Front Page || Main Index || Corpus Christi News || Business || Texas || Sports || Entertainment || Selena
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 1998
Jury begins deliberating in murder-for-hire case
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA
Associated PressHOUSTON -- One brother sealed his own fate with suicide. The other's now rests with 12 men and women.
Jurors began deliberations Monday in the murder-for-hire trial of Bob Angleton after prosecutors tried one last time to convince them the ex-bookmaker solicited his own brother to kill his wife.
``Today is the day that this man is held accountable for the tragedy that he caused to occur,'' prosecutor Ted Wilson said in closing arguments. ``He took Doris Angleton from all of us. He left those two little girls without a mother -- all over money.''
As Angleton's twin 14-year-old daughters watched in anguish, prosecutors portrayed their father as a greedy hood who plotted to kill his wife when she filed for divorce and went after the millions of dollars he had made as the city's top bookie.
``His money meant more to him than his family -- that's what kind of husband and father this defendant is,'' Wilson said.
Angleton, a former police informant, is accused of offering his brother about $1 million to kill Doris McGown Angleton on April 16, 1997, at the couple's River Oaks area home. If convicted, Angleton could face the death penalty.
Mrs. Angleton, 46, was shot multiple times after returning home from her daughters' softball game to retrieve a bat her husband had asked for.
Angleton and his brother, Roger Angleton, were arrested last year. But Roger killed himself in jail in February, leaving notes in which he admitted killing Mrs. Angleton and proclaimed his brother was not involved.
But those notes were ruled inadmissible at his trial. Instead, other notes that prosecutors insisted point to a conspiracy between the two brothers were shown to jurors.
``My contract with you is the kill and no squealing. ... The method designed by me is to give you alibi and permit police to focus on me,'' stated one such note written by Roger.
The papers also included such details as the alarm code to the Angletons' house and instructions regarding their dog. Prosecutors insisted the information had to come from Bob Angleton.
But the state's key piece of evidence was a tape recording purportedly made by Roger in which prosecutors say he and Bob discussed the crime. Several witnesses identified Bob's voice and prosecutors, again, pointed to information stated on the tape that only the homeowner should know.
The defense, however, countered with several experts who testified there were dissimilarities between Bob's voice and the voices on the tape.
In his closing argument, defense attorney Michael Ramsey argued the voices were Roger Angleton's and an unidentified second gunman.
``That's not Bob's voice on the tape,'' Ramsey told jurors. ``You can hear with your own ears and listen with your own ears.''
Angleton's attorneys argued Roger had long hated his brother and sister-in-law, and killed her because Bob had refused to give him money. Just weeks before the slaying, Roger sent his brother a note demanding $200,000 and threatening violence if he wasn't paid.
``Roger Angleton was a blackmailer, was an extortionist,'' Ramsey said. ``When he ran out of extortion money, he came back for one more gift.''
Angleton did not take the stand, but both his daughters testified on his behalf. Ramsey implored jurors to consider their futures, as well as that of their father.
``The fate of Niki, Ali and Bob now is in your hands,'' he said. ``Godspeed.''Post your comments about Texas newsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web