Friday, February 5, 2016

IN LOVING MEMORY OF JILL FREY (FEBRUARY 24, 1953 TO FEBRUARY 5, 1990)



            We, the comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, will remember Jill Frey who was murdered by Walter Storey on February 2, 1990. Justice was served 25 years later on February 11, 2015 when he was executed by lethal injection in Missouri.

            We promise to remember Jill Frey on her birthday on February 24 every year. We also recommend cutting down appeals of the death row inmate as it wastes too much time, the justice system needs to learn from the execution of the D.C Sniper and Michael William Lenz where they were executed from at least 6 to 7 years from crime to execution. We can also learn from these two victims, Huang Na (Singapore) and Ibolya Ryan (United Arab Emirates) where their killers were executed two years and 7 months respectively after their crime.

            Let us hear this victim impact statement from her brother, Jeff Frey: 

   
Victim: Special education teacher Jill Frey, pictured, was brutally beaten and had her throat slit by Storey in 1990 at her St Charles, Missouri home
Statement of Jeff Frey, brother of Jill Frey, read during the press briefing following the execution of Walter Timothy Storey:
First of all, we would like to thank the tireless efforts of the law enforcement officers, Richard Plummer, Michael Miller and Joe Dresselhaus along with Victims Advocate Brenda Porter, who was our family’s and especially our mother’s steady support through the years, and Kimberly Evans, the Victim Services Coordinator for Mo. Department of Corrections who has offered all her time and support preparing for today. Also to Gov. Nixon and Atty. General Koster for staying the course, upholding and fighting for victim’s rights, and supporting the people’s choice for the death penalty
My attempt to give a brief statement about this event and the past 25 years can never explain the overall effect this senseless and brutal murder has had on so many people. Jill was a tremendous person, daughter, sister, aunt, godmother, cousin, teacher and friend.
To go back 25 years (almost to the day) when we received the tragic news,  to what has taken us through three trials over the next 10 years,  then waiting another 15 years for the courts to set an execution date has needless to say had an undeniable impact on Jill’s family and friends. Over this period of time several of our family members have passed away including both our mother and father.  From the outset, this tragedy took its toll on our father. He passed away shortly after the 3rd trial and unfortunately his quality of life went from bad to worse beginning that dreadful day of Feb. 5th, 1990 when he lost his oldest daughter.  Our mother passed away in 2011— six months after we finally received the news that the US Supreme Court denied his final appeal.
Mom and Dad’s life, for the most part, reverted to following every step of the case hoping to find closure to this sad and devastating ordeal. Mom compiled over 10 binders which stacked three-feet tall of everything related to the three trials, countless appeals, hearings and opinions, etc. After Dad’s death, Mom devoted the rest of her life to seeing this through. She was always fearful this animal would be freed to kill another innocent woman.
Just to give you a rundown of what our family had to endure over the past 25 years…
1.      Feb. 5, 1990… the tragic news
2.      1991…initial trial…convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action, second-degree burglary and tampering with evidence… Sentenced to death.
3.      1995…Mo. Supreme Court affirmed the convictions but reversed and remanded the death penalty sentence due to ineffective counsel.
4.      1997…Second jury trial and again the sentence was the death penalty.
5.      Mo. Supreme Court again reversed and remanded the death sentence because the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury.
6.      1999…Third jury trial again recommended the death sentence.
7.      2000… Our father passes away after 10 years of pain and suffering.
8.      2001…Mo. Supreme Court affirmed the death penalty.
9.      2010…US 8th District Court rejected all appeals.
10.   2011…Finally! The US Supreme Court denied all appeals.
11.   2011… Six months later our mother passed away without achieving her goal of seeing this through.
12.   2015… Feb.11th – the time has come and now passed.
13.   Jill was buried on Feb. 9, 1990. 25 years and two days ago.
We know Jill, Mom, Dad, and all of our family and friends are relieved that this is finally over and justice has been served. Unfortunately, we have had to endure and suffer through all the countless delays and re-trials when there was absolutely no doubt that two days after this brutal murder took place they had the right guy — a guy that we can truly call a terrorist. 
