2023 | Murder Database

Fred Kornahrens Executed For 3 South Carolina Murders

Fred Kornahrens was executed by the State of South Carolina for a triple murder

According to court documents Fred Kornahrens would go to the home of his ex wife Patti Jo Avant, 35, and shot her in the chest. Patti Jo Avant would run to the home beside her where her father Harry Wilkerson lived. Fred would stab the man to death before fatally stabbing Patti Jo Avant and her ten year old son Jason Avant

Fred Kornahrens would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Fred Kornahrens would be executed by lethal injection on July 19 1996

Fred Kornahrens Case

Appellant left the home of his girlfriend, Jan Tweed, sometime during the late night hours of February 8, 1985 and drove to the home of his former wife Patti. Armed with a gun and a bayonet, he waited for Patti to arrive home. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., Patti arrived in a car driven by her common-law husband, John Avant. John’s 10-year old son Jason was asleep in the back seat of the car.

John parked the car in the carport adjacent to a double-wide mobile home in which Patti’s father, Harry Wilkerson, lived. Patti exited the passenger door and appellant confronted her. She called to John and appellant shot her in the chest. Patti ran inside the trailer, calling to Wilkerson for help. Appellant followed Patti into the trailer, where he stabbed Wilkerson several times. Patti ran back to the car-port pursued by appellant. Appellant caught up with Patti near the car and stabbed her to death.

While Patti and appellant were inside the trailer, John Avant ran across the yard into the two-story house in which he and Patti lived. He ran upstairs, retrieved a gun, and heard appellant downstairs yelling for him. Avant jumped from a second-story window and ran around the side of the house. He saw appellant drag Jason across the yard, lay the child down and crouch over him. Avant ran to a neighbor’s house and called police.

Appellant spent the remainder of the night in the woods and was arrested the next morning. Two days later, the *284 bodies of Patti Kornahrens, Harry Wilkerson and Jason Avant were discovered in a common grave approximately four miles from the scene. All three died from multiple stab wounds. Jason’s hands and feet were bound with packing tape

https://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/supreme-court/1986/22618-1.html

Joseph Savino Executed For Thomas McWaters Murder

Joseph Savino was executed by the State of Virginia for the murder of Thomas McWaters

According to court documents Joseph Savino was just released from prison when his relationship with Thomas McWaters would go soft. Savino would beat the man to death with a hammer

Joseph Savino would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Joseph Savino would be executed by lethal injection on July 17 1996

Joseph Savino Photos

Joseph Savino Case

A New York man convicted of killing his male lover in Bedford County, Va., was executed by injection here tonight.

Joseph John Savino III, 37, a Mount Vernon, N.Y., native was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m., corrections officials said. His execution was delayed for two hours while he made a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the court denied the petition. Gov. George Allen (R) released a statement saying he had decided clemency was unwarranted.

Savino had pleaded guilty to capital murder in the November 1988 killing of Thos McWaters, another New Yorker, who moved to Virginia after buying a farm in 1985.

In a final statement before his execution, a calm Savino said: “I’m sorry for what happened to Tommy McWaters. I did not kill {McWaters}. I’m sorry. The commonwealth has chosen to punish my family. I hope my family and friends know I love them. I will finally be at peace

Prison medical personnel had difficulty finding veins in Savino’s arm to insert the needle to carry out the execution. “They expected some difficulty with this subject because of his physical condition,” said David Bass, regional manager for the Department of Corrections. Savino had admitted to cocaine use.

Savino moved in with McWaters earlier in 1988 when he was paroled to Virginia after serving six years for robbery in a New York prison. Savino had known McWaters for seven years and worked for his construction firm. The two had “a domestic relationship,” according to court documents. Their relationship went sour, Savino said.

Although the 64-year-old McWaters supported him and gave him money, Savino said in an interview this week, he also hounded him for sex and routinely threatened to try to get his parole revoked if he didn’t comply.

On Nov. 29, 1988, McWaters was found bludgeoned to death at the home the men shared. The next day, police arrested Savino in Roanoke.

Savino’s execution was the third carried out in Virginia this year

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/07/18/va-executes-man-who-killed-lover/e7b6e03f-c4b5-487a-b4ae-d613b6d8a674/

John Joubert Executed Nebraska Serial Killer

John Joubert was a serial killer who was executed by the State of Nebraska for three murders

According to court documents John Joubert would murder 11-year-old Richard “Ricky” Stetson in Maine in 1982. In 1983 Joubert would murder Danny Joe Eberle, 13, and later the same year he would murder Christopher Walden, age 12, both in Nebraska

John Joubert would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

John Joubert would be executed by way of the electric chair on July 17 1996

John Joubert Photos

John Joubert Case

A man who said he enjoyed the “power and domination” of killing was executed in the electric chair early today for murdering two boys in 1983.

The prisoner, John J. Joubert, a former airman, repeatedly stabbed and slashed Danny Jo Eberle, 13, and Christopher Walden, 12, in Bellevue near Offutt Air Force Base, where he was stationed. He was also convicted of stabbing and strangling a boy in Maine.

In his final statement, Mr. Joubert apologized for the three murders and added, “I do not know if my death will change anything or if it will bring anyone any peace.”

