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whitediamonds

Va. inmate: 'Only way to stop me' is death row
By DENA POTTER (AP) – 32 minutes ago
POUND, Va. — For seven days, Robert Gleason Jr. begged correctional officers and counselors at Wallens Ridge State Prison to move his new cellmate. The constant singing, screaming and obnoxious behavior were too much, and Gleason knew he was ready to snap.
On the eighth day — May 8, 2009 — correctional officers found 63-year-old Harvey Gray Watson Jr. bound, gagged, beaten and strangled. His death went unnoticed for 15 hours because correctional officers had falsified inmate counts at the high-security prison in southwestern Virginia.
Now, Gleason says he'll kill again if he isn't put to death for killing Watson, who had a history of mental illness. And he says his next victim won't be an inmate.
"I murdered that man cold-bloodedly. I planned it, and I'm gonna do it again," the 40-year-old Gleason told The Associated Press. "Someone needs to stop it. The only way to stop me is put me on death row."
Gleason already is serving a life sentence for killing another man. He fired his lawyers last month — they were trying to work out a deal to keep him from getting the death penalty — so he could plead guilty to capital murder. He's vowed not to appeal his sentence if the judge sentences him to death Aug. 31.
"I did this. I deserve it," he said. "That man, he didn't deserve to die."
Watson was serving a 100-year sentence for killing a man and wounding two others in 1983 when he shot into his neighbor's house in Lynchburg with a 10-gauge shotgun. According to prison records, Watson suffered from "mild" mental impairment and was frequently cited for his disruptive and combative behavior.
Watson was sent to Wallens Ridge on April 23, 2009, a day after he set fire to his cell at Sussex II State Prison. Gleason and Watson became cellmates on May 1, 2009.
In the days the two spent locked in an 8-by-10-foot cell, Watson would talk about how he had "drowned" two television sets because they "had voodoo in them," Gleason said.
He would also belt out "I wish I was in the land of cotton" from the song "Dixie" and other songs at all hours, scream profanities and masturbate. In the chow hall and in the recreation yard, Watson would get inmates to give him cigarettes for drinking his urine and clabbered milk.
"You can't be upset with someone like that," Gleason said. "He needed help."
Gleason said his requests to separate the two were met with mockery and indifference by correctional officers and prison counselors. He said he knew what he'd do once officials refused to put Watson in protective custody.

[URL="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g6t-5eQbd-0iVd-Kp442x…"][COLOR=#800080]The Associated Press: Va. inmate: 'Only way to stop me' is death row[/COLOR][/URL]

 
whitediamonds

[COLOR=blue]This whole occurence, I have a problem with many issues, at least from the information I have with this story linked to.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#0000ff]The one inmate had mental issues,doing some gross things, yet never stated in his mental state was threatening to kill anyone.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]The other inmate with obvious mental issues, openly stated he would kill.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]The correction officers, and "especially" "the counselors" should be to blame, the counselors knew with this so called expertise and obvious this would end in a murder and left it as that.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]Not to forget where the hell was the warden, unaware?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]Now an inmate is dead, and was obviously not protected from open statements by the other he would kill. The other inmate was used as a pawn from all I read, and know from this link to kill one maybe the personnal were sick of his behavior...............Sick to let them do the dirty work by proxy is really upsetting.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]Many as well as myself believe this is what happened to Dahmer, in a no DP state they use inmate against inmate, or look the other way, against inmate they want rid of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#0000ff]My thoughts an opinions [/COLOR]

 
sarahmichelle

It seems ridiculous to put two mentally ill people in a cell together! that is just asking for trouble. It is prison officers fault for not moving him when he new he would snap.

 
LETxGO

I don't understand why they would put two mentally ill people in a cell together! I felt sad reading this because the guy knew he was going to snap and looked for help before he did.