Donta Page

Background

Donta Page came to Colorado from Maryland as part of a court order to participate in the Stout Street Foundation's alcohol and drug rehabilitation program.

Page was kicked out of that program.

Page had been serving a 20-year sentence in Maryland for armed robbery and burglary.

During his childhood, Page was beaten with electrical cords, causing scars on his back.

When Page was 10, his mother abandoned him and moved to California, forcing him to live with his grandmother, Linda.

During that time, Page was raped by a man.

Page served two years and 47 days of a 10-year Maryland armed robbery sentence before he was placed on three years' supervised probation by a Maryland judge.

The judge placed Page on probation on condition that he successfully complete the treatment program.

The offence

Peyton Tuthill lived two doors away from the halfway house where Page had been staying.

Page burglarized Tuthill's home when she walked in on him.

Tuthill was beaten, raped and killed.

Page admitted raping and stabbing Tuthill on Feb. 24, 1999, but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Page admitted robbing Tuthill, raping and sodomizing her, then killing her to keep her from calling the police.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Page stabbed her twice, pushed her down and stabbed her again.

A prosecutor held up a kitchen boning knife and showed the jury the 8 inches of the blade that penetrated Peyton Tuthill's body.

Prosecutors said Page stabbed her six times in the neck and chest, 7 to 8 inches deep each time.

Investigation

Psychologist Adrian Raine of the University of Southern California testified earlier in the two-week trial that the frontal lobes of Page's brain are misshapen, identical to the frontal lobes of 41 murderers Raine has examined.

The frontal lobes control impulsive and violent behavior.

Trial

Page was convicted last November of first-degree murder in the death of Peyton Tuthill, 24.

The jury began deliberations after lunch Friday, but ended by late afternoon, and the jury was scheduled to resume deliberations Monday.

Prosecutors and co-prosecutors argued for conviction of first-degree murder after deliberation.

Page pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Page did not answer questions as he left after the sentence decision was announced.

Page never testified in his own defense during the trial.

Prosecution closing arguments and statements

Prosecutor Henry Cooper said in closing arguments that Page, 25, should be convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Tuthill on Feb. 24, 1999.

Cooper said:

"Six times he stabbed her in the neck and chest, 7 to 8 inches deep each time," boomed prosecutor Henry Cooper.

Cooper told the jury:

"He deliberated, exactly the way you would walking into a Burger King and looking at the menu," "He deliberated before the crime, he deliberated after the crime about covering it up. He went back in (to Tuthill's apartment and killed her) so he wouldn't get caught. He placed his own freedom ahead of Peyton Tuthill's life."

Cooper argued:

"A rough childhood is no excuse for what you did - take the life of a truly innocent woman," Cooper said.

Cooper responded to the defense’s arguments:

"The defense wants you to look at abuse in Maryland to where he can't think about what he's doing here in Denver," "Not one doctor said there is anything that keeps him from deliberating. Not one doctor said he is mentally ill."

Defense arguments and statements

Page's lawyer, Jim Castle, said after the decision was announced:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tuthill family, and that's all we're we're going to say,"

Defense attorney James Castle argued during the hearing that Page's life should be spared because the case against him did not meet the legal standards for the death penalty in Colorado.

Castle said the crime was not committed in an "especially heinous, cruel and depraved" manner and did not include sustained torture.

Defense attorney Randy Canney argued during the hearing that Page's life should be spared because the case against him did not meet the legal standards for the death penalty in Colorado.

During closing argument, Castle asked the jury:

"to speak loudly about the life (Page) has led, speak loudly that he no longer deserves any abuse and speak loudly about hope instead of anger. If ever we are to stop this cycle of violence, it's because we will act out of hope and not anger."

Letter read by the defense

Defense attorney Randy Canney concluded the defense's closing arguments by reading a letter that Page wrote to Dr. David Johnson, a staff psychiatrist at the state mental hospital in Pueblo.

Page wrote:

"All they see is a black man that killed a white woman. Nobody took the time to ask why but rather who. I've been asking for help for years. Nobody cares till I hurt someone. Dr. Johnson, I don't see what I really have to live for. I've been asking for help for years. I'm supposed to take medication to keep me alive so they can kill me. I don't think so. If I die, it will be better than dieing (sic) by someone else's hand. I'm 24 years old. I never had a chance to live. Now it's over."

Sentencing

A three-judge panel on Friday afternoon sentenced Donta Page with life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentence was handed down on February 21, 2001.

At the sentencing, a three-judge panel was expected to decide if Page should be executed if convicted of first-degree murder.

Tuthill's family and friends appeared stunned when the announcement was made, including some who were wearing buttons with her picture on it.

Appeals

No appeals information appeared in the provided material.

Outcome

Page was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on February 21, 2001.

Page was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Peyton Tuthill.

Page was charged with first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary and aggravated robbery.

Other details

Page came to Colorado under a Maryland judge's order to participate in the Stout Street Foundation's alcohol and drug rehabilitation program.

After the trial, prosecutors said Page should be convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation.

If the jury found Page guilty of a lesser charge of murder, it would take away the possibility of the death penalty.

Prosecutors said evidence showed Page stabbed her twice, pushed her down and stabbed her again.

Tuthill lived on the 1600 block of Gaylord street near the Stout Street Foundation house.

Stout Street Foundation house was referenced as being on the 1600 block of Gaylord street.

Page was 22 at the time of sentencing, and Page was 24 at the time of the Feb. 24, 1999 killing, and Page was 25 as referenced in closing arguments.