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| Friday, June 10, 2011 |
| No forgiving Parkway shooter |
By Tony Gonzalez
The News Virginian
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Ralph Leon Jackson could have expected at least a life term in prison when entering federal court to be sentenced for shooting two people last year at a scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
What he could not know was the intensity his victims’ families and friends would show Thursday as they labeled him cowardly, cold-blooded, sick and selfish.
Blasts from Jackson’s 20-gauge shotgun and an ensuing fight disfigured Christina Floyd, then 19, of Palmyra, and killed Charlottesville disc jockey Timothy Davis, 27.
“I’ll never be able to forgive you for that,” Daniel Olewine, a friend, said directly to Jackson, who had turned in his chair to face whatever might be said.
Staring back at the killer during almost an hour of testimony was a framed photo of Davis propped up on the witness podium.
From there, his mother, Leticia Davis, talked about her only child as a man motivated to advance his radio career and begin a family. He enjoyed doing simple things, like being with his two cats and hanging out with friends. He worked closely with volunteers at WNRN, including Floyd, and considered the station’s signal tower on Carters Mountain to be a favorite place.
“When you shot him, he was doing one of those simple things: He was just enjoying a sunset on a beautiful spring day with a pretty girl on a mountain overlook,” Davis said during a tearful, 10-minute statement. “At least a beautiful view was the last thing Tim saw before you shot out his big, brown, beautiful eyes. I shudder to think of the horrific pain he must have felt.”
Read the full story at NewsVirginian.com.Labels: courtroom, The News Virginian
by Tony Gonzalez @
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