Willie James Hodges

Case record

Willie James Hodges was convicted of the murder of Patricia Belanger and was sentenced to death by lethal injection in Florida in 2009.

He was sentenced by Circuit Judge Terry Terrell in a hearing before the Florida Supreme Court automatically reviewed the death penalty case. Judge Terry Terrell stated: “May God have mercy on your soul.”

Background

Patricia Belanger, 58, of Pensacola, was murdered in 2001. Belanger was described as really looking forward to spending time with her family on the day she was murdered. Her family said they missed her very much.

Belanger’s daughter, Deborah Taylor, and her son, Brooks Clements, were in the courtroom when Hodges was sentenced.

Hodges was 48 years old when he was sentenced. He was described as being from Epps, Ala.

A defense attorney, Martin Lester (Marty Lester), said every IQ test he had ever taken was below 70, and that expert testimony showed his IQ fell into the category of mildly retarded. The defence expected the appeal to focus on whether Hodges met the legal standard for mental retardation, which would mean he could not be executed.

The prosecutor, John Molchan, noted Hodges had romantic relationships, held steady jobs and possessed an eloquent writing ability.

Judge Terry Terrell decided the legal standard for mental retardation was not met. Terrell said Hodges carried on normal activities despite his IQ in the mid-to-upper 60s.

Terrell also said Hodges displayed ingenuity when he jammed a chair in the front door of Belanger’s home so no one could gain access. The judge also said Hodges dropped several photographs of his cousin at Belanger’s home in an apparent attempt to shift blame.

Hodges had a history of mental illness described as relevant to expert testimony about mental retardation and IQ testing.

The offence

Patricia Belanger was found in her Mayfair home on Dec. 19, 2001. She was beaten with a hammer and her neck was pierced with a steak knife.

In addition to the Belanger murder, Hodges was facing other murder-related allegations and related charges described in the proceedings:

• He was charged with shooting Winnie Johnson, 66, of Sumter County, Ala., while burglarizing her home in 2001.
• He was accused of raping and stabbing Laverne Jansen, 81, of Cincinnati in 2003.
• He was also alleged to have been wanted in the murder of an elderly woman in Gainesville, Alabama just a few weeks before Belanger was killed.
• He was also wanted in the 2003 murder of an Ohio woman.

Investigation

The crime remained unsolved until 2003 when an investigator recognized one of the people in the photographs found at the Belanger home.

The man in the picture was Vonkish Golden, who was Hodges’ cousin. Investigators questioned Golden and learned that Hodges often stayed with his family. Both men were related to Richard Ptomy, Belanger’s neighbor.

Authorities matched a fingerprint found at the crime scene to that of Hodges.

Cincinnati police and other authorities also described Hodges as a serial killer and suspected him of crimes against older women, including purse-snatchings, robberies and beatings of women on the West Side from 1998 through 2003.

For the Johnson case, investigators pursued a quest to find the murder weapon, described as a .270-caliber high-powered rifle. Area bodies of water were searched by scuba divers. An old well near Hodges residence was excavated and searched.

The search finally ended in success on Sept. 2. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office received information about the whereabouts of the murder weapon and recovered the rifle from a north Alabama man who bought the rifle from a resident of Boligee. The gun could be traced to Willie Hodges through witness statements and documentary evidence, and officials said additional witnesses had provided additional information.

Arrest

Hodges was held in the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, Fla., where he was arrested in September 2003 on unrelated burglary charges.

In Escambia County, he was charged with capital murder, accused of beating Patricia Belanger (58) to death with a hammer on Dec. 19, 2001, in her Pensacola home, and he was awaiting trial.

After hearing about the Florida case, authorities in Sumter, Ala., charged Hodges Sept. 8 with capital murder for the Nov. 26, 2001 homicide of Winnie Johnson, 66. Johnson was shot to death during a daytime burglary of her home.

In Cincinnati, authorities described that Hodges was named as a suspect for stabbing to death Laverne Jansen, 81. The killing was described as occurring in March 2003. Cincinnati police issued or pursued charging described as aggravated murder and rape, alleging Hodges killed Jansen in March 2003.

A warrant was issued for Hodges on charges of aggravated murder and rape in connection with the Jansen killing.

Trial

Hodges was convicted of the Belanger murder in March 2008.

During the sentencing hearing in Florida, he sat still and quiet as Judge Terry Terrell sentenced him to die by lethal injection. It was stated: “Willie James Hodges you are adjudicated guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection.”

A victim’s advocate with the State Attorney’s Office placed her hand on the shoulder of Belanger’s daughter, Deborah Taylor, as Terrell made his ruling. The family members declined to comment after the hearing.

Sentencing

Circuit Judge Terry Terrell sentenced Hodges to death by lethal injection on February 12, 2009.

The sentence followed the March 2008 conviction of Hodges for the Belanger murder.

Terrell also made remarks that included his decision about mental retardation standards and statements about the method and conduct, including the chair jam in the front door and the dropping of photographs of his cousin at the Belanger home.

Appeals

The death sentence carried an automatic appeal. Defense attorney Martin Lester said the appeal had a good chance of succeeding.

Defense counsel expected the appeal to focus on whether Hodges met the legal standard for mental retardation so that he could not be executed.

It would be up to the Florida Supreme Court to decide.

Outcome

Hodges was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection for the 2001 murder of Patricia Belanger.

Other details

Hodges was also described as being wanted in:

• the murder of an elderly woman in Gainesville, Alabama just a few weeks before Belanger was killed, and
• the 2003 murder of an Ohio woman.

Cincinnati police described that Hodges had spent a little over a year in an Ohio prison after he was convicted of robbery in Hamilton County in 1999.

Cincinnati police said Hodges followed an older woman home from a bank and then stole her purse.

Cincinnati police suspected Hodges in dozens of purse-snatchings, robberies and beatings of women on the West Side from 1998 through 2003.

Authorities in Sumter County and Florida pursued the Johnson case and described the investigation as increased in intensity after Hodges’ arrest in Florida. They described that investigators had collected evidence and interviewed witnesses and followed leads through three states and numerous jurisdictions.

A Sumter County Sheriff's press release stated that investigators searched for more than two and a half years for the murder weapon in the Johnson case, described as a .270-caliber high-powered rifle, and that the search involved scuba-diver searches of area bodies of water and excavating and searching an old well near Hodges residence.