September 15 — John Stumpf
Prior to his arrest, Stumpf did not have any criminal record or even a troublemaker reputation. One day in 1984, Stumpf and two companions, Wesley and Edmonds, were driving after they had been drinking at a bar. They continued to drink and drive with handguns in the back of the car until they spotted a house nearby and decided to rob it with handguns. Stout and his wife, Mary Jane, let in the men, who claimed they needed a phone. Stumpf and a friend pulled out their handguns, declaring that they were robbing the couple. Stumpf held them at gunpoint while his partner searched the house. Stout was shot in between the eyes, and received more injuries, but survived. His wife, though, did not survive the four shots she received. Stumpf and his partner fled the scene in one of Stout’s cars. Edmonds, who stayed behind, fled the scene, too. Stumpf remained in Pennsylvania while Wesley and Edmonds went to Texas. Edmonds was arrested first, and then implicated Stumpf and Wesley.
Stumpf surrendered to the police, but only admitted to participating in the robbery after he found out Stout was alive. However, he denied killing his wife, Mary Jane, saying he fled the scene after shooting Stout. Stumpf was charged and waived his right by trial by jury and pleaded guilty. But his plea deal did not spare him from the death penalty. A three-judge panel decided to sentence him to death, but Stumpf argued that he was a follower to the crime, not a leader, and that had was also intellectually limited, which made him vulnerable under Wesley’s influence, in addition to the fact that he was intoxicated at the time of the crime. The prosecution claimed that Stumpf was the leader. But at Wesley’s trial, the same prosecutor also claimed that Wesley was the leader. Wesley even confessed to killing Mary Jane, but was given a life sentence, with possibility for parole.
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