Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Supreme Court has refused to halt the execution next week of a man convicted of murdering a state wildlife officer 26 years ago.
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The justices today rejected claims from Martin Edward Grossman that he wasn’t given a fair chance to prove his trial lawyer had been ineffective nor allowed to present certain mitigating evidence against a death sentence, (as was reported here on VIN News).
The high court also ruled he was premature in arguing that he may be mentally incompetent. An insanity claim must first go to Gov. Charlie Crist for a ruling before it can be appealed.
Grossman, 45, is set for execution Feb. 16 for the 1984 murder of wildlife officer Margaret “Peggy” Park, 26, in Pinellas County. She was shot with her own gun.
Nebbach, a young life that got off to a horrible start. He never had a chance to make something of his life and the young woman he shot never had a chance to grow old. Two wasted lives.
Stop feeling bad for this bum. This man is now changed but when he murdered the other person he had a choice after being begged byt he victim not to shoot and kill and he decided to shoot at the head in cold blood.
If your mother was shot in the head by the bum you would not care less if he was jewish or not.
I can’t wait to see him fried. Fry all the murderers one by one and people will think twice before killing another person.
nebbach, jews vote for republicans who love the death penalty. we reap what we sow!
good about time!!!!! why wasnt he put to death 24 yrs ago??? wat do u need more than 2 yrs for a trial?
Please be mispallel it’s never to late!! Miracles can always happen…
Dear Governor Crist, It is in deep earnest that I write you with regards to Martin Grossman. I beseech you to reconsider carrying out his execution. The man that exists today is not the wild, unstable teenager who committed this horrendous crime a quarter of a century ago. That kid is long gone. Martin has matured on death row into a kind, compassionate, G-d fearing, educated individual. He has no disciplinary reports on his record. His calm nature and gentle demeanor are respected by officers and inmates alike. He nurtures and befriends fellow inmates. I have been visiting him on death row for many years and have watched him grow into the man he is today. Time has changed the man, and although nothing can restore Ms. Park’s life and potential, Martin has done as much as possible to evolve into a solid, humble human being. While it is our civic duty to punish those who commit crime, it is also our civic responsibility to utilize our intelligence and human compassion, taking into consideration all factors, before rendering an irrevocable decision.
Sincerely yours
What is wrong with some of these posters. This is a human being, and as Jews, where is your rachmanus? He obviously wasn’t in his right mind at the time. After 24 years, at least he should just remain there in jail or even be released. But, Fl. is known for its harsh penal system.
May HaShem show him mercy!
nebech. I agree he committed a terrible crime but please compare him to a teenok shenishbor. he was orphaned from a very young age& left to the dogs&noone; to take care of him. he was raised al by himself on the streets. he never saw daylight. I blieve he did something very bad so he has no choice but to serve time in prison but I disagree with the death penalty!!!!!!!poor guy
How can some people react so cold-blooded when another YID is in trouble. Where is the Yiddishe Heart ?!
All those who are pro the death penalty who died and made you g-d? Y do you think its in your hands to decide who lives and who dies? This guy did teshuva according to jewish faith someone who does real teshuva it is as though they are reborn! They are a new person. The guy who shot and killed a police officer he is already long gone The guy bieng put to death now is innocent of all wrong doing. So in essence we are putting an innocent person to death!
People do not understand the events surround this incident and lump all bad apples into one bowl. This is an injustice to those that are murdered in cold blood in a calculated matter.
Martin, was a child suffering from seizures and heavy medicated at the time. He was a 19 yr old and afraid of going to jail. He has since turned his life around since. He has nothing from staying alive, he’s in jail anyhow. All Martin wants is to put Tefilling every day and poor his tortured soul to his creator.
We as yidden need to support this person as subscribed in Shilchan Aruch. Even under Jewish law he would never receive a death penalty. While I understand the hurting family of Peggy Park, it will truly not bring Peggy back and not further the cause of justice in any way. We all beg for mercy from G-D even we have done wrong and we hope for his mercy and as he says, ” I do not wish for the death of the guilty but for them to repent and return to me.” Martin has truly changed in 25 yrs and his behavior has been excellent, and has become a shomer torah umitzvos.
I blame Aleph Institute for this fiasco. Here was a convicted murdered on death row, and they went ahead and “converted” him to chabadism. Who asked them to do it? If someone is a murdered condemned to death it is cruel to rehabilitate him. For him, his family, and klal yisroel. Precious resources were wasted on this guy.
At best, I would have offered him limited services, such as annual clergical visits, and to have a rabbi recite vidui with him at the exocution.
Instead, what Rabbi Katz did was give Grossman false hope that be becoming a chabadnik it will save his life. that is the only reason Grossman become insincerely frum. Now what Rabbi Katz did was manufacture a tragedy that didnt have to happen.
Frum yidden in general have been supportive of the death penalty. Thankfully, it is used more often against non-jewish aggressors of jews as vice-versa. It will make us look like hypocrites if we took the reverse position now.
If you feel so strongly about this man, how about channeling that energy into others who are on death row? Lots of murderers regret their actions, why not start writing to those governors in the various states? Whether they’re Jewish or not, start fighting for those on Death Row. This man is no better than any of them. In fact, his crime seems very bad. Also, maybe consider voting against any candidate who supports the death penalty. Martin Grossman probably can’t be saved, but you can fight for others who will die by lethal injection.
I believe in the death [penalty, it is from the 7 Noahide commandments.It is also against the law to pronlong justice[inuy hadin]. after someone has served 26 very best years of his life in jail, equivelent to a so called British life sentance. He doesn’t deserve a second punishment, life in prison & death, one or the other. Therefore I am not going to write a letter to a govenor & tell him the juroy was wrong the appelete was wrong, because I read so on blogs or websites, and therefore spare the life of a cop murderer. I think that will actually anger the governor, and make him confirm his descision. However I would possibly place my above argument in writting, and ask why he gets 2 punishments.
