Judge Spares Cop Killer’s Life
A Superior Court judge decided Monday that a 31-year-old cop-killer should spend the rest of his life in prison instead of being executed for his actions, suggesting that he may have mental problems. “This is an inexplicable tragedy,” Superior Court Judge Alfred Dempsey said. “I’ve read over these (psychiatric reports) that the public will not necessarily see … that I will say justifies the plea we’re taking here today.” Six years ago, Kenneth Gerald Reese, 31, blasted 26-year-old Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount during a traffic stop. The case was unusual in that Blount had merely stopped Reese for driving erratically, and Reese had no history of violence or criminal behavior. It is still unclear why Reese, who confessed to the assault, emptied one 9-mm pistol into Blount’s shoulder and head before retrieving another 9-mm from his car, pressing it against the officer’s head and shooting him again, according to the autopsy report. District Attorney Paul Howard said he agreed to the life sentence after a state-hired psychiatrist reported that Reese — who weighed more than 300 pounds — had been taking a now-banned diet drug linked to causing psychosis. He found that Reese was not legally insane because he knew right from wrong at the time of the killing. “It was problematic for us because that report was presented by our own psychiatrist,” Howard said. “If it is true, then that is bizarre … and it was the only thing presented as a motive.” A psychiatrist hired by the defense team testified that Reese’s brain had a damaged frontal-lobe that caused him to be become psychotic. Howard did not buy that version.
Georgia National Guard Makes History
The Army promoted the first Black general in the history of the Georgia National Guard. Breaking the drought is Joe Wells, who served as director of intelligence at the Georgia Army National Guard Joint Forces headquarters in Atlanta. Before the pinning ceremony, he honored his wife, mother and daughters with roses for the sacrifices they made during his military career, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Wells is a pilot for Continental Airlines and flies the Boeing 777. He will now head to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., to serve as the Deputy Command General of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center.