THE ON-GOING CASE OF STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AT GREENE INMATE CF1648

1. THE ON-GOING CASE OF STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AT GREENE INMATE CF1648 RONALD PUKSAR

2. THE CRIME + ON APRIL 15TH, 1991 A SHOOTING OCCURRED, ENDING TWO INNOCENT LIVES. + THOMAS PUKSAR, 43, AND HIS WIFE, DONNA PUKSAR, 40 WERE SHOT TO DEATH. + THOMAS PUKSAR WAS SHOT TEN TIMES AND DONNA PUKSAR WAS SHOT TWICE IN HER HEAD.+ EXAMINERS BELIEVE THAT THE MURDERER SHOT DONNA TWICE IN THE HEAD TO MAKE APPEAR TO BE SUICIDE. + RONALD PUKSAR, 53, WAS CHARGED FOR THE 1991 SLAYINGS OF HIS BROTHER AND SISTER-IN-LAW IN THEIR BERN TOWNSHIP HOME. + RONALD WAS ARRESTED IN 1991, AND SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 1993.

3. RONALD PUKSAR + DATE OF BIRTH: NOVEMBER 20TH, 1940 +CURRENT AGE: 68 + HIEGHT: 6’2” + ETHNICITY: CAUCASIAN + HOMETOWN: FORMER RESIDENT OF EASTON, PA + TRIAL LOCATION: BERKS COUNTY, PA + CURRENT LOCATION: STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AT GREENE + YEARS SERVED: 17 YEARS + SENTENCE: DEATH PENALTY

4. THE CASE’S JUDGES: + IN JULY OF 2004, A BERKS COUNTY JUDGE UPHELD THE 1993 CONVICTION AND DEATH SENTENCE FOR RONALD PUKSAR + SENIOR JUDGE FORREST G. SCHAEFFER JR., REQUESTED BY MORENO AND HUGH FOR A NEW TRIAL, CLAIMING PUKSAR WAS WRONGFULLY CONVICTED AND SENTENCED. + SCHARFFER CONCLUDED IN A SEVEN-PAGE OPINION THAT PUKSAR’S TRIAL LAWYER, ALLAN L. SODOMSKY, DID NOT MAKE ANY ERROR IN THE TRIAL. + THE CONVICTION WAS UPHELD. + REFUSED DEFENSE EXPERT WITNESSES.

5. THE PROSECUTION + THE PROSECUTOR FOR THE RONALD PUKSAR CASE WAS DISTRICT ATTORNEY MARK C. BALDWIN. + THE PROSECUTION HAD ONE MAIN EXPERT WITNESS: + DR. ISIDORE MIHALIKIS: A BETHLEHEM FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST + HE TESIFIED THAT RONALD PUKSAR SHOT HIS BROTHER 10 TIMES AND HIS SISTER-IN-LAW TWICE IN THE HEAD, TRYING TO MAKE HER DEATH APPEAR TO BE A SUICIDE.

6. EVIDENCE USED AGAINST RONALD F. PUKSAR +LAWYERS USED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE AGAINST RONALD IN COURT: +EVIDENCE PROVES THAT THERE WAS “SPECIFIC INTENT” TO KILL BECAUSE THOMAS WAS SHOT 10 TIMES AND DONNA WAS SHOT TWICE. + THE FACT THAT HE RONALD HAD COMMITED ANOTHER MURDER, THOMAS’, EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER DONNA.+ RONALD WAS DUE TO COME AROUND THOMAS’ HOUSE THE TIME OF THE MURDER. +RON AND THOMAS HAD FOUGHT PREVIOUSLY ABOUT MODEL TRAINS, AND THOMAS WAS FOUND SURROUNDED BY MODEL TRAINS. + THE HANDGUN FOUND AT THE SCENE BELONGED TO RONALD. + THE BOX OF BULLETS HAD RON’S TWO FINGERPRINTS ON IT. + DONNA’S DEATH WAS A HOMICIDE; SHE COULDN’T HAVE KILLED HERSELF. + THOMAS AND DONNA WERE A LOVING COUPLE. + EVIDENCE PROVES THAT THERE WAS INDEED A MOTIVE AND THAT EVIDENCE WASN’T CIRCUMSTANTIAL.

