Nigtarded
Da TNB Reporter
Teen gets life for shooting World War II veteran from Archer
Published: Friday, August 13, 2010 at 5:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 13, 2010 at 6:45 p.m.
Defendant Dondre Scott in court earlier this week. The 18-year-old was convicted Friday of shooting Archer veteran Clair Chaffin outside Chaffin's motel room in June 2009.
Clair Chaffin
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ooting-World-War-II-veteran-from-Archer&tc=ar
Published: Friday, August 13, 2010 at 5:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 13, 2010 at 6:45 p.m.
Defendant Dondre Scott in court earlier this week. The 18-year-old was convicted Friday of shooting Archer veteran Clair Chaffin outside Chaffin's motel room in June 2009.
Clair Chaffin
FLORENCE, S.C. — A judge has sentenced to life in prison an 18-year-old convicted Friiday of killing Gainesville area World World II veteran Clair Chaffin.
A jury convicted Dondre Scott on Friday of murder, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the death of 83-year-old Chaffin at his Florence his hotel room June 8, 2009.
About an hour later, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Russo sentenced Scott to life in prison for the murder charge, 30 years for the robbery charge and five years on the weapon charge to run concurrently with no possibility of parole.
Scott opted not to take the stand in his own defense Friday morning, but addressed the court after the verdict and said he wanted to apologize for his actions.
He turned to the members of Chaffin’s family members and said, “From the bottom of my heart I am really truly sorry ... I never meant for Mr. Chaffin to get hurt. I don’t know what ya’ll think of me or if you accept my apology, but I don’t know what else to say but that I’m very sorry.”��
Linda Jackson, Scott’s mother, stood up next and asked Russo for mercy for her son.
About 2:30 p.m., after about an hour and a half Friday, the jury asked to hear and see recordings of Scott’s confession. They returned with their verdict about 4:30 p.m.
The 83-year-old Chaffin, a Marine corpsman who fought through four World War II campaigns in the Pacific and was awarded the Silver Star for his valor, was shot and killed while packing up his car at the Thunderbird Inn, just off Interstate 95.
Chaffin was a longtime resident of Archer, spending more than 50 years supervising Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs construction projects, among them Gainesville’s VA Medical Center.
Chaffin and two other local veterans, Bob Gasche and Clif Cormier, formed the locally known “Iwo Trio,”�� all three being veterans of the 1945 landing of Marines on Iwo Jima, raised funds for the local Milton Lewis chapter of the Young Marines, sending youngsters from the unit for leadership training.
After Friday’s verdict was read, Judge Russo told jurors, “You got it right. I congratulate you, you did a great job.”��
“I believe that weapon was intentionally aimed at Chaffin and fired,”�� the judge said.
The jury of seven men and five women, including an alternate, was drawn after Russo granted a Batson motion requested by 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III, who prosecuted the case.
One of the jurors, a woman, told Russo on Tuesday that she was very embarrassed, but she’d become overwhelmed with emotion as she listened to the testimony of the state’s first witness, Bobby Forbes.
Nine women and five men inititally were seated as jurors. Clements made the Batson motions because he said it appeared some jurors may have been struck by the defense because of their race.
A ruling reached in Kentucky v. Batson, a case tried in the 1970s, and subsequent court rulings state a potential juror can’t be struck on the basis of race or gender, Clements said.
Sylvester Davis, Scott’s alleged accomplice, also is charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and armed robbery in connection with Chaffin’s death. Davis has not yet stood trial and remains jailed at the Florence County Detention Center.
Davis testified Thursday it was Scott who pulled the trigger and shot Chaffin to death.
Davis and Scott are each charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and armed robbery in connection with Chaffin’s death.
Davis has not yet stood trial on his charges and remains jailed at the Florence County Detention Center.
Davis said he and Scott went to the Thunderbird Inn at 2004 W. Lucas St. early that morning looking for people to rob.
Chaffin wasn’t really his main objective for being out there, Davis said. He was more concerned with some truck drivers at the hotel.
It was Scott who targeted Chaffin, he told the jury.
Davis said he was walking toward Chaffin’s room when he suddenly spotted Chaffin coming out of the room, running and screaming.
That’s when he fired the first shots, Davis said.
"I fired one shot ... I ain’t tried to hit him. I could have shot him ... I was right up on him. I could have shot him in the chest, but I didn’t,”�� Davis said.
He was just outside the room when he fired the first shot, then hesitated before he fired a second, then a third, but none hit Chaffin, Davis said
“Are you sure you’re not just a bad shot?”�� 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III asked Davis.
“No,”�� Davis said.
Chaffin turned to look at him during the encounter, but he didn’t appear to be scared, Davis said.
“He ain’t had no shocked look on his face ... he looked mad,”�� Davis said.
Chaffin put his hands up and then motioned as if he was going to try and grab his gun, Davis told the jury.
That’s when a fourth and final round fired by Scott’s weapon hit Chaffin and he fell to the ground, Davis said.
When asked why he opened fire on the victim, Davis said he did it to scare Chaffin and to give Scott a chance to escape from the motel room.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ooting-World-War-II-veteran-from-Archer&tc=ar
