Justin Blakeney—age 26, white
Sentenced to death in Jones County, Mississippi
By: a jury
Date of crime: 8/12/10
Prosecution case/defense response: In November of 2010, Justin Blakeney and Lydia Viner were charged with capital murder in the death of 2-year-old Victoria Viner. The child was admitted to the emergency room where medical staff believed Victoria was suffering from a brain injury caused by blunt force trauma. A subsequent investigation of Blakeney while awaiting trial revealed he committed the murder as a way to gain membership into the Aryan Nation. The prosecutor commented that “anyone who messes with kids is just slime.”
Sources: Laurel Leader-Call, November 2010; WDAM, 2010
By: a jury
Date of crime: 8/12/10
Prosecution case/defense response: In November of 2010, Justin Blakeney and Lydia Viner were charged with capital murder in the death of 2-year-old Victoria Viner. The child was admitted to the emergency room where medical staff believed Victoria was suffering from a brain injury caused by blunt force trauma. A subsequent investigation of Blakeney while awaiting trial revealed he committed the murder as a way to gain membership into the Aryan Nation. The prosecutor commented that “anyone who messes with kids is just slime.”
Sources: Laurel Leader-Call, November 2010; WDAM, 2010