FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the sentence of Kentucky’s longest-held death row inmate, Karu White.
White, who has been on death row since 1980, has lost mulitple appeals in state and federal courts. His most recent appeal was rejected Friday, March 14 by the Sixth Circuit 2-1.
In 1979, White and two juvenile accomplices beat 75-year-old Charlie Gross, his 74-year-old wife Lula Gross and her brother 79-year-old Sam Chaney to death with a crow bar. Charlie Gross was blind. The trio were murdered inside a store they operated in Breathitt County.
In a statment, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said, “This violent criminal committed these horrific murders more than 40 years ago, and he’s spent the decades since attempting to dodge the justice lawfully delivered by a jury. This ruling upholds the jury’s verdict, gives relief to the victims’ families and clears the way for long-overdue justice.”
Mary Lou Herald, the Grosses’ grandaughter said, “This brutal killer stole my grandparents. Then he took 40 years of my life as he tried to escape justice.” She added, “After all this time, we are hopeful the sentence will be carried out and justice will finally be done. I’m grateful to the Office of the Attorney General and every person that worked over the years to ensure my grandparents and family were never forgotten.”
Last year, Coleman filed a motion in the Franklin Circuit Court to overturn Kentucky’s 15-year death penalty ban. He filed after Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration published amended regulations, fully complying with the court’s 2010 ruling.
With the Kentucky Supreme Court’s action clearing the way, Coleman filed a motion in December urging the Franklin Circuit Court to decide on the death penalty ban.
