Arthur Dennis Rutherford

October 18, 2006

Florida

Arthur Dennis Rutherford, a white man, faces execution for the August 1985 death of Stella Salamon, 63, in Santa Rosa County, Florida.  Rutherford is said to have planned to force Salamon to write him a check and then to kill her and make it seem like an accident.  Witnesses testified that Rutherford had discussed the plan before and after Salamon’s death.  Additional witnesses testified that Salamon had expressed fear of Rutherford leading up to the murder. 

Since his time fighting in Vietnam, Rutherford is said to have experienced “jittery nerves, nightmares, and night sweats.”  Also, Rutherford’s alcohol use increased after experiencing war.  Medical experts diagnosed Rutherford with “an anxiety disorder” resulting from his time in Vietnam.  Doctors also admitted that this disorder is similar to post traumatic stress disorder.  Rutherford also was diagnosed as an alcoholic.  Unfortunately Rutherford’s jury never heard about his disorders.  Instead, his lawyers decided to avoid presenting this potentially mitigating evidence.  Defense lawyers instead  decided to try to portray Rutherford as a hard worker and a good and honest father.  Counsel also decided not to present information about Rutherford’s childhood abuse and his marital difficulties. 

Rutherford’s trial counsel had a plausible reason for not presenting certain mitigating factors.  However, they could have presented Rutherford as an honest, hard-working father who suffers from two mental disorders, has suffered abuse, and has marital problems.  Because of a decision of his trial counsel a lot of mitigating evidence was never heard at trial.  Furthermore it is important to note that Rutherford did not agree with the choices of his trial counsel.  Rutherford maintained his innocence throughout proceedings.  Such a stance directly conflicts with his counsel’s attempt to “humanize” Rutherford once he was found guilty instead of attempting to prove his innocence.

Medical testimony has shown that Rutherford suffers from a disorder, similar to post traumatic stress disorder, that may have affected his judgment on the day of Salamon’s death.  Arthur Dennis Rutherford should not be put to death considering the circumstances of his mental stability and shaky defense.     

Please write Gov. Jeb Bush requesting that he stop the execution of Arthur Dennis Rutherford.