Sherman Noble

Background

Sherman Noble was a death row inmate in Kentucky. He died in prison on October 1, 2007.

Noble was accused of the 1987 murders of Charles Thompson and Lorenzo Harris and the murder of Walker Ison. He was also charged with the 1985 shooting death of Michael Edward Cox.

Noble had mental competency issues during the long delay before trial. Judges declared him incompetent in 1988 and 1994. Several psychiatrists later found him competent, and a judge declared him competent in 1997.

Deborah Cork, the mother of Noble’s children, said in police interviews that a mixture of religion and retribution was behind the slayings. She told police in 1987 that Noble told her “he's tired of all these snakes going around trying to cross him. And that he's going to do away with them.” She also said Noble admitted killing Ison, quoting him as saying he “done it for my little girl and for God.”

Noble professed his innocence and claimed police interrogators beat him and let him go without food for most of a day until he confessed to the three bludgeoning deaths. Prosecutor Mac Shannon said Noble knew all three victims, who were killed in their homes, and called Noble a serial killer who lied about police abuse to try to win sympathy from the jury.

A police report following the arrest said that Noble had proclaimed himself “a messenger from the Lord, sent to Earth to do away with dope dealers, homosexuals and old men who were poisoning the children.” Noble accused police of fabricating those words.

The offence

In 1987, Noble gained entrance into the home of his first victim, 40-year-old Walker Wendell Ison. Using a ball peen hammer, he struck the victim in the head. Ison died of massive head trauma. Marijuana was taken from the victim’s residence.

On March 13, 1987, Noble gained entrance into the home of his second victim, Charles F. Tompkins, age 70. He struck the victim once in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. Noble continued to strike Tompkins in the face and head area, causing death by massive blunt force trauma. After the murder and over the course of several days, Noble stole numerous items that belonged to the victim.

On March 16, 1987, Noble entered the residence of his third victim, 87-year-old Lorenzo F. Harris. He struck the victim in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. He then stabbed the victim approximately 18 times in the throat and neck, resulting in the victim’s death. He also stole several personal items from the victim’s residence.

In addition to the 1987 killings, prosecutors said Noble was involved in the 1985 shooting death of Michael Edward Cox, 24. Cox was found on July 31, 1985, shot dead in an alley on Maple Street. Prosecutors said Noble shot Cox after a “long-running feud.”

Investigation

Prosecutors said Noble had some of the victims' possessions when he was caught and he confessed to the slayings.

Noble acknowledged that he confessed to the killings, but said he was beaten by police. He said: “I would have said I murdered Jesus Christ the way I was being beat,”.

A police report following the arrest said that Noble proclaimed himself “a messenger from the Lord, sent to Earth to do away with dope dealers, homosexuals and old men who were poisoning the children.”

Arrest

Noble was in jail or a state mental hospital since his arrest in March 1987.

Trial

Noble was convicted on three counts of murder and a count each of robbery and burglary. He was convicted Dec. 18. The penalty phase was set to begin Monday, when Noble could be sentenced to death.

Noble was convicted Dec. 18 of three counts of murder, and a count each of robbery and burglary. The jury recommended that Noble be sentenced to death for the killings of Charles Thompson, 71, and Lorenzo Harris, 87. The jury also recommended a life sentence for the killing of 40-year-old Walker Ison, who was also killed in that month. Jefferson Circuit Judge Stephen P. Ryan accepted the jury's recommendation in sentencing Noble to death on Monday.

Noble helped defend himself at trial by making opening statements and questioning some witnesses. Noble said he regretted trying to argue his case with little help from his appointed attorneys. He said to Ryan in court: “I know that I was stupid to try this case like I did,”.

At trial, Noble made a closing argument stating: “The commonwealth has not proven that I killed anyone,” and “They didn't see me kill anyone.”

Jurors returned about a half-hour before rendering the verdict and asked the judge if they had any additional options to consider. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen P. Ryan told jurors he could not add any instructions to those they had already received.

Attorney Ramon McGee described Noble’s reaction to the conviction, saying: “He was stoic,” “He accepted the jury's verdict. He thanked the court and congratulated the commonwealth on the verdict.”

Prosecutor Mac Shannon called Noble a serial killer and said the defendant was lying about police abuse to try to win sympathy from the jury.

The jury also acquitted Noble of one robbery count.

Sentencing

On February 8, 2005, Noble was sentenced to death.

