Death Row and Roy Lee Ward

The Worst of the Worst

by Robert A. Waters

"If ever a case called for the death penalty, this is it." Jon Dartt, Spencer County prosecutor.

On  October 10, the state of Indiana plans to execute Roy Lee Ward. 

The Indiana Supreme Court drafted the following statement about the case: "In July, 2001, Ward went to the Payne residence in Dale, Indiana, where he convinced fifteen-year-old Stacy (pictured) to let him inside. Stacy's younger sister, Melissa, was napping upstairs and awoke to Stacy's screams. From the top of the stairs, Melissa saw a man on top of Stacy while Stacy screamed and pleaded with the man to stop. Melissa ran to her parent's bedroom and called 911."

At trial, prosecutor Jon Dartt said, "Roy Lee Ward brutally murdered and raped Stacy Payne in her home. He beat her with his fists, he hit her with a barbell, he tied her up, he stabbed her and he cut her."

The Jasper Herald reported that "one doctor described her wounds as a 'carving.' Another said she was almost cut in two." She was partially paralyzed because Ward cut her spinal column. According to the Herald, "EMTs said she was conscious and tried to push them away because she thought it was Roy Lee Ward coming back to attack her again. She endured ten minutes of being attacked and it was forty-four minutes later at the hospital before she was given anything for pain."

Stacy, a freshman at Heritage Hills High School, was an honor student. She ranked in the top 10 in her class. In the 7th-grade and 8th-grade, Stacy had been a cheerleader and a member of the student council. At her high school, she had recently made "Patriot Student of the Month." She was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church and the youth group.

Roy Lee Ward (pictured) was the complete opposite of Stacy Payne.

The Corydon Democrat reported that "Dale Town Marshall Matt Keller, who was the first to arrive at the Payne home, went in the house and saw Ward standing inside the door with blood all over his clothing and  holding a knife in his hand." The marshal cuffed Ward then found Stacy "lying in a pool of blood, naked from the waist down, conscious, with her intestines exposed." Stacy's injuries were too severe for the local hospital to treat, so she was airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital. She died there five hours later.

Ward admitted his guilt to police and even wrote a letter carried by news outlets in which he denied raping Stacy but admitted killing her.

In 2002, a jury convicted Ward of four counts, including rape and murder. He was sentenced to death. However,  one of his appeals stuck, and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that publicity in the small town before the trial prejudiced the jury. Granted a new trial, he was convicted once more. A new judge again sentenced him to death.

For twenty years, Ward's attorneys launched appeal after appeal, none of which were successful. His latest, arguing that Indiana's lethal injection process is unconstitutional, failed. 

In the decades before murdering Stacy, Ward had served twelve years in prison for dozens of sexual offenses and an occasional burglary. The Henderson Gleaner wrote that "he would reportedly order pizza or flowers just so he could expose himself to the delivery person. He was charged with public indecency multiple times and was on probation at the time of Payne's killing for a burglary conviction in Missouri."

Ward was a complete stranger to the Payne family. When he approached Stacy at her door, he used the ruse that he couldn't find his dog. She had pity on him, and let him inside, likely to use the landline telephone.

When, or I should say, if, Ward is placed on the gurney to receive a deadly dose of drugs, I hope he'll spare us the usual lecture about the cruelty of capital punishment. We really don't care to hear from someone who committed the mind-numbing crimes he did.

History of the Roman Republic

The Roman Republic, History, Myths, Politics, and Novelistic Historiography

By Dr. Miguel A. Faria, Jr.

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published 2025

Review written by Robert A. Waters

In his introduction to The Roman Republic, History, Myths, Politics, and Novelistic Historiography, the author, Dr. Miguel A. Faria, Jr., writes: "Rome laid the foundation for the system of jurisprudence that later formed the basis of civil law in Latin nations like France, Spain, and Portugal and in countries of North America (Mexico) and Central and South America. Even English-speaking countries, such as the United States, England, Australia and New Zealand, whose laws were based on evolving English common law, were influenced by the Roman civil system."

Rome is credited with beginning in 753 B.C. with the founding of the city. While many myths are included in writings about Rome's early beginnings, the fact is that Roman writers and historians also included great swaths of actual history. Archaeology has proven the accuracy of much of those writings. The Etruscans, a former culture, and ancient Greeks had a significant influence on Roman government and language. 

