William Morrisette

Case record: William Morrisette

Background

William Wilton Morrisette, III was convicted in Virginia for the 1980 death of Dorothy “Dottie” White.

Dorothy “Dottie” White was a 47-year-old bank worker who lived in a Hampton mobile home. She was found stabbed to death inside her Hampton mobile home.

The offence

On July 25, 1980, Dorothy “Dottie” White was found stabbed to death in her Hampton mobile home.

White was raped and stabbed eight times. A later account also stated she had been raped and had her throat slashed, and that she was found dead on the kitchen floor of her Hampton trailer. The record also stated the evidence linked Morrisette to DNA from the crime scene.

Investigation

In 1999, White’s sister-in-law asked Hampton police to do DNA tests on evidence from White’s slaying.

The record stated that a DNA hit occurred about 19 years later based on a sample collected from the crime scene and that the evidence matched William W. Morrisette III. It also stated that Morrisette had once done yard work for White and that White was a single woman who worked at a local bank.

The record stated that police had questioned Morrisette in 1980 but did not follow up to confirm his alibis, and that since then, some people died.

It further stated that Morrisette had been arrested in 1985 with DNA samples provided in order to test against White but no testing was done.

Arrest

William Morrisette was arrested after DNA from the crime scene matched his, which was in the state felon DNA database.

Trial

On August 15, 2001, a jury in the Circuit Court for the City of Hampton convicted William Wilton Morrisette, III of capital murder and rape in the 1980 death of Dorothy M. White.

The jury recommended that Morrisette be sentenced to death.

Circuit Judge William C. Andrews III affirmed the death sentence on October 30, 2001.

Defense counsel asserted that Morrisette was denied due process because of the length of time that lapsed between the crime and arrest.

The record stated that Morrisette’s original sentencing hearing lasted less than an hour.

Sentencing

A death sentence was imposed on October 30, 2001, following the jury’s recommendation.

The record stated that, after sentence-related proceedings, a new sentence hearing was ordered and that the Commonwealth appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It also stated that nearly three years after the Supreme Court of Virginia vacated the death sentence, the case was returned for a second sentencing hearing. The re-hearing was finally scheduled for December 2010.

The record stated that, four months before the re-sentencing, Morrisette, his attorneys, and Hampton prosecutors signed off on a deal in which the death penalty was taken off the table. In return, Morrisette agreed to serve life without the possibility of parole and drop all pending appeals.

In February 2011, Morrisette was resentenced to life in prison without parole.

The record described that Morrisette was 33 at the time of the crime and was now 63 at the time of the February 2011 report.

Appeals

On September 13, 2002, the Virginia Supreme Court denied Morrisette’s motion and affirmed his capital murder conviction and death sentence.

Nearly three years later, the Supreme Court of Virginia vacated the death sentence because it concluded that the Commonwealth used a faulty verdict form during the penalty phase. The record stated that the jury instructions had neglected to instruct that life in prison was mandatory if jurors concluded that the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt one of the two aggravating factors: “future dangerousness” and “vileness.”

A new sentence hearing was ordered.

The Commonwealth appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on February 27, 2007, the Court without comment refused to hear the appeal.

The record stated that the death sentence was taken off the table in the Hampton slaying and that the case was sent back to Hampton Circuit Court for a second sentencing hearing.

Outcome

Morrisette’s death sentence was removed from consideration, and he was resentenced to life in prison without parole in February 2011.

Aftermath

The record included statements from Dorothy White’s family and from Morrisette’s counsel and the Commonwealth’s attorney about the deal and the resolution of the case.

Hampton Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney John F. Haugh said: “The agreement made sense in that it can "finally bring closure" to the White family three decades after the slaying.”

The record also included a quotation attributed to Dorothy White’s brother, Lonnie Leroy White, of Danville: “I wanted to see (him) fry.”

The record included statements attributed to Doris White, 79, of Hampton: “It was awful what he did to her,” and “My druthers was to see him die. But rather than take a chance that he would ever get out, he has life without the possibility of parole. He’ll die in prison … God knows it all, and He knows what he did. He's going before another judge, and everything he's done will be brought before him.”

Douglas Ramseur, Morrisette’s lawyer, said: “It was going to be a tough case for (prosecutors) to secure a death sentence on,” and that he cited the age of the case and other factors. Ramseur also said: “The re-sentencing "would have been very expensive and very traumatic for all sides."” He further said: “Ours was going to last for weeks,” and “We were prepared that this was going to take some time.”

Timeline

• July 25, 1980 — Dorothy “Dottie” White was found stabbed to death in her Hampton mobile home; she had been raped and stabbed eight times.
• 1980 — Police questioned Morrisette but did not follow up to confirm his alibis.
• 1985 — Morrisette was arrested with DNA samples provided to test against White, but no testing was done.
• 1999 — White’s sister-in-law asked Hampton police to do DNA tests on evidence from White’s slaying.
• August 15, 2001 — A jury in the Circuit Court for the City of Hampton convicted William Wilton Morrisette, III of capital murder and rape in the 1980 death of Dorothy M. White; the jury recommended a death sentence.
• October 30, 2001 — Circuit Judge William C. Andrews III affirmed the death sentence.
• September 13, 2002 — The Virginia Supreme Court denied Morrisette’s motion and affirmed the capital murder conviction and death sentence.
• February 27, 2007 — The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Commonwealth’s appeal without comment.
• December 2010 — A second sentencing hearing was scheduled for December 2010.
• February 2011 — Morrisette was resentenced to life in prison without parole.

Other details

Morrisette had once done yard work for White. White’s death remained unsolved for 19 years until DNA testing linked Morrisette to evidence from the crime scene. The record stated that, at sentencing, the jury would have had to choose between life or death, and that another federal appeal for a new trial based on ineffective counsel would have followed regardless of the jury’s decision.