Convicted Mass Murderer Receives Death Penalty
Two Motions Denied As Daughter Denounces Vincent Brothers
Posted: 09/28/2007
Last Updated:
2064 days ago
On the same day convicted mass killer Vincent Brothers was publicly denounced by his estranged daughter, Margaret Kern, a judge ruled the death penalty for the once well-known vice principal.
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During Brothers' Thursday morning sentencing in Bakersfield, two defense motions were also denied in a Kern County court.Brothers was convicted of killing his wife, Joanie Harper, their three children: Marques, Lyndsey and Marshall; and Joanie Harpers mother, Earnestine.His family was found dead on July 8, 2003. Brothers was arrested in April 2004.
Murder and Trial Timeline:
Although Brothers showed little emotion during Thursday's sentencing, he was consoled by his lawyer right after the judge in the case denied life in prison without the possibility of parole.A few minutes before Brothers' death sentence was upheld, a mistrial in the case was also denied.After a break, tear-filled statements were heard from family members.In a dramatic courtroom statement, Brothers' only surviving child, Margaret Kern-Brothers, 18, gave a powerful statement. She said she was resigning from the Brothers' family, and that after she walked out of the courtroom, she would forever be Margaret Kern.She said her father was now just "a man handcuffed to a chair" after she spoke tearfully about some of her dead relatives and revealed a suicide attempt when she was younger over being distraught by her family's death.She attributed her survived suicide attempt to her mother, who she claimed was determined not to have her daughter become another victim of Vincent Brothers, who stabbed and shot their relatives.Margaret Kern now attends college in San Diego.
Watch Kern's entire statement:
After the statements, the judge ruled that Brothers would suffer the death penalty and pay restitution.Brothers expressed no emotion as he was escorted from the courtroom.After the sentencing, ABC23's Leticia Juarez met with Margaret Kern who reiterated that she would only see her father one more time, at the day of his execution.
Video:.The day after the sentencing, prosecutor Lisa Green discussed candidly about the confidence she had to have to take on the case. She also talked about the mental preparedness prosecutors have to go through in preparing for such a case.
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