Pigkiller of Piglice Catkiller Goes Free After Second Trial
http://whitenationalist.org/forum/sh...=1445#post1445
Thomas Grover Rye, who killed a man in a 2004 incident that followed repeated shootings of Rye's pet cats on his Lower Richland property, has been found not guilty of murder.
It was the second murder trial in five years for Rye, 63, and this time he walked out of the Richland County courthouse a free man.
He was convicted in the first trial in a case where gun rights, property rights and animal rights collided.
"Our client is absolutely relieved. This is the end of more than five years of anguish," said defense lawyer Dennis Bolt, who with fellow Columbia lawyer Jim Griffin, represented Rye.
The trial lasted six days, and the jury was out more than five hours before returning a verdict late Monday night. Rye testified last week for more than five hours.
In the first trial, in 2005, another jury found Rye, a heating and air conditioning technician, guilty of murder in the death of Robert Odam, 22, of Bluffton.
The State Supreme Court overturned his first conviction, after Rye had spent 11 months in prison.
Odam was a Beaufort County deputy when he visited Rye's neighborhood and - carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle - went onto Rye's property in Eastover on Aug. 14, 2004. The property was fenced and posted with No Trespassing signs, according to testimony.
An altercation developed, and Rye, who was carrying a .30 caliber rifle, shot and killed Odam.
Rye claimed self-defense and defense of his house and property.
Assistant 5th circuit solicitor Ted Lupton said, "This was a retrial of what was always a very difficult case.
"Since the first trial, there have been changes in the law that benefited Mr. Rye. Those changes and other facts led this jury to feel there was reasonable doubt," Lupton said.
"Reasonable doubt" is a legal term used to determine guilt or innocence. If a jury has "reasonable doubt," it must render a not guilty verdict.
In 2007, the S.C. Supreme Court overturned Rye's initial conviction.
In its 3-2 decision, the high court said property owners have the right to use "reasonable force" against another person if that person is trespassing. That applies to both someone's house and property, the court said.
In establishing self-defense, the court said, a person has to be in fear of his or her life. But in defending home or property, an owner may use reasonable force to eject the trespasser and does not need to be in fear of his or her life.
The Supreme Court called events surrounding the case "disturbing and bizarre."
In 2004, in the two months prior to Odam's shooting, someone had gone onto Rye's property and shot to death 13 cats and wounded several others, testimony at the trial indicated. A structure on the property also had been broken into and some $600 worth of tools taken.
Rye, who had owned the property 30 years, kept cats he rescued there. He visited the property almost every day and lived elsewhere.
On the fatal day, Rye had found more dead cats on his property and called 911. Then, hearing gunshots, he grabbed his rifle and ran to where the shots were fired, according to testimony. His intent was to hold the shooter until the deputy arrived.
On encountering Odam at the rear of his property, Rye said, "Put down your gun."
Evidence at the trial indicated Odam refused, saying "I'm not doing anything wrong -- you go ahead and put down your gun."
Rye immediately fired and killed Odam. Rye testified he shot Odam because Odam was pointing his gun at him and he feared for his life.
Odam was struck four times from a distance of about 10 feet, testimony indicated. The jury was shown pictures of the body.
Mason Mitchell, a friend of Odam's from Eastover who was on the scene, testified that Odam put down his weapon before being shot and killed.
"The jury had to decide whether they believed Mr. Rye or Odam's friend. They obviously believed Mr. Rye," Bolt said. "They got it right."
Odam's mother-in-law, Genevieve Benton, said she regrets that people won't know more about Odam.
"He was a fabulous guy, a great, caring, fun-loving kid. He was 22, and worked two jobs. He took great care of my daughter, and they were buying a house. They're making him out to be some kind of animal.
"I thought the solicitor's office did a much better job in the first trial," Benton said. "This is really sad."
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner had little to say about the verdict. "The outcome is not what they wanted or expected, but our thoughts are with the family."
Odam had been a Beaufort County deputy for about two years at the time of his death, Tanner said. Odam was a 2000 graduate of Hilton Head High School and patrolled the Bluffton area.
"Everyone that worked with him liked him, respected him and thought very highly of him," Tanner said.
Nancy Odam, Robert Odam's mother, said the verdict was a painful end to a years-long process that repeatedly has traumatized the family.
The family, she said, was "completely shocked" by the outcome.
She said she is concerned the case could set a precedent that could allow killers who claim they were defending their property to go free.
"It's the worst travesty of justice that has ever been displayed in a courtroom," she said. "My son died a senseless, cold-blooded death, and nobody's paying for it."
