Crime victims family members thank lawmakers

By Bill Rankin

brankin@ajc.com

 Three women who lost loved ones to heinous murders thanked lawmakers Wednesday for making it easier for victimsу relatives to testify in death-penalty trials.

   “We are so grateful,” Claudia Barnes, widow of slain Fulton County Judge Rowland Barnes, said. “The victims will have a voice now.”

   At a press conference at the Capitol, the women applauded Senate Bill 151, which allows pre-recorded, videotaped victim-impact testimony in capital trials. The Senate is expected to approve the final version of the legislation Wednesday.

   Under current law, a relative can read a written statement to jurors explaining the impact of their loss but cannot show any emotion. If a witness becomes too emotional, they must leave the courtroom, their testimony can be stricken and a mistrial can be declared, Douglas County District Attorney David McDade said.

   Allowing the statement to be recorded outside the presence of a jury and before a highly emotional trial should make it easier for such testimony to be put before the jury, McDade said.

   The victim impact statements are read during the sentencing phase of death-penalty trials.

   “This is probably the worst thing that anyone could go through in their entire life,” said Barnes, whose husband was shot dead in his courtroom by Brian Nichols. Testifying about such a tragedy without emotion “is just not plausible.”

   Kellie Wiggins, whose sister, Marie Richards, was murdered in Douglas County, and Jessalyn Dorsey, whose son, Terrence Greene, was murdered in Cobb County, also spoke in support of the legislation.

   The women appeared with key supporters of S.B. 151, Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna) and Sens. Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton) and John Wiles (R-Kennesaw).

   Because some witnesses cannot contain their emotions, they essentially forfeit their right to testify, McDade said. S.B. 151 will give victimsу relatives the chance to present testimony in a controlled environment and, if necessary, give it on multiple occasions until prosecutors are sure it is admissible, he said.