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By ROBERT HEARD Associated Press Writer AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) - Robert Kleasen smeared tears from his face today and told the Jury which convicted him of murdering a Mormon missionary; “I have no doubt that I will die.” The jury was considering a punishment for Kleasen: life in prison or death in the electric chair.“I want to say flatly, bluntly, that I did not seek to kill any human being,” the red-eyedKleasen said.Kleasen said he “vaguely knew” the two missionaries he is accused of murdering but denied he killed them.Asked if he felt he is a menace to the public, Kleason said, “I haven’t been in the past.”Dist. Atty. Bob Smith asked Kleasen about a felony assault in New York State, the beating of a woman in Denmark and a threat to use a shotgun to shoot up a New York hospital emergency room.Kleasen went into a rambling dissertation about those episodes.The state called 18 witnesses today who testified that Klea-sen’s reputation as a peaceful and law abiding citizen” was bad.The state also called a psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Coons, who said: “My opinion is that there is a probability that the defendant will commit continuing acts of violence which will be a threat to society.Kleasen was found guilty Monday of murdering a Mormon missionary and using a taxidermist’s bandsaw to saw up the victim’s head.The state witnesses included eight game wardens, two highway patrolmen, two county commissioners, a justice of the peace, a deputy sheriff, an FBI agent, a policeman, a Treasury agent, and a rancher.The Treasury agent, Earl Dunagan, was one of the few state witnesses cross-examinedby the defense. He said Kleasen, “at one time” had been committed to a mental hospital in New York State.The same jury that found Kleasen guilty Monday must decide today whether he gets life in prison or death.Kleasen, 42, was convicted Monday on charges he killed Mark Fisher, 19, of Milwaukee, Wis. He was also accused ofkilling Fisher’s companionGary Darley, 20, of Simi Valley, Calif..
Newspaper Details
Brownwood Bulletin
Brownwood, Texas, US
Tue, Jun 03, 1975
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 27 May 2023
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