The author states that "Romulus was...responsible for forming the Roman Senate, the Roman army, and the initial cults of Roman religion." In the very beginning, Rome needed men and women to populate the city. "To attract men to the new city, Romulus created an asylum where fugitives, slaves, or even freemen from other areas could take refuge." To get women, the Roman army raided and conquered smaller tribes.

Rome's military might was necessary for the country to survive for as long as it did. Dr. Faria writes, "The military remained disciplined and strong, able to ward off the barbarians at the frontiers and capable of enforcing peace within the empire." Although the republic was shaken numerous times, it lasted 500 years, long enough to influence the founders of our country, the United States of America. (By contrast, the American Republic has lasted about 250 years.)

Instead of establishing a monarchy or democracy, "ancient Rome created the res publica ('in the public interest') form of governance." Rome developed an executive branch that managed the military and the government; the senate, whose leaders  debated and passed legislation; and the judicial branch made up of judges. Most Roman government officials were voted into office, an unusual practice during that era.

Over time, Rome fought hundreds, if not thousands, of battles and wars against outside forces, but the Republic was brought down from within. In the decades before Jesus Christ was born, a brutal civil war doomed the Republic.

Both Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (i.e., Pompey) and Julius Caesar were successful military leaders. The author writes, "Pompey was a popular youth. In his younger days, he was often compared in appearance to Alexander the Great because of his fine features, golden hair and limpid eyes." 

Although Julius Caesar was born into an aristocratic family, his longing to be dictator of Rome caused friction between him and Pompey, who aligned himself with the Senate.

In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar's military destroyed Pompey's army at the Battle of Pharsalus. In describing the horrific conflict that ended the Republic, the author writes that Caesar's infantry was ordered not to throw their javelins (as was normal) at the charging Republican army but "to thrust them at the heads of the enemy horsemen in an effort to gouge out their eyes, puncture their throats, or cause other dreadful wounds." In the battle, the Republican army suffered 15,000 casualties and 24,000 of its soldiers were taken captive. Pompey fled to Egypt, but was murdered by associates of Ptolemy VIII, the thirteen-year-old boy-king. (NOTE: the author's description of these events reads like a novel and is guaranteed to keep the reader in suspense.)

Julius Caesar became the ruler of Rome, but was famously assassinated a few years later, in 44 B.C. The Republican form of government never recovered as Octavian assumed power and transformed the Republic into the Empire. 

Most Romans believed in "natural law." Cicero, well-read and highly educated, taught the concept. Dr. Faria writes that "Natural Law and Natural Rights theory assert that the rights of the individual were unlimited as long as they do not impinge on the rights of others and do not disturb the peace and tranquility of the community. On the other hand, the power of the state upon the individual was limited." While writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson followed the tenets of Cicero and other more modern thinkers, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.

There are so many great stories in this book. We all know about Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Here is a quick biographical sketch of Marc Antony and his wife Octavia: "All of Rome knew that Marc Antony had been consorting with Cleopatra. Yet Octavia, his devoted and long-suffering wife, remained loyal to him despite his shameful treatment of her. She took care of his business affairs during his long absences from Rome, all the while residing in Antony's house and not returning to her brother Octavian's home as a scorned and mistreated wife." The real story (not Hollywood's version) shows Antony as a not-so-great general and a cad of the worst sort. During his last battle, he abandoned his post in the midst of the fighting to follow Cleopatra to Egypt. Needless to say, his rudderless navy (and army) were quickly destroyed.

So many of the true stories in the book bear little resemblance to the romantic notions of Hollywood. Most are even more interesting than some modern made-up dramatic tale.

The Roman civilization, particularly the Republic, influenced the formation of our own country and, as such, should be studied by American citizens. The author (pictured) describes many heroes and villains. The writing is fast-paced and exciting. The characters had many of the positive traits and negative flaws that we have today, and that makes their stories even more readable. The book has 263 high-quality B/W pictures and 33 color photos in high definition. I highly recommend The Roman Republic, History, Myths, Politics, and Novelistic Historiography written by the avid scholar and clear-thinker, Dr. Miguel A. Faria, Jr.

"Tesla terrorist will not be charged with any crime"

Minnesota State Employee Keyed Six Tesla Automobiles

By Robert A. Waters

I don't know if any of my readers are still following the Tesla terrorism cases. My interest is in learning what punishment, if any, each perpetrator will receive. Dylan Adams (pictured) keyed six Teslas in Minneapolis. According to police records, the vandalism amounted to "more than $20,000 in damages."