It is sad that the courts play politics and protect murderers when surveys show that from 60-70 percent of Americans support the death penalty. But the system allowed this terrorist to beat it for 25 years. It is sad all the lawsuits and dollars wasted over the drugs used in carrying out these executions. The people of the State of Missouri like the majority of states have voted for the death penalty. So, why are we arguing over what is cruel and unusual punishment — of a murderer, of a terrorist? Why do we continue to allow the argument about the secretive process of obtaining and using lethal injection drugs? Is it because this process might cause a brutal murderer to suffer a painful death? What is a painful death? What is cruel and unusual punishment? Is it a twitch of a finger? Is it a squinting of an eyelid? Is it a curling of a savage killer’s toes, or maybe violent tremors of the body for several minutes? Or is cruel and unusual punishment when a man breaks into a woman’s home in the middle of the night while she is in bed, proceeds to brutally beat and assault her, break six ribs, hit her in the face and head 12 times suffering injuries to her forehead, nose, cheek, scalp, lips, tongue and even her eyelid torn off? She had defensive wounds to her arms and hands, abrasions to her knee, a six-inch stab wound to the abdomen, and four internal impact injuries to her head all before she lost consciousness! What is cruel and unusual punishment? Is it a minimum of 20 blows to Jill’s body before cutting her throat to her spine? Jill died of blood loss and asphyxiation from not one but two six-inch cuts across her throat, cutting through both of her jugular veins, her airway, her esophagus and into her spine. If not enough, he then threw her off the bed and stomped on her so hard it broke her shoulder blade. Along with all of the evidence, blood, finger prints, etc. — a deep shoeprint stamped into Jill’s night shirt and back. The shoes were found under his bed.
What is cruel and unusual punishment? Is it a little sting that we get when the IV needle goes in the arm or the burning sensation when the drug is flowing into the veins? Or is it going back into the victim’s apartment the next day, trying to wipe everything down of all fingerprints, and even using her own toothbrush to clean under her fingernails because while struggling for her life Jill took fingernails full of skin from his chest. What is cruel and unusual punishment? We just witnessed a terrorist close his eyes and go to sleep! Now, let’s remember the kind of death Jill experienced. This guy had choices many times through that dreadful night. He could have stolen the keys, the money and left. But, to have a knife with him and do what he decided to do, he has now paid the price for those choices. Everyone makes decisions in their life and unfortunately that night his choice was to end Jill’s life in the most brutal fashion. Why are we so concerned about cruel and unusual punishment when executing a brutal murderer? This guy had no mercy on Jill but now we are expected to have mercy on him.
Jill did not deserve this brutal attack. She made all the right choices in her short life of 36 years. She dedicated her life to special needs children and their families.  Her goal was to mainstream special needs children into a regular classroom. She always volunteered for Easter Seals camps, Special Olympics and several other related organizations.
Jill has a memorial scholarship in her honor presented every year to a senior at Highland High School in Highland, Illinois. A memorial garden was built at United Services in St Charles, Missouri, where Jill was teaching before her death. An annual memorial leadership award is presented to a Special Olympic athlete in her name. Jill also received several awards while living her dream and applying herself to the fullest in her profession. One that meant much to her was being named the “Outstanding Young Educator” by the Illinois Jaycees. But most of all, she was a loving, caring, and giving person and everyone she came in touch with became a better person having known her. Jill, we are so proud of you and your love and dedication to everything and everyone you believed in!
To say Jill was a special person is an understatement. Having Jill taken from us not only affected her family and friends lives but all the special needs children that she taught and loved, all the children she could have taught and been enriched by her love. Her never-ending desire was to give of herself always. This world lost a very special and beautiful person.
So, the execution brings a sense of closure to a part of this unspeakable tragedy in our lives. It will not bring Jill back nor will it ever lessen the pain and suffering we go through every day. Going through three trials has etched in our memory everything that happened to Jill that night. We can never erase the thoughts of the struggle Jill endured trying to survive. We will never forget.
Just think for a moment if this attack happened to your family or even one of your friends. How would this affect your family? What would you consider justice under the law? This guy had a choice, and now his sentence has been carried out according to the law but in a very peaceful way compared to what he did to Jill.
After 25 years, we now can try and close this chapter. We do not have to worry about another trial or appeal, lawsuits or anything else. We hope by hearing our tragic story the people of this country will push to change this process and stop these lengthy lawsuits and appeals. Twenty-five years is tragic. 
Jill, Mom, Dad, and all the rest of our family at your side, we know you are here and you saw it through with us. We know you are finally at peace! 
We, all family and friends, can only hope to find that same peace and begin to go on with our lives. We all know you are forever at our side until that day when we meet again. We miss you all each and every day.

A family member holds up a picture of Jill Frey.
Statement provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Family remembers Jill Frey after Missouri executes her killer, Walter Storey
Published on Feb 11, 2015
Family members and friends of Jill Frey came to witness the execution of Walter Storey. Jill's brother, Jeff Frey, spoke about her after Missouri carried out the execution. Storey was sentenced to death for the murder of Jill Frey, a neighbor whom Storey brutally killed with a knife on February 2, 1990. This marks the 1st execution by Missouri in 2015.

  


No comments:

Post a Comment