YAZOO CITY - Jennifer Hargon McBride knows executing the cousin who killed her brother and his family won't ease her pain, but she wants a jury to sentence Earnest Lee Hargon to death today anyway.
Earnest Lee Hargon was convicted Saturday in the Valentine's Day 2004 murders of Michael Hargon, Michael's wife, Rebecca, and the couple's 4-year-old son, James Patrick.
"It's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," McBride said after the verdict. "If this doesn't warrant the death penalty, I don't know what does."
A Yazoo County jury of nine women and three men took less than two hours on Saturday to convict Earnest Lee Hargon of the crimes.
Jurors were expected to begin deliberating today to decide whether Earnest Lee Hargon is sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole or the death penalty.
The jury heard about two and a half hours of testimony Sunday in the penalty phase for the two capital murder charges. They are expected to hear closing arguments today.
A series of family members testified Sunday about the effect the Feb. 14, 2004, killings had on their family.
Will Alexander of Vaughan said his cousin Earnest Lee Hargon deserves the death penalty.
"There is a difference between self-defense and cold-blooded murder, especially of a four-year-old child who did not know what life was or any wrong. There's no excuse for it," Alexander said.
"I would hate to see anyone go to death," Alexander said. He looked straight at Earnest Lee Hargon across the courtroom. "And I pray for you every night. I really do. And I hope you make peace with God."
Earnest Lee Hargon nodded and wiped his eyes.
Rebecca Hargon's mother, Linda Hirtz of Poplar Bluff, Mo., said he should live, but be punished severely. Another cousin said she visited him in prison because no other family member had extended any love to him.
Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis is expected to sentence Hargon to life in prison on the murder charge for the killing of Michael Hargon. Jurors must decide his fate on the two capital murder charges.
The jury has heard testimony that Earnest Lee Hargon shot Michael Hargon in the head before shooting Rebecca Hargon in the arm and beating and strangling her and the child.
Blood and spent bullet casings were found at the family's Vaughan community home on Feb. 14, 2004, but the family had disappeared. Their bodies were found about three weeks later buried in a shallow grave in the woods nearly 100 miles southeast of Vaughan.
Hargon was convicted of one count of murder and two counts of capital murder.
He did not testify in the trial.
Friends of Earnest Lee Hargon testified that if his life was spared, he could help others in prison.
Robert Douglas Peterson of Canton brought clothes for Hargon to wear at trial and spoke on his behalf.
"He treated me like I was his son," Peterson said. If he gets life in prison, "there's things he can do to help a lot of people," Peterson said.
On Friday, Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis reduced from capital murder to murder the charge involving the death of Michael Hargon. She ruled prosecutors didn't prove another felony had occurred as required by law to support a capital murder charge. A conviction of murder carries a maximum life sentence.
However, Lewis left unchanged the capital murder counts in the deaths of Rebecca Hargon and her son. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty on those counts.
Michael Hargon's sister, McBride, said she wished her mother, Diane Hargon, who died of cancer on Nov. 10, could have been there for the trial.
Just days before her death, Diane Hargon declined an interview with The Associated Press, saying cancer treatments were taking a toll and she was determined to save her strength for the trial.
"God has a weird way of working sometimes," McBride said after Saturday's verdict. "But we're strong enough to get through it."
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