The jury recommended and the judge imposed a life sentence for killing Ison, and the judge imposed a death sentence for killing Thompson and Harris.

Appeals

Noble had a petition seeking to prohibit proceeding on speedy trial grounds. The petition was rejected by the Kentucky Court of Appeals. The state Supreme Court agreed to hear his appeal, and it was pending.

There was also mention that Noble filed a petition to have the charges dismissed on the grounds that his right to a speedy trial was denied, and the petition was rejected.

With Noble's appeal pending at the Supreme Court, the case had gone nowhere.

Aftermath

Noble died early Monday at Baptist Hospital Northeast in La Grange. Lisa Lamb, a spokeswoman for the Corrections Department, said Noble had been transferred recently from death row at the Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville to the Kentucky State Reformatory at La Grange because of multiple health problems.

Noble had been transferred from death row at the Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville to the Kentucky State Reformatory at La Grange because of multiple health problems.

Other details

Noble was declared incompetent by judges in 1988 and 1994.

Several psychiatrists deemed Noble competent. In one evaluation, he was described as “lucid, coherent and rational.”

Noble participated in a federal lawsuit in which he claimed he was illegally medicated and restrained, and he won his case against two Central State Hospital officials. His lawyer said he cooperated fully and testified at length.

In 1995, Dr. J. Robert Noonan wrote that Noble’s “psychopathology appears to be limited to his perception of the judicial system and the roles of his attorneys in it.”

In the 1980s, a grand jury also indicted Noble in the 1985 shooting death of Michael Edward Cox.

On February 7, 2005, it was stated that Noble had languished in custody for 18 years without a trial, and that his case had been delayed for nearly two decades while questions lingered about his mental competency.

Noble had fired several of his defense attorneys over the years and delivered his own opening statements during his trial. Noble appeared in court Monday in a wheelchair.

Noble said he regretted trying to argue his case with little help from his appointed attorneys and said: “I know that I was stupid to try this case like I did,”.

Barbara Owens, one of the shadow lawyers, said: “We are just twiddling our thumbs.”

Drs. John Schremly and Frank DeLand, who examined Noble in 1988 and 1991, said they found him competent.

Dr. Theodore Feldmann evaluated Noble in 1988, 1990 and 1993 and consistently drew the opposite conclusion, saying he suffered from “grandiose delusions involving themes of religion, racism and personal persecution” and their paranoid nature prevented him from trusting or cooperating with others.

Noble accused police of fabricating the words attributed to him in the police report.

When Noble appeared before Ryan for another competency hearing in August 1997, Dr. J. Robert Noonan said Noble had participated “appropriately and competently” in the federal case against the Central State officials and was competent to stand trial.

Noble stipulated that he was competent at the August 1997 hearing. Ryan declared Noble competent, but Noble later asked the court to appoint him a lawyer.

Attorney Jay Lambert questioned the validity of the August 1997 hearing, arguing that a person whose own competency is questioned shouldn't be allowed to stipulate that they are competent. Ryan agreed to suspend the proceedings until Noble could be evaluated again, but Noble refused to be evaluated, and Lambert was allowed to withdraw as counsel.

Ryan stuck by his ruling that Noble was competent and agreed to let him represent himself, although the court appointed two attorneys as “shadow” counsel to assist him.

Noble complained that the jailhouse food was robbing his eyesight and that his skin was blotchy from spending 23 hours a day in his cell.

Noble said in a recent interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal: “I've never given up hope that justice will prevail,”.

He was being held on a $250,000 full cash bond when described as awaiting trial. He was charged with killing one man in 1985 and three others in March 1987. The first victim, Michael Edward Cox, 24, was found on July 31, 1985, shot dead in an alley on Maple Street. He was also charged with the deaths of Walker Ison Jr., Charles F. Thompson, and Lorenzo F. “Pat” Harris between March 11 and March 15, 1987.

It was stated that Noble was accused of robbing Walker Ison, Charles Thompson and Lorenzo Harris, and then bludgeoning them to death with bricks during a five-day period in March 1987. It was also stated that Noble knew all three men and had been invited into their homes prior to their slayings, police say.

In March 1987, prosecutors said Noble beat the men to death with a hammer. Harris was also stabbed more than 18 times. There was no forced entry, and each victim was facing his attacker and taken by surprise when assaulted.

Noble said police failed to find “even one drop” of his blood on his clothes or at the murder scenes. Shannon countered that the victims were unable to defend themselves and never touched their assailant.