Adams, who works in the financial compliance department for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, seems to have kept his job. 

This statement is from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office: "We want to make sure we are very clear. What Mr. Adams did was wrong and we are holding him accountable for keying the cars. The HCAO did not reject or decline this case. We offered diversion as we often do with property damage cases when the person has no record. Mr. Adams will have to complete the requirements of the program. He will also have to pay every penny in restitution to the victims. If he does not meet those requirements, we will proceed through the criminal legal system."

The following rebuttal was issued by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "The Minneapolis Police Department did its job. It identified and investigated a crime trend, identified, and arrested a suspect, and presented the case file to the Hennepin County Attorney Office for consideration of charges. The case impacted at least six different individuals and totaled over $20,000 in damages. Any frustration related to the charging decision of the Hennepin County Attorney should be directed solely at her office. Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they poured their hearts into are declined. In my experience, the victims in these cases often feel the same."

Adams' attorney, Robert Paule, sent out the following statement: "My client is very remorseful for his actions and is beginning the process of making sure the victims are made whole financially. We are grateful for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and apologize to the victims and law enforcement."

So there you have it.

What do you think?

"This ain't Jesus, This is Satan"

Killer Executed

By Robert A. Waters

The sand track lay invisible in the black night, but Dorothy Lewis stumbled along. Her torn dress snagged the limbs of trees as her eyes tried to focus on what lay ahead. Rattlesnakes, alligators, panthers--she didn't know what could be waiting out in the Florida swamp to attack her, but she did know that a wild animal couldn't be any worse than the human predators who had left her to die.

Dorothy's wounded right knee barely functioned, and her head ached. She'd been shot in the leg, neck, mouth, and forehead. Before that, she had been repeatedly raped by two men. But now, staggering through the darkness, her heart ached worse than her body because Dorothy had no idea where her children were. When the men had shot her and stolen her car, they took Jamilya, 7, and Jasmine, 3 (pictured).  

Several miles later, she spotted a light in the distance.

It's been called the worst crime in the history of Lake County, Florida. 

On January 30, 1993, Lake County was home to only a few small towns. Much of the county was made up of farmland and wooded areas. The building boom in the town of Eustis had not yet begun. With a population of less than 12,000, many who lived there worked in agriculture. Other residents fought the traffic jams to drive the 30 miles to work at Disney World in Orlando.

On that cool day, eighteen-year-old Richard Henyard (pictured) woke up and stole a handgun from a relative. He met up with one of his usual cohorts in crime, Alfonza Smalls, 14. Henyard informed Smalls that he planned a robbery that day. In the late evening, the friends sat on a bench outside the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Watching. As Dorothy and her children walked to their car, they followed.

Florida court documents provide the following narrative: "When Ms. Lewis left the store, she went to her car and put her daughters in the front passenger seat. As she walked behind the car to the driver's side, Ms. Lewis noticed Alfonza Smalls coming towards her. As Smalls approached, he pulled up his shirt and revealed a gun in his waistband. Smalls ordered Ms. Lewis and her daughters into the back seat of the car and then called to Henyard. Henyard drove the Lewis car out of town as Smalls gave him directions.

"The Lewis girls were crying and upset, and Smalls repeatedly demanded that Ms. Lewis 'shut the girls up.' As they continued to drive out of town, Ms. Lewis beseeched Jesus for help, to which Henyard replied, 'This ain't Jesus, this is Satan.'"

After driving for about 20 miles, Henyard stopped near Hicks Ditch Road, in an isolated field of orange groves surrounded by swamps. As the girls watched through the back window, Henyard raped Dorothy on the trunk of the car. After he finished, Smalls also raped Dorothy. While he was assaulting her, he laid the pistol down on the trunk. Dorothy reached for it but Smalls was too fast for her. Snatching it, he shouted, "You're not going to get this gun, bitch."

Henyard took the pistol from Smalls and forced Dorothy to sit in a ditch alongside the road. When he thought she was moving too slow, he fired the gun, hitting her in the leg. The girls continued to scream, begging the men not to hurt their mother. Dorothy pled with Henyard and Smalls not to kill her children. 

After being shot, Dorothy blacked out. Henyard and Smalls thought she was dead and left.

The girls in the backseat continued to scream for their mother. Regardless of how many times Henyard and Smalls yelled at them to shut up, they wouldn't stop. "Mommy," they screamed. "Mommy. I want my mommy." Henyard drove for a few more miles, then stopped again.