Reach Monk at 803-771-8344.
http://whitenationalist.org/forum/sh...=1445#post1445
Originally posted by South Carolina thestate.com
It was the second murder trial in five years for Rye, 63, and this time he walked out of the Richland County courthouse a free man.
He was convicted in the first trial in a case where gun rights, property rights and animal rights collided.
"Our client is absolutely relieved. This is the end of more than five years of anguish," said defense lawyer Dennis Bolt, who with fellow Columbia lawyer Jim Griffin, represented Rye.
The trial lasted six days, and the jury was out more than five hours before returning a verdict late Monday night. Rye testified last week for more than five hours.
In the first trial, in 2005, another jury found Rye, a heating and air conditioning technician, guilty of murder in the death of Robert Odam, 22, of Bluffton.
The State Supreme Court overturned his first conviction, after Rye had spent 11 months in prison.
Odam was a Beaufort County deputy when he visited Rye's neighborhood and - carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle - went onto Rye's property in Eastover on Aug. 14, 2004. The property was fenced and posted with No Trespassing signs, according to testimony.
An altercation developed, and Rye, who was carrying a .30 caliber rifle, shot and killed Odam.
Rye claimed self-defense and defense of his house and property.
Assistant 5th circuit solicitor Ted Lupton said, "This was a retrial of what was always a very difficult case.
"Since the first trial, there have been changes in the law that benefited Mr. Rye. Those changes and other facts led this jury to feel there was reasonable doubt," Lupton said.
"Reasonable doubt" is a legal term used to determine guilt or innocence. If a jury has "reasonable doubt," it must render a not guilty verdict.
In 2007, the S.C. Supreme Court overturned Rye's initial conviction.
In its 3-2 decision, the high court said property owners have the right to use "reasonable force" against another person if that person is trespassing. That applies to both someone's house and property, the court said.
In establishing self-defense, the court said, a person has to be in fear of his or her life. But in defending home or property, an owner may use reasonable force to eject the trespasser and does not need to be in fear of his or her life.
The Supreme Court called events surrounding the case "disturbing and bizarre."
In 2004, in the two months prior to Odam's shooting, someone had gone onto Rye's property and shot to death 13 cats and wounded several others, testimony at the trial indicated. A structure on the property also had been broken into and some $600 worth of tools taken.
Rye, who had owned the property 30 years, kept cats he rescued there. He visited the property almost every day and lived elsewhere.
On the fatal day, Rye had found more dead cats on his property and called 911. Then, hearing gunshots, he grabbed his rifle and ran to where the shots were fired, according to testimony. His intent was to hold the shooter until the deputy arrived.
On encountering Odam at the rear of his property, Rye said, "Put down your gun."
Evidence at the trial indicated Odam refused, saying "I'm not doing anything wrong -- you go ahead and put down your gun."
Rye immediately fired and killed Odam. Rye testified he shot Odam because Odam was pointing his gun at him and he feared for his life.
Odam was struck four times from a distance of about 10 feet, testimony indicated. The jury was shown pictures of the body.
Mason Mitchell, a friend of Odam's from Eastover who was on the scene, testified that Odam put down his weapon before being shot and killed.
"The jury had to decide whether they believed Mr. Rye or Odam's friend. They obviously believed Mr. Rye," Bolt said. "They got it right."
Odam's mother-in-law, Genevieve Benton, said she regrets that people won't know more about Odam.
"He was a fabulous guy, a great, caring, fun-loving kid. He was 22, and worked two jobs. He took great care of my daughter, and they were buying a house. They're making him out to be some kind of animal.
"I thought the solicitor's office did a much better job in the first trial," Benton said. "This is really sad."
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner had little to say about the verdict. "The outcome is not what they wanted or expected, but our thoughts are with the family."
Odam had been a Beaufort County deputy for about two years at the time of his death, Tanner said. Odam was a 2000 graduate of Hilton Head High School and patrolled the Bluffton area.
"Everyone that worked with him liked him, respected him and thought very highly of him," Tanner said.
Nancy Odam, Robert Odam's mother, said the verdict was a painful end to a years-long process that repeatedly has traumatized the family.
The family, she said, was "completely shocked" by the outcome.
She said she is concerned the case could set a precedent that could allow killers who claim they were defending their property to go free.
"It's the worst travesty of justice that has ever been displayed in a courtroom," she said. "My son died a senseless, cold-blooded death, and nobody's paying for it."
Reach Monk at 803-771-8344.
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