In trying to explain the crimes, Mr. Joubert, 33, told The Omaha World-Herald last month: “It was the power and the domination and seeing the fear. That was more exciting than actually causing the harm.”

Mr. Joubert was caught after he tried to abduct a preschool teacher, who then noted the license plate number of his car. Mr. Joubert confessed later that day.

Judy Eberle, Danny’s mother, said Mr. Joubert deserved the death penalty not out of vengeance but because “it is the only punishment that can make sure that he will never walk the streets again.”

Daren Bolton Executed For 2 Arizona Murders

Daren Bolton was executed by the State of Arizona for the murders of two young children

According to court documents Daren Bolton, who was a convicted sex offender, would kidnap Zosha Lee Pickett, 2, from her parents home. The little girl would be sexually assaulted and murdered

Daren Bolton would also kidnap seven year old Cathy Fritz who would also be sexually assaulted and murdered

Bolton was in prison serving time for another kidnapping and sexual assault when he was tied to the murders of Zosha Lee Pickett and Cathy Fritz

Daren Bolton would be convicted and sentenced to death

Daren Bolton would be executed by lethal injection on June 19 1996

Daren Bolton Photos

Daren Bolton Case

On June 27, 1986 a man entered a Tucson home through a bedroom window and kidnapped little Zosha Lee Pickett who was just shy of her third birthday

Her body was found four days later, by some boys playing in the area of an abandoned taxi cab, parked at a nearby storage lot. Her untorn clothing covered the stab wound to her chest, and her underwear was found in another part of the cab.

Fingerprints were found on the screen outside her window and on the outside and the inside of the cab.

Investigators also found a pizza box, cigarette butts and a semen-stained sock. The fingerprints were not able to be linked to any known suspects in the area. So Tucson police sent the fingerprint samples to jurisdictions around the country

Four years later there’s a crazy break in the case. Police in Illinois, training on a new computer system, matched the fingerprints sent to them by Tucson police to Daren Lee Bolton. His fingerprints happened to be on file there because of an arrest in Champaign, Illinois on assault charges in 1984.

Bolton was already in prison on an unrelated sex crime. He was indicted for the kidnapping and murder of Zosha Lee Pickett in February 1991.

The trial: The fingerprints played a large part in the trial. Bolton testified at the trial that he had indeed been at the home. He said he was there with an accomplice, planning to steal drugs. He said they were scared off by the family dog. Bolton claimed it was this accomplice that returned later to kidnap the child. Bolton said he killed the accomplice and dumped his body in the desert.

Bolton also admitted to touching the taxi cab. He said he stole some parts out of it a few days before the murder.

The jury found him guilty of murder with 11 of the 12 jurors believing it was pre-meditated.

During sentencing the prosecution presented evidence saying the victim was alive for some time after being stabbed. Fingerprints were found on the back window of the cab which prosecutors said indicated that she was standing up after being stabbed

The prosecution provided evidence, “that a person with similar injuries to the victim would have suffered ‘excruciating pain’ while she died over a fifteen to thirty minute period.”

The defense contended for leniency on several fronts.

They cited Bolton’s age, he was 19-years-old at the time of the murder.

They cited his abusive childhood, his sister and the psychologists testified that his parents were mentally and physically abusive to Bolton.

The presented the fact that he was in institutions throughout his childhood.

They said Bolton did not understand his conduct would create a grave risk of death.

They argued that his conviction was for felony murder not premeditated murder.

Philip Balch, Ph.D., who examined defendant in 1981 when he was fifteen years old, testified that, “at that time defendant, showed aggressive behavior, difficulty controlling his temper, and impulse control problems.”

Todd Flynn, Ph.D., testified that from his own examination, “Bolton showed no signs of any mental defect, e.g., impaired intelligence, mental retardation, or organic brain dysfunction.”

Bolton always proclaimed his innocence, but never fought his execution and did not attend his clemency hearing.

https://www.abc15.com/news/crime/death-row-diaries-new-technology-and-a-little-luck-used-to-link-daren-bolton-to-a-childs-murder

Robert South Executed For Officers Murder

Robert South was executed by the State of South Carolina for the murder of West Columbia police officer, Daniel Cogburn

According to court documents Robert South would drive by Officer Daniel Cogburn, who was sitting in his patrol car, and open fire killing the Officer

Robert South would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Robert South would be executed by lethal injection on May 31 1996

Robert South Case

A man who killed a rookie police officer in a 1983 drive-by slaying was executed by injection early today, bidding farewell to his lawyer with the words, “I’ll see you when I see you.”

The man, Robert South, 51, swallowed twice and his mouth slowly opened as he lost consciousness in the death chamber at Broad River prison.

Mr. South was convicted in the April 12, 1983, slaying of a West Columbia police officer, Daniel Cogburn. The 29-year-old officer was sitting in his squad car writing a traffic ticket when Mr. South shot him from a passing pickup truck.

The years on death row wore on Mr. South, and in a letter last year he advised his lawyer to cease all appeals. “It was a feeling of futility, primarily,” said Teresa Norris, a lawyer who represented Mr. South last year.

Mr. South was the second man executed in South Carolina in the past 10 months. The last one was Sylvester Adams on Aug. 18.