Henyard yanked Jasmine out of the back seat while Jamilya got out on her own. According to court documents, "The Lewis girls were then taken into a grassy area along the roadside where they were each killed with a single bullet fired into the head. Henyard and Smalls threw the bodies of Jasmine and Jamilya Lewis over a nearby fence into some underbrush."

Later that day, Henyard bragged to his friends and family about the rape and murders. No one contacted police to report Henyard's confessions.

Finally, nine days after the murders, Henyard went to the Eustis Police Department and told detectives that Smalls and a friend had killed the girls. It was thought he hoped to get the reward money, which by now had reached a meager $1,000. 

Investigators quickly uncovered his schemes and Henyard confessed.

On September 23, 2008, more than fifteen years after having been convicted of two counts of first degree murder, as well as kidnapping and rape, Henyard stumbled into the death chamber at Raiford. According to police reports, he had never shown a bit of remorse. Clinical-like, prison officials stuck his arm with a needle and he quickly drifted off to an eternal sleep. 

A Christian, Dorothy Lewis said she had forgiven Henyard and did not attend his execution. 

Alfonza Smalls was convicted of the same crimes. Because of his age, he received a sentence of life in prison. According to prison records, he is still incarcerated.

The Great Convenience Store Stickup

Please don't ever start doing dope...

By Robert A. Waters

Back in school, you and your buddies used to make fun of Nancy Reagan's slogan, "Just say no." So simplistic, you said, snickering with all your friends. 

Since then, you've been in jail a half-dozen times, and you just got out of prison a few hours ago. You've never been able to hold a job. You beat up every girlfriend you ever had when she attempted to leave your sorry ass. Your dad tried helping when you were young. He'd been in Nam and knew what real problems could be. Now every time you look into his sad old eyes, you feel utterly ashamed.

But that craving is still there, and it's only getting worse. The few dollars you got when you were released from prison have already vanished. You need more money. If you don't score some meth, you feel like you'll die. 

Your old prison buddy, who got out a few days before you, loaned you a beat-up little .22-caliber Saturday Night Special. It seems fragile, like it's missing a couple of pieces. 

It's only four in the afternoon, but you walk across the street from your dad's house and enter the store. Chips, candy, beer, you're not interested. You also don't notice that the surveillance video is state-of-the-art and covers every square inch of the place, inside and out.

A girl stands behind the counter. Got on a green jacket with the business logo. Straight brunette hair, can't be more than twenty. You walk up and stick the pistol in her face. "Gimme the money," you snarl. Her face drains white and she fumbles with the register. "Don't shoot," she whispers. You sweep the gun down, the barrel pointing at the till. She's panicking now, banging the keys with her fingers when all of a sudden the drawer pops open. Sounds like a gunshot. 

The girl grabs a bunch of bills and hands them to you. "That ain't enough," you say. "Open the safe." 

"It's time-stamped," she murmurs. "Please don't shoot me," she says. "I got a little boy. My husband..." 

"Gimme the rest of the money. Now!" 

"I can't."

You point the barrel at her face and cock the gun. Now you feel that same rage you felt when your girlfriends tried to leave. The clerk whimpers out one more word. "Plee-eease...."

When you squeeze the trigger, the gun barely makes any sound. A faraway car backfires. The girl staggers back, a smear of blood on her shirt. Her face looks like she can't believe this is happening. Then she drops like a stone onto the floor.

Oh Jesus, what am I gonna do now?

You finally notice the video behind the counter. You point the gun at it and try to fire at the camera. But your pistol disintegrates. Half of it drops to the floor, you're just standing there holding the grip.

Finally, what little mind you have left tells you to leave.

But as you rush out, a young couple walks in. They nod at you, they're friends with your dad.

You don't have long. You race to your dealer who lives around the corner and hand him the wad of cash. 63 bucks. He places a baggie in your hand. "Get out!" he screams.

You run back to your old man's house. He's lying on the couch, not moving. It's like he's either dead or zoning you out--like he doesn't want to even think about you and your perpetual crises...You run into your bedroom and lock the door.

You've got to get that rush before police arrive.

Suddenly, the door crashes in and someone kicks that baggie out of your hand. That fat cop you hate the most yanks your arms behind your back and cuffs you. Then he wrenches your shoulder up until you scream. 

He laughs.

You never even got that last high.

