From: | ZElston@AOL.COM |
Title: | MAN SENTENCED TO DIE FOR MURDERS BLAMED ON ALIENS |
Source: | Reuter |
Date: | April 01, 1996 |
forced him to murder two women was sentenced Friday to die for his crimes.
Robert Joe Moody had asked to be executed, saying that extraterrestrial
beings would then resurrect him to prove their existence.
In winning a conviction in the bizarre case last October, prosecutors
scoffed at Moody's claims of alien influence and contended that he killed the
two Tucson women to get money to support his drug habit.
Moody knew both of his victims. Michelle Malone, 33, was shot to death on
November 15, 1993. Five days later, Patricia Magda, 55, was fatally
bludgeoned.
``We have finally come to the point where I get my birthday wish,''
Moody, who turned 37 Friday, told Superior Court Judge Howard Hantman before
his sentencing. ``I hope you grant the appropriate sentence to allow me to
complete my mission.''
Courtroom observers said the unrepentant Moody seemed pleased when the
judge sentenced him to receive the death penalty. The victims' families
packed the courtroom for Friday's hearing.
At a hearing last week, a defense psychologist testified that Moody --
who represented himself during his three-week trial -- suffered from multiple
personality disorder.
But the prosecution presented experts who said he was mentally competent
at the time of the murders.