippi State Penitentiary is Lawrence Kelly.
• There are approximately 1,239 employees at MSP. 

Current Death Row Facts: 65 Inmates on Death Row, 3 Female, 62 Male, 32 White, 32 Black, 1 Asian,
Youngest on Death Row: Terry Pitchford, MDOC #117778, age 22
Oldest On Death Row: Gerald Holland, MDOC #46631, age 70
Longest serving Death Row inmate: Richard Jordan, MDOC #30990 (March 2, 1977: Thirty-One Years) 

Source: Mississippi Department of Corrections, Mississippi State Penitentiary, May 2008 

ProDeathPenalty.com
 

About 10:30 p.m. on the evening of December 10, 1998, Dale Leo Bishop, Mark Gentry, Jessie Johnson, Cory Johnson and Charlie Rakestraw went to Ricky Myhand and Rachel Dobbs's apartment in Saltillo. Jessie, Bishop's co-defendant, and Cory were brothers. After drinking a couple of beers, Jessie decided to go to a store for more beer and asked Myhand to go along. Gentry, who had driven his vehicle to Myhand's apartment, drove Jessie, Bishop and Myhand to the store. Upon reaching their destination, they discovered that the store was closed, so Gentry turned around and headed back toward Myhand's apartment. On the way back, Jessie, who was seated in the front passenger seat, asked Gentry why he "narced" or "ratted on" his little brother. Gentry denied doing so. Jessie said, "Yeah, you did," then reached down to the floorboard, grabbed a hammer and hit Gentry between the eyes. 

The car coasted to a stop and Gentry begged Jessie not to hit him again. Bishop, who was seated behind Gentry, grabbed Gentry in a headlock and hit him. While he was being held, Jessie struck Gentry in the head again with the hammer. Bishop and Jessie next made Gentry move over into the front passenger's seat, and Jessie began driving. He turned off the road and went down a little field road. When Jessie stopped the vehicle, Gentry jumped out of the car and ran. Jessie told Bishop to catch him. In his statement given to the police, Bishop said Jessie was upset at Gentry for ratting on his brothers. As a result of the "ratting," Bishop believed that Jessie's little brothers were charged with some serious crimes. "Mark Gentry had instigated his brothers' getting about 9 or 10 counts of grand larceny and burglary." 

In his statement given to the police, Bishop, whose life-long vocation was being a carpenter, admitted the hammer belonged to him and went into some detail describing its characteristics. He stated that carpenter's hammers normally used in Mississippi weighed 20 to 22 ounces. He stated, "The hammer owned by Bishop and used to hit Gentry is a 28 ounce Vaughn California framing straight claw." He indicated that his hammer was not available for purchase in Mississippi. When asked by the police about how he came about bringing a hammer with him when he went riding with Gentry, he admitted using a false pretense: BISHOP: Well, when the trip originally began, the excuse was that I was going to go work on my truck and I use the hammer to work on my truck. POLICE: Is that true? BISHOP: That's just how we got the usage of the car to begin with. There is some discrepancy in the chain of events. In his statement, Bishop indicated that Jessie initially "decked Gentry with his hands." Then Bishop grabbed Gentry and Jessie hit him "probably just twice" with the hammer. After about five minutes Bishop came back with Gentry and forced him to get on his knees in front of the car. Bishop and Jessie began kicking Gentry. Jessie struck Gentry numerous times with the hammer. At one point Myhand was asked to hold Gentry while Bishop retrieved beers for himself and Jessie. In response, Myhand begged Jessie to stop. 

When they finished, Bishop had to dislodge the hammer from Gentry's throat, and then he and Jessie drug Gentry into the bushes. While returning to Myhand's apartment, Jessie and Bishop discussed finding a shovel with which to bury Gentry. At Myhand's apartment, Jessie and Bishop washed off and changed into some clean clothes given to them by Myhand. When Bishop, Jessie, Cory and Rakestraw finally left the apartment, Myhand and Dobbs called the police. Myhand took the officers to the site of the murder, and Gentry's body was recovered. Gentry's car was there, and a shovel was found nearby. Bishop and Jessie apparently fled the scene when the police car pulled up. They hid out in the woods until they were apprehended on December 13, 1998. 

Steven Hayne, M.D., a forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Mark Gentry's body, testified that there were 23 injuries to the head, neck and hand which were produced either by a blunt object with enough force to break or tear the skin, or with a sharp object such as the edge of a claw hammer. These injuries did not include bruises or scrapes which could have been produced from being kicked. Injuries to the hands, forearms and fingers were consistent with defensive posturing by Gentry. According to Dr. Hayne, "Mr. Gentry died from cranial cerebral trauma, secondary to blunt force trauma to the head, and he also died from lacerations, tears of the voice box, with aspiration of blood." 

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