This is a composite of many convenience store robberies I've studied. With the exception of a couple of cases that were sexually motivated where the robbers kidnapped a female clerk, all were drug-related. In most cases, the robber does something stupid, like having a decrepit gun that disintegrates. He's almost always caught within a few hours. 

Dope has infiltrated our culture so that a large percentage of the population think it's cool to get high. More than 100,000 Americans OD every year. These are real lives, real people who died senseless deaths. And real families that will forever live with the heartache of needless loss.

It's only getting worse.

I'm afraid for my country.

I'm afraid for my grandkids.

If you believe in prayer, pray hard that this curse can be eradicated.

If you don't pray, teach your kids to "just say no." Yeah, it's kinda hokey. But it just might save someone's life.

The Case That Was So Horrific It Could Never Go To Trial

Was Justice Served for Madeline Soto?

By Robert A. Waters

"I'm pretty sure this was all an accident. I'm not sure that any one person [is to blame]. Maybe no one's to blame or everyone's to blame a little bit." Stephan Sterns speaking about how Madeline Soto (pictured) died. NOTE: Sterns murdered her.

It's hard to say who was running the asylum in Kissimmee, Florida.

There was Jennifer Soto. She rarely worked and when she did, she had to make sure she didn't earn enough so that her disability payments would be revoked. The asylum was a pill dump--everyone in the "family" of three seemed to be overly-medicated much of the time. Jenn, as she liked to be called, took sleeping pills for comfort. If she didn't want to face a problem, why not gulp down a benzodiazepine or two? She also had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That required additional meds. Drugs were everywhere in the home.

The "family" lived in a 2200 square foot townhouse. It had four bedrooms. Jenn's father owned the place and even his daughter was forced to pay rent to live there. There were two female renters in the rooms upstairs. There was one kitchen that everyone used and a bathroom on  each floor.

The whole situation invited chaos.

Madeline Soto, Jennifer's daughter, had a make-shift bedroom she rarely used. A teenager, she still slept with Jenn, and sometimes Jenn and Stephan. On the night she was murdered, Jenn sent Maddie upstairs to sleep with her boyfriend while she (Jenn) slept. So what could go wrong?

Maddie's father lived a thousand miles away in Texas. So she had gown up in the chaos. Maddie had fought her way through 13 years, being force-fed pills just to exist. Like mother, like daughter. Jennifer claimed that Madeline had ADHD--attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Due to the drugs Jennifer gave her, Madeline sometimes could not stay awake in class. 

On Sunday, February 22, Madeline went to her grandmother's house to celebrate her 13th birthday. (Her mother had to work that day and couldn't attend.) Maddie came home in the late afternoon to find her mother's boyfriend waiting.

Stephan Sterns, 37, was a snake. He lived upstairs in Room 4. Like Jenn, he almost never worked. He bragged to her that at any time he could manipulate his parents into giving him money. And if they wouldn't hand over the cash, he would steal it, he said. He had actually stolen his father's Rolex watch. Sterns' parents lived two hours away. Sterns loved vaping, and playing Warhammer games and wearing his cap backward like a 1980s teenaged nerd. He seemed to think he looked cool. He collected trading cards and figurines, Tamagotchis and Battletech. He was so creepy that almost everyone of Jenn's friends who met him warned her to get him out of her life.

But for some reason, she ignored the advice.

Like Jenn and Maddie, Sterns took medication to sleep and for anxiety.

He had a secret. A dark deadly secret that had festered for years inside Room 4. The room was equipped with several inside door locks so no one would find out the secret. For at least five years, Sterns had been raping Maddie. Sometimes he doubled her sleeping pills so he could molest her while she was unconscious. Other times, he blackmailed her into succumbing to his dark desires. Or he would tell her he loved her, playing on her naivete to form an emotional pathway for sexual exploitation. 

Shortly after Maddie returned from her party, Sterns strangled her to death. Panicking, he drove her body around for hours looking for a place to dump it. Eventually, he found a row of out-of-the-way bamboo trees on private property off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County. Five days after Maddie went missing, cops found her remains there.

In this era of amateur YouTube detectives, millions of viewers across the world learned details about Maddie's case. (I'm not putting the YouTubers down, just stating a fact.)

