21 April 2010 :

Circuit Judge J. Michael Hunter sentenced Gary Michael Glisson, 33, white, and 23-year-old Eric Rodriguez to life without parole. They had both been found guilty at separate trials of robbing and killing a 17 years old girl, Angelia "Angel" Headrick, who was keeping her boyfriend's drug-selling business going while he was in custody. The juries had recommended death for both men, but prosecutors agreed to waive the death penalty to avoid a defense request for a new trial in Glisson's case. Headrick's grandmother, Lois Headrick, said the family didn't want to endure the pain of another trial, and was willing to accept that Glisson and Rodriguez would be locked away for the rest of their lives. "We didn't want to go through it any more," she said. A jury found Rodriguez, 23, guilty Sept. 3 of first-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit murder and robbery. Jurors voted 7 to 5 in favor of the death penalty. Another jury found Glisson, 33, guilty Jan. 29 of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, and conspiracy to commit murder and robbery. Jurors voted 8 to 4 in favor of the death penalty. But prosecutors agreed to waive the death penalty for Glisson and Rodriguez to avoid a retrial for Glisson. Glisson's lawyers, Robert and Andrea Norgard, had been seeking a new trial, but withdrew the motion in exchange for life imprisonment. Robert Norgard objected at trial to the lead detective's testimony, arguing that it implied Glisson's statement to detectives wasn't believable and improperly vouched for Mosley's credibility. The life sentence for Glisson impacted the punishment that Rodriguez was able to receive. At Wednesday's hearing, Assistant State Attorney John Aguero said the prosecution's theory has always been that Glisson was the "major participant" in the killing. A death sentence for Rodriguez wouldn't be upheld under appeal if Glisson as the major participant received life in prison, said Aguero.