Killer's family hopes for death-row reprieve
Jason...@virgin.net
Killer's family hopes for death-row reprieve
Dad says son is sorry for '92 Koslow slaying
10/24/2000
By Debra Dennis / The Dallas Morning News
Even with his Nov. 1 execution date approaching, there is one thing
Jeffrey Dillingham won't discuss with his parents: the events of March
12, 1992.
That's the day socialite Caren Koslow was beaten and stabbed to death by
two teenagers in her West Fort Worth home in a plot later found to have
been masterminded by her stepdaughter, Kristi Koslow, to collect an
inheritance.
Mr. Dillingham, now 27, was found guilty and was sentenced to die, while
Kristi Koslow and her boyfriend, Brian Dennis Salter, received life
sentences.
Today, Mr. Dillingham avoids the subject when he talks to his parents,
Ray and Toni Dillingham, who visit him on death row in Huntsville.
Instead, they discuss happier things, such as relatives who are getting
married, friends who are writing letters on his behalf and their strong
belief in God, his parents say.
"He's got some major blackouts," Ray Dillingham said. "We don't press
him. He participated in the crime, and he's willing to take the
punishment. I know he doesn't want to die, but he's prepared."
Ray Dillingham said his son, who declined to be interviewed for this
story, has expressed sorrow for Mrs. Koslow's death.
Mrs. Koslow, an oil heiress, was bludgeoned and her throat was slashed.
Her husband, businessman and former bank executive Jack Koslow, also was
beaten and stabbed but survived. Police first suspected Mr. Koslow of
the attack, but he was later cleared with the arrest of his daughter,
Jeffrey Dillingham and Mr. Salter. Mr. Koslow has declined over the
years to talk about the case.
The case had all the elements of a made-for-television movie: The
daughter of a wealthy Fort Worth family conspires to have her father and
stepmother killed to collect her $12 million dollar inheritance.
National media coverage followed.
Kristi Koslow, then 17, is now serving a life sentence for hiring
Jeffrey Dillingham and Mr. Salter, who accepted a plea bargain to
receive his life sentence.
Jeffrey Dillingham's only real hope for escaping death by injection is a
30-day reprieve from Gov. George W. Bush. His request for clemency,
filed last week, claims a disparity of punishment between him and the
two others convicted in the Koslow slaying.
But Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Alan Levy, who prosecuted
Jeffrey Dillingham, said the sentence and the trial were just. He said
the blows delivered by Jeffrey Dillingham were what caused Mrs. Koslow's
death.
"He was offered the same thing as [co-defendant Brian] Salter. He
thought maybe he could mount a good defense and get off," Mr. Levy said.
"That was his choice. He is the person who did the actual killing. He
was the hands-on killer. She died from the blows he inflicted."
Mrs. Dillingham said she is asking friends to write letters to the
governor's office supporting the request for a reprieve.
"I hear people saying 30 days is only going to delay my agony. But
that's at least two more visits I get with him," she said. "I've always
been very close to my son."
She said she knows her son was involved in the slaying, but she says he
should be forgiven and not executed.
"He shouldn't have to give his life. Taking Jeff's life is not going to
bring Mrs. Koslow's life back. It was Brian Salter who admitted taking
her life, not Jeff," the mother said.
The parents said Jeffrey Dillingham was a good student, graduating with
honors from Brewer High School in White Settlement. He has no criminal
record prior to this arrest for Mrs. Koslow's slaying and has no mental
disorders, his father said.
In early 1992, Jeffrey Dillingham was working as a video store clerk. He
had tried college, pursuing an interest in medicine, before dropping
out. Days after Mrs. Koslow's death and before his arrest, Jeffrey
Dillingham was making plans to wed his high-school sweetheart, his
father said.
"He had everything going for him. He was bright, smart. He was marrying
the girl of his dreams. He had never been in trouble. I didn't even know
where to go when they told me my son had been arrested. He was a good
kid. We don't know what happened to him," Ray Dillingham said.
On Oct. 31, the Dillinghams plan to spend eight hours with their son,
clinging to hope for an 11th-hour reprieve. They said they will visit
again on the day of Jeffrey Dillingham's execution.
"All of this is in God's hands, not mine," Ray Dillingham said. "I pray
every day, and I have friends and work associates who pray. Prayer does
work. We just have to wait and see."
But Mr. Levy said Mr. Dillingham deserves to die for his crime, which he
called "tremendously brutal."
"The undercurrent is that he was not poor. He received the best
representation at trial. They weren't denied anything to prepare a
defense. Every request for experts was granted. They weren't short of
any witnesses. Jeffrey Dillingham is getting what he deserves," Mr. Levy
said.
Staff writer Nancy Calaway contributed to this story.
___________________________________________________________________________
She said she knows her son was involved in the slaying, but she says he
should be forgiven and not executed.
"He shouldn't have to give his life. Taking Jeff's life is not going to
bring Mrs. Koslow's life back. It was Brian Salter who admitted taking
her life, not Jeff," the mother said.