After recovering Maddie's body, Kissimmee PD took the lead in the investigation. Detectives had already arrested Sterns on 60 counts of sexual battery, molestation and child pornography. In addition to 1,700 images of Maddie being violated in every way possible, cops found a hard drive owned by Sterns that contained 35,000 images of random sexual acts with children. While the original charges consisted of Sterns raping Maddie, the 35,000 images on the hard drive were likely picked up off the internet. Cops think those images may have been bought and sold. Since Sterns rarely worked but always seemed to have cash to buy expensive figurines, many have conjectured that he sold those vile images via the internet.

A few weeks after Maddie's body was found, Sterns was charged with first degree murder. Prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty.

But the court cases never got that far. The prospect of 12 jurors watching 1,700 images of Maddie being raped was too much even for Sterns. Had he allowed those images to be seen, he wouldn't have a chance in prison. His lawyers persuaded him to plead guilty. In that way, he could avoid the death penalty and no one else would view the horrific things he did to Maddie.

On July 21, 2025, Sterns pleaded no contest to the murder charge and guilty to the sex abuse charges. He was sentenced to 21 life sentences with no chance for parole.

One major question remains. What caused Sterns to murder Maddie? Even after pleading "no contest" for her murder, he never told the reason.

Many theories have emerged. Some analysts say he "outgrew" her. According to this theory, molesters have a certain age preference. Maddie no longer looked like a child. She was a teenager fast becoming an adult. Did that turn Stephan off? Possibly. Would it have made him kill her? I doubt it.

It's more likely that Maddie threatened to expose her abuser. She had told friends that when she turned 13 she planned to go "live in the woods." That may have been a coded way of saying she wanted to end the abuse. I can imagine a scenario of Maddie confronting Sterns. Social scientists who study domestic violence have determined that ending a relationship can be a very dangerous time. What if Maddie informed Sterns that she planned to tell her mom about the hell she had suffered over the years. He knew the end of Maddie's silence would mean he would be imprisoned for life. In his mind, that could never happen. So the only viable alternative for him to continue his life as he knew it would be to murder his long-time victim.

One other scenario strikes me as plausible. What if Maddie was pregnant? Or maybe she thought she was pregnant? It is possible that Maddie had been brainwashed into thinking she was in a romantic relationship with Sterns. While this is despicable to think about, it's happened before. 

According to one of Maddie's girlfriends at school, they kept track of their periods together. They had started menstruating about the same time so they talked about it occasionally. Approximately two months before she was murdered, her friend told detectives that Maddie's periods had stopped. She may have told Sterns she was pregnant with his child. While she might have been ecstatic about having his baby, he would have been crushed. He knew the end had come. Murder, as Sterns saw it, was the only option.

One other fact supports this theory.

Cops found emails on the phones of Maddie and Sterns in which she pressured him to buy "mom," "dad," and "baby" tokens.

If Maddie was indeed pregnant, the information isn't likely to be released any time soon. But those tokens are certainly intriguing.

Some of the YouTube channels I used while researching this story:

The Fish Tank: Gavin Fish

Grizzly: Gisela

Nancy Grace

Vinnie Politan: Court TV.

Facing the Firing Squad

Victim Maurine Hunsaker

40 Years Later, It's Finally Time to Pay

By Robert A. Waters

Ralph Menzies looks like anyone's grandpa. Slightly overweight, maybe a little sickly, but probably nice enough. If you saw him in Walmart, you might nod.

You wouldn't know that from his youth Menzies could never stay out of prison for more than a few days at any given time. For his final crime, he kidnapped, tortured, robbed and murdered a completely innocent woman.

So now this kindly-looking old man faces a firing squad.

A lot of people say he's too old to be shot to death. Not only that, he had a crappy childhood. And he might have mental issues. And, even worse, he may have dementia.

Others say it's been a long time coming, that 40 years is too long for a family to have to wait for justice to be served.

On February 23, 1986, Maurine Hunsaker, 26, went to work at the Gas a Mat service station in Kearns, Utah. As a clerk, her job was to see that customers got gas in their vehicles and bought candy and cold drinks and beer if they wanted to. She may never have even realized that working in such a business is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that "Menzies is accused of killing Mrs. Hunsaker the morning after she disappeared from her job at a Kearns area self-service gas station February 23. A hiker found her body February 25 near a picnic area on Storm Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon."

Menzies had been out of prison for just three days. Instead of trying to find work, he decided to rob a store to get a few bucks for drugs. It was just the luck of the draw that he chose the place where Maurine worked.  

