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Home > Waco Breaking News > Archives > 2008 > September > 04 > Entry
Jurors choose death penalty for Coble
Jurors have once again sentenced triple-murderer Billie Wayne Coble to death in his capital murder sentencing retrial.
The verdict came after a jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about four hours, after hearing witness testimony for eight days.
Coble, 59, was on trial for the second time in Waco’s 54th State District Court in the August 1989 shooting deaths of Waco police Sgt. Bobby Vicha and his parents, Robert and Zelda Vicha, at their homes near Axtell.
Coble spent more than 17 years on death row before a federal appeals court in New Orleans overturned his death sentence and ordered his retrial on punishment only. The jurors had the choice of sending Coble back to death row to await execution giving him a life prison term.
Check back at wacotrib.com for updates.
Permalink | Comments (19) | Post your comment | Categories: Courthouse
Comments
By Melissa
September 4, 2008 4:24 PM | Link to this
Nice way to spend tax payer money - wish we as taxpayers had a right to say where our dollars go.
By Justice
September 4, 2008 4:44 PM | Link to this
I think it was a good use of our tax dollars, considering some liberal federal judge decided to give him a new punishment hearing after 17 years of denied appeals. where do you think our tax dollars could be better spent than putting a man as evil as billie coble back on death row?
By Dragonslayer
September 4, 2008 4:45 PM | Link to this
I totally agree with you Melissa, if only the judge who granted the re-trial and the defense attorneys had to pay for ALL the court costs of this senseless trial, we the taxpayers of McLennan County would have been served the justice WE deserve! Now let’s not waste any more time with him sitting on death row, GET ‘ER DONE!!
By Great news
September 4, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this
Thank you, jury. You did a good job and we need people like you willing to spend a few weeks of your life sitting in a courtroom to make our justice system work! This is justice.
By dennis ray
September 4, 2008 5:15 PM | Link to this
like dragonslayer said get er done NOW
By Great news
September 4, 2008 5:19 PM | Link to this
Thank you, jury. You did a good job and we need people like you willing to spend a few weeks of your life sitting in a courtroom to make our justice system work! This is justice.
By Great news says Whoops.
September 4, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
Apologies for the double post. I know better.
By LSS
September 4, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this
Thanks to the jury for making the right dession,Iknow the Vicha family can now have peace,and the other wives he abused and the young women he raped can have some closerNow when will Texas add him to the names of death row inmates EXECUTED,lets not wait to long!
By Jim
September 4, 2008 6:26 PM | Link to this
How much did this trail cost the taxpayers of McLennan county? The lawyers are getting richer and for what, he was found guilty the first time, and sentenced. Why do we have to keep rehashing all of this. He wanted sympathy by explaining his pitiful childhood, well, what about the children he terrorized. Do they now have the excuse to torment people? No, Put his sorry butt back in the prison and carry out the sentence that was originally handed down.
By Jan
September 4, 2008 6:36 PM | Link to this
Melissa, I knew two of the young girls that were tied up while Coble brutally murdered their grandparents and uncle. They do not believe that this was a waste of taxpayer dollars. You wouldn’t either if it were your family that was killed. So before you start whining about lost tax dollars, why don’t you take a walk in this family’s shoes for a while and see how they feel?
By Jan
September 4, 2008 6:36 PM | Link to this
Melissa, I knew two of the young girls that were tied up while Coble brutally murdered their grandparents and uncle. They do not believe that this was a waste of taxpayer dollars. You wouldn’t either if it were your family that was killed. So before you start whining about lost tax dollars, why don’t you take a walk in this family’s shoes for a while and see how they feel?
By Jan
September 4, 2008 6:36 PM | Link to this
Melissa, I knew two of the young girls that were tied up while Coble brutally murdered their grandparents and uncle. They do not believe that this was a waste of taxpayer dollars. You wouldn’t either if it were your family that was killed. So before you start whining about lost tax dollars, why don’t you take a walk in this family’s shoes for a while and see how they feel?
By Darla
September 4, 2008 8:07 PM | Link to this
Thank you jury for a job well done
By Tracy
September 4, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this
To the JURY, thank you so much for all you have done. Justice was served and you made the right choice. Thank you all for the kind words after the trial. My family has been tormented by this man long enough. May the Lord bless all 14 jurors. You are in our hearts.
By Gail
September 4, 2008 10:43 PM | Link to this
Good job, jury, for making the right decision! Now hopefully it won’t be too long to GIT ER’ DONE! This should have been done a LONG time ago.
By null
September 4, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
The only question left now is do we use the right arm or left arm to put him to death. Don’t waste anymore taxpayer dollars by feeding and housing him a minute longer.
By 2TermGrandJuror
September 4, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this
If the idiot Waco judge had got it right the first time the bas-turd would already be dead.
By manny
September 6, 2008 3:18 AM | Link to this
give it up lorna
By LSS
September 6, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
Manny who is lorna?