Curtis Thompson Curtis Thompson, a 61-year-old retired coal miner from Toulon in rural Stark County, was sentenced to death in August 2003 for the shooting deaths of three people. Many other townspeople had tangled with Thompson in the past; he had numerous minor run-ins with police on misdemeanor charges, and was nicknamed "The Glare" in town for the angry stare he would fix on people he thought had wronged him. His reputation in the town was extensively reported in the media, and Thompson was labeled "the bully of Toulon". His attorneys argued that he could not get a fair trial in Stark County, and the case was moved to Dixon, Illinois. Psychiatrist John Day testified that Thompson had suffered from classic paranoid delusions for years, and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions. Thompson's own conduct seemed to bear this out. He was suspicious of his attorneys, quarrelsome and disruptive in the courtroom, and often referred to the countywide "conspiracy" against him. The prosecution cast this conduct as proof of Thompson's violent nature and lack of remorse, and called a Department of Corrections psychiatrist who declared him sane. The jury found him guilty; a Stark County judge sentenced him to die three days later. ©2005 Illinois Coalition to Abolish The Death Penalty |
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