A staff writer for the Tribune wrote that "convicted killer Ralph LeRoy Menzies is an incurable psychopath who should die not just for the murder of Maurine Hunsaker but for his life of crime, prosecutors say."

As a juvenile, Menzies had a rap sheet five pages long. In 1976, just hours after being released from custody for other crimes he robbed a 7-11 convenience store. Two years later, he shot-gunned a cab driver. Had he been jailed for the rest of his life for either of those crimes, Maurine Hunsaker would likely have been able to live her life.

Instead, Menzies played the system. After he kidnapped Maurine, he allowed her to call her husband and tell him that she would be released later. Then Menzies used a long-bladed knife to stab her to death.

Menzies is scheduled to die September 5. 

Maurine's son Matt, who was just ten-years-old when his mother was killed, has long complained about the length of time it takes for an execution to take place. Betty Sudweeks, Hunsaker's mother, recently stated that she is bitter at the system for the dozens and dozens of delays. "Maurine had a very lovely family," Sudweeks said, "and a husband she adored. She had everything to live for."

Ralph Menzies got $116.00 for the robbery.

Who Murdered Eddie Gaedel?

Midget Played in the Major Leagues

By Robert A. Waters

In 1951, baseball was still king. Every day in the summertime, massive crowds showed up to see the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, and other great teams. But there were also ne'er-do-well organizations such as the St. Louis Browns, teams that had never gotten a whiff of a pennant or, God forbid, a World Series. Since he was unable to hire a team of winners, Bill Veeck, owner of the Browns, turned to promoting stunts to gain paying crowds.

His most successful stunt featured a 3-foot 7-inch midget named Eddie Gaedel. On the scorching hot day of August 19, 1951, the Browns were playing a double-header with the Detroit Tigers. As usual, the Browns lost the first game 7 to 2. In between the first and second game, Veeck's ground crew rolled a massive papier-mache cake onto the field. The 18,000 fans in attendance suddenly became excited--another wild feat was coming, they could feel it in their bones.

As the Tigers began getting ready for the second game, catcher Bob Swift took warm-up tosses from pitcher Bob Cain. Umpire Ed Hurley stood behind Swift ready to call the balls and strikes.

Then it happened. As the two bottom-dwelling teams got ready to play, a door in the papier-mache cake popped open and out stepped Eddie Gaedel. Half the size of most players, wearing an official Browns uniform with the fraction "1/8" written across the back, manager Zack Taylor walked to the umpire and stated that Eddie Gaedel would pinch hit for the scheduled number one hitter, Frank Saucier.

Gaedel, a showman, strutted toward home plate holding a child's bat.

The crowd, throbbing with excitement, erupted in laughter.

Umpire Hurley called Veeck and manager Taylor to him. This man is not a professional player, Hurley said. He will not be allowed to hit. Veeck quickly pulled out documents proving Gaedel was a member of the team. The doubtful umpire had no choice, the diminutive batter could play.

Gaedel stepped up to the plate. Veeck had warned him not to swing, to just crouch down and hold the bat on his shoulder. The crowd was standing now, ready to see the stunt play out. Pitcher Cain reared back and threw a fastball to the catcher. "Ball!" roared the ump. Too high. A second pitch was also a ball. Every time Hurley yelled "Ball," the crowds screamed. 

After ball four, Gaedel began jogging toward first base. He stopped twice and curtseyed for the crowds. Pandemonium set in. Gaedel reached first base and stood there. Manager Taylor then put in a pinch runner for Gaedel. As the midget headed to the dugout, the crowds gave him a prolonged and raucous standing ovation. 

Then it was over. As usual, the Browns lost the game. But nobody cared. Each fan would remember this game for the rest of their lives.

Eddie Gaedel was born in Chicago to a poor family. Whether it was due to people making fun of him because of his height, or a Napoleanic complex, he developed a surly personality. That, along with a yearning for juke joints and booze, made the little man a target for bullies. Even though he never won, our one-day hero always seemed to be itching for a fight.

Gaedel fought his last bout on June 18, 1961, ten years after he made baseball history. The Chicago Times reported that "an inquest has been ordered into the death of Edward Gaedel, the only midget ever to play baseball in the major leagues. He was 36 years old. The inquest was ordered after police noted bruises around the knees and on the left side of Mr. Gaedel's face after his body was discovered in the bedroom of his South side apartment Sunday." In addition to the wounds suffered by Gaedel, an autopsy showed that he died of a heart attack.