7. THE DEFENSE + DR. EDWARD C. MCDONOUGH: CONNECTICUT’S DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER, SAID THE TESTIMONEY OF ONE OF THE PROSECUTION’S CHIEF WITNESSES, DR. ISIDORE MIHALIKIS, A BETHLEHEM FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST, WAS UNRELIABLE AND BASED ON EMOTIONS. + MCDONOUGH SAID THERE IS NO REASON DONNA PUKSAR COULD NOT HAVE SHOT HERSELF TWICE IN THE HEAD, CONTRADICITNG MIHALIKIS’ CONCLUSION THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. + DR. NEIL BLUMBERG: MARYLAND FORSENSIC PSYCHIATRIST, TESTIFIED THAT SODOMSKY WAS INEFFECTIVE IN FAILING TO PRESENT EVIDENCE ON PUKSAR’S BEHALF DURING THE PENALTY PHASE. + HE ALSO SAID PUKSAR WAS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION AND WAS INCAPABLE OF MAKING AN INFORMED DECISION. + ATTORNEY ALLAN L. SODOMSKY (PUKSAR’S TRIAL LAWYER) WAS ACCUSED OF BEING INEFFECTIVE FOR NOT PRESENTING TESTIMONY DURING THE DEATH PENALTY HEARING BY LATER REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DEFENDANT, MORENO AND MC-HUGH. + ASSISTANT U.S. DEFENDERS INCLUDED AJMES MORENO AND JAMES MC-HUGH (SPECIALIZATION: CAPTIAL-APPEAL CASES). ++ DEFENSE WITNESSES INCLUDED: DR. EWARD C. MCDONOUGH AND DR. NEIL BLUMBERG

8. RONALD’S FIGHTING EVIDENCE + IN RESPONSE TO THE PROSECUTION, RONALD’S LAWYERS USED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE TO DEFEND HIM: + THERE IS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT HIM; ALL OF THE EVIDENCE IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL. +EVIDENCE POINTS MORE TO SUGGESTION THAT DEATHS WERE A MURDER – SUICIDE. + THE BLOOD FOUND ON DONNA WAS HER OWN. + MIHALAKIS’ TESTIMONY WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER DOCTOR’S TESTIMONIES, IN THAT DONNA COULD HAVE SHOT HERSELF. + COURT ALLOWED HEARSAY TESTIMONY OF HARTMAN. + COMMONWEALTH LET HARTMAN SEE THE POLICE REPORT BEFORE HE TESTIFIED. +THE COURT WAS WRONG IN LETTING MIHALAKIS TESTIFY BECAUSE HE IS NOT AN EXPERT IN FORENSICS. + THE COURT WAS ALSO WRONG IN LETTING HIM TESTIFY ABOUT DONNA’S STATE OF MIND; HE DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORM AN OPINION.

9. PETITIONS AND APPEALS + DEFENDERS ASKED FOR A NEW CASE IN 2004, BUT WERE DENIED. + LAWYERS FILED MORE APPEALS. + LAWYERS PROVIDED MORE WITNESSES BUT TO NO AVAIL. + MIHALAKIS’ TESTIMONY WAS UNRELIABLE. + JANUARY 14TH, 1997: APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT OF SENTENCE IN NOVEMBER 1993 TO PA’S SUPREME COURT. + JANUARY 24TH, 2000: DISPOSITION ON MORTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME TO FILE CERTIORARI TO PA’S SUPREME COURT; IT WAS GRANTED UNTIL MARCH 20TH, 2000. + DECEMBER 6TH, 2000: ORDER ABOUT STAY OF EXECUTION. + SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2001: FIRST PETITION OF HABEAS CORPUS. + APRIL 3RD, 2002: CIVIL CASE DOCKETED TO U.S. THIRD CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS. + OCTOBER 12TH, 2004: NOTICE OF APPEAL TO PA’S SUPREME COURT. + AUGUST 5TH, 2008: SECOND PETITION FOR HABEAS CORPUS. + AUGUST 7TH, 2008: THIRD PETITION FOR HABEAS CORPUS; WAS AMENDED + AUGUST 8TH, 2008: FOURTH PETITION FOR HABEAS CORPUS; THE FINAL WAS CORRECTED AND AMENDED

10. SETTLEMENT AND CONCLUSION + AFTER THE MURDER THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT OVER THE ESTATES OF THE VICTIMS: + JAY N. ABRAMOWITCH, WYOMING LAWYER, ARGUED THAT RONALD’S PARENTS SHOULD GET THE MONEY BECAUSE THE SLAYINGS WERE A MURDER SUICIDE. + ADAM B. KRAFCZEK, READING LAWYER, ARGUED THAT DONNA’S FAMILY SHOULD GET THE MONEY BECUASE RONALD WAS CONVICTED OF THE MURDER. + ON APRIL 2ND, 2004, AFTER 13 YEARS OF LEGAL WRANGLING, THE $400,000 OF COMBINDED ESTATES WERE DIVIDED BETWEEN THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIM AND SUSPECTED MURDERER. + RONALD’S MOTHER MARGARET RECEIVED $107,000 AND DONNA’S RELATIVES RECEIVED $263,000. + BERKS COUNTY JUDGE, PRESIDENT JUDGE ARTHUR E. GRIM APPROVED THE SETTLEMENT.

11. PRESENTATION BY: MIESHA HARRIS AMANDA HOFFMAN NICOLETTE PELBANO KATELYN SIMONCIC