Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hearing Scheduled For Joe Louis Dansby

A July 5 hearing has been set for convicted murderer Joe Louis Dansby to determine the course of his legal appeals.

Dansby was appointed a new attorney, William McLean, in his case. This is the normal practice in death penalty cases.

McLean, of Little Rock, was appointed by 8th Judicial District South Judge Joe Griffin to do the post conviction work.

McLean said he is basing his appeals on ineffective counsel in the Dansby trial, held in April 1997.

The hearing was first set earlier than July, but was changed by Griffin because his docket was full.

McLean has the case file and has been through it. He said the testimony given by Dansby's wife could have been avoided at the time because the state had rested its case. "This was a critical piece of evidence."

He also questions the court's allowing the blood work and other evidence because of the way it was handled.

However, McLean said it won't be an easy task getting the conviction overturned, but added there are issues needing to be addressed.

In addition, McLean said he isn't sure Griffin should be the judge hearing the post-conviction relief motions after being the presiding judge in the case.

Should a new trial be granted, he said, where it would be held is an unknown. However, it would either have to be held in Nevada or Miller County.

If held in Miller County, he said, a Nevada County judge would have to preside because of the district being split into two parts a few years ago.

According to Brent Haltom, prosecuting attorney for the 8th Judicial District South, should there be a new trial, it would probably be held in the county where the motions have been filed. In this instance, it would be Nevada County because McLean has filed all his motions in Prescott.

Dansby was convicted of killing Jeff Lewis, 23, and Malissa Clark, 21 on May 16, 1992

Their bodies were found about four miles southeast of the Morris Community of a logging road.

Lewis's body was discovered wedged in the bed of his pickup between the bed wall and an all-terrain vehicle.

Clark's nude body was found on the ground behind the pickup.

Coroner's reports showed the two had been killed after being shot several times with a small caliber weapon.

Several spent .22-caliber shell casings were found at the crime scene.

The case involved a second crime scene, this one off county road 22 in southeast Nevada County near the Upchurch Community.

At the conclusion of his trial, Dansby was given two death penalties. He was originally scheduled to die by lethal injection June 25, 1997, but was granted a stay of execution pending further legal hearings.

However, his attorneys at the time, James Pratt and Gene Bramblett of Camden, didn't immediately file the paperwork for a stay, and their client came within one day of having the court's orders carried out.

The stay was finally ordered June 24, 1997.

Dansby remains on death row.