Rumor suggested that Gaedel was last seen at a bowling alley being followed by four ruffians. Reporters speculated that these men robbed him.

This story disappeared from the newspapers faster than Eddie Gaedel disappeared from major league baseball. While searching many newspapers, I could never find additional information about the murder investigation into his death. Did the cops drop the case after learning of Gaedel's heart attack? That might make it difficult to convict an assailant, so investigators may have decided to deep-six the case. 

The only major league player to attend Eddie Gaedel's funeral was Bob Cain, the pitcher who walked him. "I felt obligated," Cain told reporters.

Blue Monday--The Day Fats Domino Disappeared

Rock 'n' Roll Legend Went Missing for 3 Days

By Robert A. Waters

On August 23, 2005, a storm formed near the Bahama Islands in the Bermuda Triangle. It moved fast, striking just north of Miami on the evening of the 25th. The roiling clouds and driving rains screamed across Florida with winds of 80 miles-per-hour. Twenty inches of rain soaked the Sunshine State. The storm kept drifting west, into the Gulf of Mexico. Once there, winds rose to 175 miles per hour and became a waterlogged thorn in the side of weathercasters. Where would it land?

On the night of Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina stopped playing games with the news crews. It smashed up on the southern shore of Louisiana. With winds now at 140 miles per hour and a storm surge of 27 feet, much of the city of New Orleans was doomed. Dikes broke, flooding obliterated thousands of homes and businesses, and more than 1,500 residents of Louisiana died. Twenty-four hours later, as the storm rolled out of the "Big Easy," it left a massive hole of devastation behind.

Many people disappeared, some never to be seen again. Among those who vanished was the famous singer, Antoine "Fats" Domino.

The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation wrote that "New Orleans' biggest musical export since Louis Armstrong, [Fats] Domino, sold more records from 1956 to 1963 than anyone but Elvis Presley and could have lived anywhere. He chose, when not on tour, to stay in the neighborhood he grew up in, holding court over heaping pots of red beans and rice in a living room with a grand piano and a couch made from the back of a vintage Cadillac. Musicians, neighbors, relatives, and visiting dignitaries were in and out the door over the decades." (Domino's home is pictured below.)

As the storm blew in, Domino called his agent. The singer stated he planned to "ride out" Katrina with his disabled wife, Rosemary.

Then he went silent.

Antoine Dominique Domino, Jr. was born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans. He learned the piano as a child and started playing local clubs in his teenaged years. In 1949, he released his first record, "The Fat Man." It sold over a million copies. Fats was on his way to fame and fortune. Hits such as "My Girl Josephine," "Blue Monday," and the classic, "Blueberry Hill," continued to chart. 

Domino lived in the Lower Ninth Ward at 1208 Caffin Avenue. His home lay directly in the path of Katrina. Throughout the night, winds roared and rain shot like volleys of bullets in the  darkness. The Domino home began taking water early. As the water rose in the house, Fats and Rosemary clambered upstairs to the second floor. 

Six feet, eight feet, ten feet, the flood continued to rise. By now, Fats and Rosemary feared they would die. Looking below, the world-famous musician could see his possessions floating around his home. His expensive white Steinway piano lay on its side, covered by the flood. It's legs and keys were never found.

When morning broke, the streets surrounding the Domino home were empty, except for floating corpses. Ten feet of water sloshed through the neighborhood, drowning many homes in the area. Late that afternoon, the United States Coast Guard began sending rescue crews out in small boats and helicopters.

No one could get hold of Fats. For three days, he remained missing. Fans of the singer grieved, sure he'd perished. Someone even painted "RIP Fats You Will Be Missed" on the front of his home.

Major news outlets, including CNN and Fox News, reported that the famous singer was missing and feared dead. His agent told reporters he had not heard from Fats for three days.

Finally, on September 1, CNN reported that Fats and his wife had been rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. This was confirmed by his agent. The couple had climbed onto the roof to escape death. They were currently staying in a safe part of the city with their daughter's boyfriend.

Fats lost all his gold records and his National Medal of Arts award in the storm. 

One of the earliest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fats was also inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Over his career, it is estimated that the much-loved artist sold almost one hundred million records.

After Katrina, Fats never rebuilt his New Orleans home. He and Rosemary moved to Harvey, Louisiana. He died on October 24, 2017. He was 89-years-old. His beloved wife had preceded him in death.

His world-famous Steinway was restored and is currently on display at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

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