>>Would this mother be as forgiving if it had been Mrs Koslow who had
taken the life of her son?
I doubt it! But I guess we all feel a little different about our
offspring, 'selfish gene' theory and all that!
ciao
Jason
DedNdogYrs
girl who planned the whole thing.
Dogs & children first.
AgonyInBlk
>Killer's family hopes for death-row reprieve
>Dad says son is sorry for '92 Koslow slaying>>>
Does feeling sorry after the fact warrant a reprieve? "Sorry I murdered you,
now that I'm facing death. Can you change my sentence from death to life in
prison?" Saying he's "sorry" now really doesn't seem too big a deal considering
he admits his participation in a woman's murder for money.
>Jeffrey Dillingham's only real hope for escaping death by injection is a
>30-day reprieve from Gov. George W. Bush. His request for clemency,
>filed last week, claims a disparity of punishment between him and the
>two others convicted in the Koslow slaying.
Doesn't seem that there was a disparity in sentencing, considering this:
>"He was offered the same thing as [co-defendant Brian] Salter. He
>thought maybe he could mount a good defense and get off," Mr. Levy said.
>"That was his choice.
If he would have taken the offer, he *would* have gotten the same sentence.
Because he rolled the dice to try and get off completely doesn't mean you get
to *then* try and cut a deal. What's that old saying about hindsight being
20-20?
>She said she knows her son was involved in the slaying, but she says he
>should be forgiven and not executed.
Forgiven? On the basis of what? That almost 9 years after he helped take the
life of a woman for profit and got *caught* he says he's sorry?
>"He shouldn't have to give his life. Taking Jeff's life is not going to
>bring Mrs. Koslow's life back.
No, but allowing him to life out his life in prison, where he gets to
<<<talks to his parents,
Ray and Toni Dillingham, who visit him on death row in Huntsville.
Instead, they discuss happier things, such as relatives who are getting
married, friends who are writing letters on his behalf and their strong
belief in God, his parents say.>>>
He also will get to read books, see the sunrise, watch TV, work in the wood
shop, learn to make paper mache if he wants to, all while Caren Koslow
continues to decompose. There are no more sunrises for Caren Koslow. Caren
Koslow cannot visit her family (though I don't imagine her and her daughter
would be on the best of terms). Caren Koslow will never know the change of
seasons, the taste of coffee, the sound of music, the comedy of sit-coms, the
power of the internet, or even a cigarette (if she smoked or chose to.) Caren
Koslow will not be brought back, but by the same token, her killer will not
enjoy *any* of the little things one experiences while one *lives.* I don't
know if Caren Koslow had a sister or brother, but if so, they will *never*
again hear her voice on Christmas morning. Never again share a Thanksgiving
dinner with her. Never hold her hand watching their favorite team. Dillingham
stands to gain a lifetime of access to his family, phone calls and visits,
getting cookies in the mail, etc. I'm not suggesting prison is a family party,
but it's not a box in the ground by a long shot.
Best,
JM
___________________________________________
The Nightmare never ends...
AGONY IN BLACK
http://www.mediasi.com/chantingmonks
Come worship at the new house of horrors
___________________________________________
AgonyInBlk
>I'd give him life in prison because that's what the others got including the
>girl who planned the whole thing.
If it weren't for the fact that he *had* been offered the same deal, but chose
to roll the dice and try to get off completely, I'd agree. But, because the
others took a deal and he only wishes he could go back knowing how the outcome
didn't favor him, I'd say he took the chance knowingly, and gets what he
deserves.
Jason...@virgin.net
AgonyInBlk wrote:
> Jason reported:
>
> >Killer's family hopes for death-row reprieve
> >Dad says son is sorry for '92 Koslow slaying>>>
>
> Does feeling sorry after the fact warrant a reprieve? "Sorry I murdered you,
> now that I'm facing death. Can you change my sentence from death to life in
> prison?" Saying he's "sorry" now really doesn't seem too big a deal considering
> he admits his participation in a woman's murder for money.
I agree totally with you JM. Sometimes you just have to deal with the puishment
you get.
Very poignant JM, and very much to the point!
Thanks for writing that down, it's similar to my views on the subject as well!
ciao
Jason
AgonyInBlk
<< I agree totally with you JM. Sometimes you just have to deal with the
puishment
you get. >>
Had he gotten off, I wonder, should we allow the two who had cut their deal,
admitted their guilt, and made their plea bargain to retract it and hope they,
too, managed to get off?
<< Very poignant JM, and very much to the point!
Thanks for writing that down, it's similar to my views on the subject as well!
>>
With all the injustices in the legal system, trying to twist this into one of
them isn't hacking it. It's obvious he did have the chance at the same
punishment and sentence as his co-criminals, and he chose not to accept the
same punishment. Crying "this sentence isn't fair" after the fact and trying to
get the sentence changed is ridiculous.
Best,
JM
___________________________________________
The Nightmare never ends...
AGONY IN BLACK