Jailers, relatives testify on Brown's behalf

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- The convicted killer of a Cape Girardeau County man was called a "model inmate" by jail guards testifying Friday in the man's sentencing hearing.

Justin Brown, 26, of Cape Girardeau, was convicted Thursday in the July 7, 2002, abduction and killing of Ralph Lee Lape Jr., 54.

Brown now faces either life in prison or a sentence of death.

A co-defendant, Mark Gill, 35, was convicted in 2004 of the same charges and sentenced to death. Prosecutors accuse the men of carrying out the crimes as a means to steal the victim's money.

After defense witness testimony concluded Friday, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tracy L. Storie, who is overseeing the case, recessed for the day and scheduled closing statements on sentencing to begin at 8 a.m. today, followed by jury deliberations.

During Friday's hearing, guards from various jails testified to the defendant's good behavior since being incarcerated nearly four years ago.

"I'd say he was a role-model prisoner," said Miller County Sheriff Department jail officer Ralph Woods. Brown, who stood trial in Pulaski County on a change of venue, would occasionally be transferred to Miller County due to overcrowding.

On more than one occasion, Brown notified the guards whenever there was a problem brewing with other inmates, and many times he settled the situation before officers arrived, Woods said.

Former Pulaski County jailer Jason Vanlandingham recalled a incident last year in which one inmate refused to be transported to another jail. The conversation between the inmate and Vanlandingham was heated and the inmate, who had become aggressive, moved toward the jailer, he testified.

Brown stepped between the two, talked the inmate down and convinced him to go with the jailer.

"If we had more like him, there'd be a lot less problems," Vanlandingham said of Brown, adding he was a "model inmate."

Brown's friends and family members also testified Friday, many saying they were shocked when hearing of his arrest and murder charge.

"I couldn't say anything," said ex-girlfriend Nicolette Husk. "I didn't believe it."

Husk, who dated Brown for several years, called the defendant a "caring and loving" person who did not have an excessive temper had never become violent.

Tara Depauw, who dated Brown for about a year when the charges were brought against him, testified that after she returned from vacation in Florida on July 11, 2002, Brown's behavior changed and "everything was different." Before her trip, she described Brown as someone who enjoyed going out with his friends and did not want Depauw out of his sight.

When she confronted Brown about his changed behavior, he walked away, Depauw said. Later, Gill, who called for Brown day and night after her Florida trip, told Depauw to be careful about what questions she asks.

"He said, 'If you keep asking Justin questions, are you prepared to find out what's going on?'" Depauw said of Gill. "I didn't understand what he was saying."

Brown's mother and sister also spoke on his behalf, saying Brown was a caring, churchgoing man who looked out for his younger siblings.

Prosecutors accused Brown and Gill of carrying out a plot to kill Lape when they learned he had a large sum of money.

On July 7, 2002, the two hid in Lape's garage in rural Cape Girardeau County near Jackson until the victim returned home from a Fourth of July celebration at a cabin he owned.

The men beat, bound and took Lape to a cornfield 79 miles away in New Madrid County near Portageville, Mo., prosecutors said. After digging a shallow grave, the men shot Lape and buried him.

With Lape's credit card and cash they got using his ATM card, Brown and Gill went to a St. Louis-area strip club and stayed at the Adam's Mark Hotel.

Defense attorneys contended that Brown only went along with Gill because he feared for his own life, and Gill was the real killer.

The trial began on Monday.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127