John Dennis Daniels

Case details

• Name: John Dennis Daniels
• Sex: Male
• Race: Black
• Date of birth: 05/22/1957
• DOC Number: 0098115

Status / outcome

John Dennis Daniels was executed by lethal injection in North Carolina on November 14, 2003.

Daniels was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. following a lethal injection at Central Prison in Raleigh. About five minutes after the execution began at 2 a.m., defense attorney Kim Stevens left the witness room overwhelmed with emotion. Daniels lifted his head and coughed just as the drugs entered his system and then became still.

Timeline

• January 17, 1990 — John Dennis Daniels consumed two beers and later consumed a fifth of wine and became “somewhat drunk”; he went to the home of his aunt, Isabella Daniels Crawford.
• Later on January 17, 1990 — Daniels purchased cocaine and returned to his home around 10:30 p.m.; he smoked cocaine in the bathroom.
• Late evening / early morning (after 10:30 p.m.) — Daniels seriously assaulted his wife, Diane, and his son, Jonathan Maurice (Maurice), with a hammer and other objects, threatened his neighbor Glenn Funderburke with a knife, and set fire to the dwelling house.
• About 12:30 a.m. — Charlotte Police Officer Thomas Griffith arrived on the scene, joining other officers and a fire truck.
• 12:55 a.m. — Griffith arrived at the house identified by Daniels.
• 1:15 a.m. — Daniels arrived at the Law Enforcement Center after smoking a cigarette and using the bathroom.
• 1:42 1/18/90 — Daniels wrote a note: “Dear sir - I'm not crazy - What I did was premediated! - Time 1:42 1/18/90 - John D. Daniels - I do not want a trial - I do not want my family around - I do not want news report -”.
• 2:00 a.m. — Investigator Robert A. Holl arrived at the Center.
• After 4:30 a.m. and before 4:45 a.m. — Holl advised Daniels of his Miranda rights.
• 5:05 a.m. — Daniels waived his rights by signing a waiver form.
• 6:00 a.m. — Holl’s interview concluded, producing a confession that detailed the events of the night before.
• September 24, 1990 — John Dennis Daniels was sentenced to death in Mecklenburg Superior Court; his jury had convicted him on multiple counts and recommended death after the sentencing evidence.
• 09/24/1990 — Daniels sentenced to death in Mecklenburg Superior Court.
• March 5, 1992 — Daniels filed a Motion for Appropriate Relief (the “First MAR”) in the Supreme Court of North Carolina.
• July 29, 1994 — The North Carolina Supreme Court affirmed Daniels’s convictions and sentence on direct appeal.
• August 1, 1994 — The Supreme Court of North Carolina summarily denied the First MAR.
• January 23, 1995 — Daniels’s conviction became final when the United States Supreme Court denied his petition for certiorari.
• December 29, 1995 — Daniels filed a second Motion for Appropriate Relief (the “Second MAR”) in the Superior Court of Mecklenburg County.
• February 11, 1997 — The Superior Court of Mecklenburg County dismissed the Second MAR without conducting an evidentiary hearing.
• May 28, 1998 — The North Carolina Supreme Court denied certiorari on the Second MAR Decision.
• May 4, 1999 — Daniels filed a motion for discovery in the Superior Court of Mecklenburg County pursuant to N.C. Gen.Stat. § 15A-1415(f) (the “§ 1415(f) Proceeding”).
• January 31, 2001 — Daniels’s § 1415(f) discovery was completed.
• February 13, 2001 — A consent order in federal court authorized Daniels to amend his habeas corpus petition.
• February 22, 2001 — The Supreme Court of North Carolina summarily denied Daniels’s claim under Apprendi v. New Jersey.
• March 2, 2001 — Daniels filed his amended petition for federal habeas corpus relief.
• January 19, 2002 — The district court awarded summary judgment to the State.
• April 3, 2002 — The district court denied Daniels’s motion for reconsideration.
• November 13, 2003 — North Carolina continued preparations for Daniels’s execution; the governor refused clemency and courts rejected Daniels’s request to stop the execution.
• November 14, 2003 — The execution date was set for November 14, 2003, and Daniels was executed by lethal injection.

Background

Daniels had been having marital problems and was behind on his rent when he went to the home of his 77-year-old aunt, Isabella Daniels Crawford, to ask for money and to request that his wife, Dianne, and son, Jonathan Maurice, live with her.

Crawford refused and said she was going to call his mother, Viola Daniels.

The offence

Murder of Isabella Daniels Crawford

Daniels punched Crawford in the mouth, knocking her to the floor. Using an electrical cord wrapped around Crawford’s neck three times, Daniels strangled her and dragged her body to the back of the house. Daniels removed $70 to $80 from Crawford’s purse.

Assaults and arson after the killing

After smoking cocaine in the bathroom, Daniels seriously assaulted his wife and son with a hammer.

Daniels threatened his neighbor, Glenn Funderburke, with a knife if Glenn did not leave.

Daniels then set fire to the house.

Police discovery and Daniels’s direction

Firefighters arrived to put out the fire and took Daniels from inside the house. Daniels refused further medical treatment. Officer Griffith told Daniels he was going to jail for assault. In the car, Daniels repeatedly urged Griffith to go to “Mint Street.” When Griffith asked why, Daniels responded: “I think I might have killed my aunt.”

Griffith followed Daniels’s directions, entered the home, and found a trail of blood beginning in a hallway. Griffith found Crawford’s lifeless body lying face down on the floor with a cord wrapped around her neck. The wastebasket was overturned and the carpet was disturbed; the remaining contents were intact.

