Spaziano to take case to governor instead of courts
Dublin Core
Title
Spaziano to take case to governor instead of courts
Subject
Spaziano, Joe
Description
Spaziano's lawyers want him to be declared innocent and pardoned by Governor Chiles. One of the key witnesses for Spaziano's original case admitted he lied in his original witness testimony.
Creator
Henry, Kaylois
Source
St. Petersburg Times
Publisher
HIST 298, University of Mary Washington
Date
1995-06-24
Rights
The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source.
Format
1 JPG
300 dpi
Language
English
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Clearwater - Rather than prolong their client's stay on death row with legal appeals, the attorneys for Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano want him declared innocent and pardoned by the governor.
"We have made the decision that after 20 years of being in the courts, Mr. Spaziano's best chance of justice lies with the governor," said Pat Doherty, one of Spaziano's attorneys.
Doherty and Spaziano's other attorney, Mike Mello, sent a letter to Gov. Lawton Chiles this week informing him of their decision to file a petition for clemency. In the petition, they will ask Chiles to pardon Spaziano, Doherty said.
Spaziano was schedules to die June 27 for the 1973 murder of Orlando nurse Laura Lynn Harberts. But Tony Dilisio, a key witness against Spaziano, told Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents that he was manipulated by investigators and his testimony was false. On June 15, Chiles called off the execution indefinitely.
Dilisio has said he will sign the clemency petition, Doherty said.
Chiles spokesman Ron Sachs said he did not know if the letter had been received. If it had, it would be sent to the governor's lawyers for review.
Sachs described clemency as an act of mercy "approved sparingly, if at all, in capital cases."
Normally, with a stay of execution, the attorneys would be scrambling to appeal the case. Doherty said he and Mello feel it would take a long time to prepare a new case to go before the court. At any time, Spaziano's execution could be rescheduled, and the case might not be ready.
Many of the witnesses necessary to a new case are out of the country and it would take months, even years before a hearing could be set, Doherty said.
"The problem is the courts have had 20 years to set aside this case and they have chosen not to do so," Doherty said.
Besides, Doherty said, at this stage, the courts would be reviewing the case for technical violations in earlier trials. The merits of the case itself would not be discussed and so the courts cannot give Spaziano what his lawyers say he deserves, vindication.
"We want him to walk," Doherty said. " He never committed this crime."
The attorneys realize the strategy is risky. Chiles has granted stays of execution in the past, only to resign the death order later.
"We have made the decision that after 20 years of being in the courts, Mr. Spaziano's best chance of justice lies with the governor," said Pat Doherty, one of Spaziano's attorneys.
Doherty and Spaziano's other attorney, Mike Mello, sent a letter to Gov. Lawton Chiles this week informing him of their decision to file a petition for clemency. In the petition, they will ask Chiles to pardon Spaziano, Doherty said.
Spaziano was schedules to die June 27 for the 1973 murder of Orlando nurse Laura Lynn Harberts. But Tony Dilisio, a key witness against Spaziano, told Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents that he was manipulated by investigators and his testimony was false. On June 15, Chiles called off the execution indefinitely.
Dilisio has said he will sign the clemency petition, Doherty said.
Chiles spokesman Ron Sachs said he did not know if the letter had been received. If it had, it would be sent to the governor's lawyers for review.
Sachs described clemency as an act of mercy "approved sparingly, if at all, in capital cases."
Normally, with a stay of execution, the attorneys would be scrambling to appeal the case. Doherty said he and Mello feel it would take a long time to prepare a new case to go before the court. At any time, Spaziano's execution could be rescheduled, and the case might not be ready.
Many of the witnesses necessary to a new case are out of the country and it would take months, even years before a hearing could be set, Doherty said.
"The problem is the courts have had 20 years to set aside this case and they have chosen not to do so," Doherty said.
Besides, Doherty said, at this stage, the courts would be reviewing the case for technical violations in earlier trials. The merits of the case itself would not be discussed and so the courts cannot give Spaziano what his lawyers say he deserves, vindication.
"We want him to walk," Doherty said. " He never committed this crime."
The attorneys realize the strategy is risky. Chiles has granted stays of execution in the past, only to resign the death order later.
Original Format
Newspaper article
Contributor of the Digital Item
Guidon, John
Student Editor of the Digital Item
Williams, Megan
Files
Citation
Henry, Kaylois, “Spaziano to take case to governor instead of courts,” HIST299, accessed March 12, 2026, https://hist299.umwhistory.org/items/show/177.