Mother finds no relief in prison term for daughter's killer

Saturday, June 24th 2006, 12:05 pm

By: News On 6

ADA, Okla. (AP) _ For the mother of a young waitress who was raped and strangled nearly 24 years ago, a life in prison without the possibility of a parole term for the killer brings no relief.

Pontotoc County District Judge Tom Landrith spared Glen Dale Gore the death penalty on Friday after jurors failed to reach a decision following more than 10 hours of deliberation. At 2:30 a.m., Landrith refused to allow the panel more time and pronounced the sentence himself.

The jury was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of the death penalty, prosecutor Richard Wintory said.

Jurors convicted Gore, 45, of first-degree murder in the Dec. 8, 1982, death of Deborah Sue Carter, 21. Gore had been found guilty before of the same crime and sentenced to death, but the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.

Peggy Sanders, Carter's mother, was upset Gore did not get the death penalty.

``I'm right back where I was 24 years ago,'' she said. ``I just keep on hurting because justice was not served.''

Wintory said that when the jury returned to the courtroom, the foreman and the juror who was not voting for the death penalty asked for five more minutes. The judge denied the request.

``It was frustrating,'' said Wintory, who left a prosecutor's job in Arizona to work in this case. ``The jury had been 11 to 1 for many hours, so Landrith decided to take the case from the jury and discharge them.''

According to state statutes, when a judge takes the case from the jury, he has the option of pronouncing life in prison or life in prison without parole. Landrith said he formally sentenced Gore to expedite the process.

Cheryl Ramsey, Gore's co-counsel, said she was disappointed the jury had come back with a guilty verdict on Wednesday but was happy Gore was spared his life.

Sanders was not happy, though, saying life in prison for Gore would not allow her to put her daughter to rest.

``Everyone says 'Well, it's OK if he gets life,''' she said. ``But it's not.''

Some of the jurors stayed after to talk with Sanders and many were crying, she said.

During the trial, experts testified that semen and five of the 17 hairs tested for DNA belonged to Gore, whose testimony two decades ago led to the incarceration of two other men for the crime.

Ronald Williamson, who was sent to death row, and Dennis Fritz, who received life in prison, spent 12 years behind bars before DNA tests cleared them of the crime.

Williamson died in 2004.