Evidence observed by the medical examiner

The Mecklenburg County medical examiner testified that Crawford had bled from the nose and mouth, her left eye was bruised, her lip was cut and bruised, and her nose was broken. There were also two contusions to her frontal scalp. There were abrasions on the sides and back of her neck and indications that the victim had been dragged. Crawford had bruises on her right arm and hand consistent with defensive-type wounds.

Investigation and arrest

Daniels’s attempt at suicide

After being taken to the Law Enforcement Center, Daniels requested pen and paper. A few minutes later, Daniels returned the paper requesting that it be sent to the Governor. The note contained the following text:

“Dear sir - I'm not crazy - What I did was premediated!
Time 1:42 1/18/90 - John D. Daniels
I do not want a trial - I do not want my family around -
I do not want news report -”

Shortly after receiving this letter, Griffith heard a noise. Griffith entered the room to find Daniels on the floor with the drawstring from his pants around his neck. Another string was attached to a filing cabinet that was four feet, three inches high. Daniels was not injured.

Confession

Daniels gave a complete confession that detailed the events of the night before.

In the federal appellate proceedings, the interview concluded at 6:00 a.m., yielding a confession that detailed the events of the night before.

Trial

Charges and convictions

Daniels was sentenced to death for murder in the first degree of his aunt, Isabella Daniels Crawford.

He was also found guilty of robbery of Ms. Crawford.

He was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury against his wife, Diane Daniels.

He was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon against his neighbor.

He was also found guilty of attempting to burn a dwelling house.

Daniels was indicted for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury against his son, Jonathon Maurice Daniels, but the jury only found Daniels guilty of assault with a deadly weapon against his son.

Daniels’s conviction of first-degree murder was based on theories of both felony murder and premeditation and deliberation.

Sentencing

During the sentencing phase, the jury heard evidence relating to sentencing for first-degree murder. The jury found the existence of three aggravating circumstances and eleven mitigating circumstances and recommended that Daniels be put to death.

The trial court sentenced Daniels to death for first-degree murder.

The court also imposed a consecutive term of twenty years’ imprisonment on the combined assault convictions and a consecutive term of ten years’ imprisonment for attempting to burn a dwelling house.

Deliberations and recommendation

The jury recommended death after hearing sentencing evidence and found three aggravating circumstances and eleven mitigating circumstances.

Appeals

Direct appeal and state post-conviction proceedings

• July 29, 1994 — The North Carolina Supreme Court affirmed Daniels’s convictions and sentence of death.
• August 1, 1994 — The Supreme Court summarily denied the First MAR.
• December 29, 1995 — Daniels filed a second MAR.
• February 11, 1997 — The Superior Court dismissed the Second MAR without conducting an evidentiary hearing.
• February 22, 2001 — The Supreme Court of North Carolina summarily denied Daniels’s Apprendi claim.

Federal habeas corpus proceedings

Daniels unsuccessfully sought habeas corpus relief in the Western District of North Carolina.

The district court denied his petition and later awarded summary judgment to the State on January 19, 2002. The district court denied reconsideration on April 3, 2002.

Clemency and final execution status

Governor’s refusal to commute

The governor refused to commute Daniels’s death sentence to life in prison. He said: “Given the facts and circumstances in this case, I find no compelling reasons to invalidate the sentence recommended by the jury and affirmed by the courts.”

The governor also issued a statement refusing Daniels’s request to commute, saying he saw “no compelling reasons to invalidate the sentence recommended by the jury and affirmed by the courts.”

Psychiatrist Cynthia White

During the penalty phase, a psychiatrist, Cynthia White, testified against Daniels. White testified that Daniels wasn’t influenced by alcohol or cocaine when he killed his aunt and that he showed no remorse. She said she did not know at the time that Daniels tried to burn his house to kill himself after killing his aunt. She also said she did not know the amount of cocaine and alcohol he ingested.

In the clemency proceedings, retired psychiatrist Cynthia White told Gov. Mike Easley that her testimony was wrong and that Daniels shouldn’t be executed. White said:

“The jury was misled. I was misled and I am outraged.”

and

“I do not believe that John Daniels should be put to death.”

White told the governor that prosecutors didn’t give her Daniels’s complete medical record and left out information about suicide attempts, brain damage from alcohol and cocaine use, and a history of depression. White also said she never interviewed Daniels and had not received Daniels’s complete medical record.

Last statement and final meal

Final meal

Daniels’s final meal included ribeye steak, baked potato with sour cream and butter, pecan pie, soda, roll, and hush puppies.

Final words

Daniels’s final words were:

“I just tell my mom, Maurice and Diane and the rest of the family and the other family, I'm sorry. I love them.”

Other details

Daniels’s pretrial statement

In Daniels’s pretrial statement, he said:

“I don't know why I killed her. Bills set me off. My lady has got bills. I tried to kill my lady.”

Investigative and witness details mentioned for the execution

Execution witness names included Officer Robert Buening and Detectives Robert Holl and Kathleen Flynn from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Media witnesses included Sharif Durhams of The Charlotte Observer; Pete Kaliner of WBT radio; Greg Phillips of The Daily Record in Dunn; Estes Thompson of The Associated Press; and Andrea Weigl of The News & Observer of Raleigh.

The Department of Correction also released that Crawford’s family members indicated they would not witness the execution.

Related statement about counsel

During the execution, defense attorney Kim Stevens was overcome with emotion. Stevens earlier said when she told Daniels there was no hope left:

“we hugged him and cried.”

Stevens also said:

“worse than devastated”

and

and

“He's doing the best he can.”