Life in prison would be too good for her...

[Green Horn]

For those of you who haven't heard about this, here's an article.

By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Jurors saw pictures of the twisted, bruised and bloody body of a homeless man Monday as a former nurse's aide went on trial on charges she hit him with her car, drove home with his body lodged grotesquely in the windshield and left him to die in her garage.


Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the murder case both said Chante Jawan Mallard, 27, smoked marijuana, took Ecstasy and drank heavily in the hours before she hit Gregory Biggs on a highway in the early hours of Oct. 26, 2001. The defense doesn't dispute what happened but says it was an accident, not murder.


Defense attorney Jeff Kearney said Mallard was just one exit from her home, so she kept driving with "a body entirely in her car, the head in the floorboard, legs going in directions that no one thought humanely possible. You can't imagine."


Mallard faces life in prison if convicted of murder. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, tampering with evidence, before attorneys began opening statements on the murder charge. The tampering charge could lead to a sentence of two to 10 years.


When the images of Biggs' mangled body were shown on a large screen in the courtroom Monday, Mallard looked down, and some jurors looked away. Biggs' relatives were not in the room when the photos were displayed.


Although Mallard had taken drugs, prosecutor Christy Jack said she could have stopped at a nearby fire or police station or called an ambulance after she hit Biggs.


He said Mallard stopped briefly and tried to get Biggs off her car, but when she couldn't, she drove about a mile to her home. Mallard then called one of her friends to pick her up, Jack said.


The friend later told Mallard to call 911, he said.


"Chante refused, because she didn't want her parents to know what she'd done and didn't want to go to jail," Jack said.


Kearney said after Mallard pulled into her garage and lowered the door, she sat in the car and cried, repeatedly apologizing to Biggs, who was moaning.


When the friend arrived at the house, Mallard was hysterical and "was blabbing, 'Lord, I'm sorry. What do I do?'" Kearney said.


Biggs, 37, a former bricklayer who had been living in a homeless shelter, was found dead the next day, his body dumped in a park.


Mallard's attorney said Clete Jackson, one of two men who pleaded guilty to helping dump the body, orchestrated moving Biggs to the park.


Jackson received a 10-year sentence for tampering with evidence. His cousin, Herbert Tyrone Cleveland, received nine years. As part of plea agreements, they were to testify at Mallard's trial.


Police initially said Biggs lived for several days in Mallard's garage, slowly bleeding to death from his multiple fractures and cuts.


But Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani later said Biggs, whose left leg was nearly amputated, probably lived only a few hours after he was hit. He could have survived if he had received medical attention, Peerwani said.


When Biggs' body was found in the park, authorities had no leads until four months later, when a tipster said Mallard talked about the incident at a party.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I remember when it happened thinking how can anyone be so stupid as she. It's all over the news today, I wonder what the outcome will be? I don't see how she can live with herself, she must be the lowest of low-life's.

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

I heard about that on the news, and your right life in prison is to good for that lady. This may just be one of those occasions where capital punishment is justified. Imagine, having to slowly bleed to death in someones car. That is awful. I just can't believe someone would do something like that.

 

[Tony Eeds]

Everyone PLEASE say a prayer that the good guys win this one.

The short from Creep Show II is the first thing I thought of when I heard about this case.

 

[va_yzrider]

"Thanks for the ride, lady"

Just last night on the local talk radio show they were discussing the Lee Malvo case and the costs associated with seeking the death penalty. The outcome was that it is cheaper to spend the $20k/yr for incarceration than seeking a death sentence. Unfortunately, I don't think we will see the death penalty in this case. However, making her live the remainder of her life knowing what she did may be punishment enough (in a small room with bars, mind you). I just can't believe what some people will do just to get out of a little bit of trouble. If she had just done the right thing she would probably only get a year in a cell, maybe less.

 

[Erick82]

For violent criminals that have a history of crime I am 100% for the death penalty. I do not feal she deserves the death penalty. Life in prison is good enough and for a prison job have her go out and clean up DUI accidents, that way she is constantly remindedof what she did.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

This incident sickens me. I can't begin to understand how someone could let another human die like that.

The initial news report stated that she drove into her garage and left the man in there while she did more drugs and had sex with her boyfriend. She was caught after she was overheard bragging and laughing about the incident at a party. I'll never understand how anyone could have such a callous disregard for human life.

 

[tx246]

as a texan i am ashamed. we used to hang people like that straightaway but there were those who said there was a better way...........sometimes im not so sure.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

GUILTY! The jury has found Chante guilty on one count of murder, and one count of tampering with evidence.

Has justice been served? No sentence has been imposed yet. . .

 

[Senior KX Rider]

The guilty verdict was the only way this one could go. I hope that justice is done when sentencing comes down

 

[Racer#213]

i bet the mary jane and ex-crap mixed with a little bit of grandpas cough medicine, helped with her decision to go home. she was in a panic and didn't know what to do, so to avoid trouble she fled and went home. THen the next morning or whenever, they left him in the park. NOw that's just sick. Her friend shoulda steped up and said call 9-1-1 NOW! or called for her. but instead he found himself in prison for 10 years of his life.

I think she should go to jail. Spent a while in there. then spent a little more time after that.

 

[Tony Eeds]

Originally posted by Julius Pleaser
This incident sickens me. I can't begin to understand how someone could let another human die like that.

The initial news report stated that she drove into her garage and left the man in there while she did more drugs and had sex with her boyfriend. She was caught after she was overheard bragging and laughing about the incident at a party. I'll never understand how anyone could have such a callous disregard for human life.

JP - She wasn't caught until she was overheard mantioning it at a party 4 MONTHS later. One person at the party had enough connection with reality to tag her. It was reported that she continued to do drugs and drink while out on bail.

50 years was not enough. She could get out considerably sooner with good behavior.