Anyone with me?
He is now a real baal teshuva, he regrets his deeds, what good does it bring to have 2 people eliminated, enough that the victim died 26 years ago.
now that he proved over 25 years in prison to behave the way a real mentch is supposed to, may he have his life spared.
#27By getting rid of the deat penalty we are being crule to the victims.
There is a good chance that Mr. Grossman was framed. If more time were given to look into all this new found evidence – we can prevent the waste of yet another poor life.
To: The Honorable Charles Crist, Governor, State of Florida
We write to request a 60-day stay of execution to enable a concerned community to prepare a clemency petition to the Executive Clemency Board of the State of Florida asking for commutation of sentence, from death to life without parole, in the case of Martin Grossman. We feel conscience-driven to do this because the Grossman case is so different from other death sentence cases that we feel you may agree with us that Martin Grossman does not deserve to die for his crime.
Martin was a troubled youth suffering from incipient paranoia, adjustment problems, lack of judgment, drug addiction, and panic attacks when, as a 19-year-old, he was startled and stopped by a park security officer, Margaret Parks, whom he killed in a hand-to-hand struggle. Although he was mentally disturbed and out of control at the time, his trial went awry because the crime fit the technical definition of “premeditated murder” for the simple reason that Martin was on probation from a youth facility (for burglary) at that time.
Please spare his life.
Sincerely Yours
Where is all your rachmnis -yidden R rachmunim some 1 said earlier if he had killed your mom -U would want him dead !with The same “if” u can say if he was your brother -u would want him to stay alive ! -nu is he NOT YOUR BROTHER -hes” a yiddish kind”
#33 -aren’t you required by Torah law to have 2 kosher aidin(witnesses)? I assure you his aidin weren’t kosher. In addition if the act were premeditated, then why did he wait? He had the opportunity to shoot her as soon as he was stopped because he did have a gun he could have shot her with to begin with. In addition who is the idiot that issued a gun to a person who had the mental age of a 14 year old?(they say he has mental age of 77. 77 x 19= 14.6 at time of shooting. He is criminal that he shot someone, but believe me the harden criminals who kill for money are the ones wandering the streets. By din hamidinah he was not given a fair trail and shouldn’t be put to death and by din Torah, there were no kosher adim.
He is not a murderer who is a danger to society. He killed out of fear while on drugs, unpremeditated. If there were no two kosher eidim, even if someone killed b’mazid (and only a Yid) can Bais Din punish him. This man was on the level of a shoteh at the time of his crime, and it is a mitzva to save a Yid from death.
According to the court records of the case. Mr. Grossman was seen by a psychiatrist chosen by his attorney. The psychiatrist informed the court that his testimony would NOT be beneficial to his client. Meaning that Mr. Grossman’s actions constitute premeditated murder with full knowledge of the significant criminal nature of his actions.
Once again people come to this site and read the comments and it seems that when a jew does something they are never guilty.
Every single case that has to do with defendants that are jewish – are never guilty of anything.
Liberalism is a disease and I say liberals should get the death penalty.
Ayin adom lokeh umeshalim 24 years plus death penalty that’s double dipping
I was in Rodney st. Williamsburg Satmar big shul last week and saw posters on the Mizrach wall that asks to Daven for him
The Goyim have an obligation to have courts that mete out justice – it’s one of their 7 Mitzvot.
When they do not execute people who transgressed the 6th commandment – that are at default.
Where in Halacha does it say that we have to prevent them from executing a murderer?
Halacha is very strict about executions; if an expectant mother gets the death sentence by Bet Din , she is executed immediately – even though it will kill her fetus.
Time for people to learn Halacha and live by it – and stop adopting the American liberal non-Torah values.
Why don’t we tell the governer the jewish community is willing to foot the bill from our own pockets for all his expenses in jail for the rest of his life. In order that we don’t put any burden on tax payers money. We assume total responsibility as a united Jewish community.
I cannot understand how anybody in this country can support the death penalty, our jury system is not perfect. Dozens of cases in recent years have resulted in the exoneration and release of thought to be criminals serving life sentences and waiting on death row for crimes they did not commit . What happens if you are wrong ? Here there are severe doubts in the case and a Jewish life is at stake. And to all the ignoramuses that compare to the Torah allowing the Death penalty, the Torah requires kosher witnesses which over here there certainly were not b) A bais Din that killed once in 70 years is called cruel. There is no way this is to be considered a premeditated murder. If you just read his Bio,from the time he was a young boy this person was never in his right mind and is truly a tinok Shenishbar. While it is a terrible tragedy that the officer got shot, if a punishment was given at the time of the shooting it should have been confinement to a psych prison hospital. Hashem Yerachem.
I am against the death penalty in general, for anybody, Jew or non-Jew. It doesn’t work as prevention and our jury system is not that reliable. (Ask me – I’ve served and I’ll tell you.)
What does strike me is the point made by one of the earlier posters. This was a Jewish boy with limited intelligence who had been abandoned. Where was the Jewish community that should have taken care of him? Why are we waiting until now, when it’s too late to save two lives, when we could have prevented it all by finding him a home and psychological and medical care when he was a child, when it could have changed his life? In betweeen writing heart-breaking letters about this lost neshama, look around your own community and make sure there are no other lost children or young people that could be saved as we should have saved this one.
I’m sure Rabbi Lipsker of The Shul in Bal Harbour has done everything he could.
any one that could provide chir cristy email adress would be greatly appreciated…..
What does the accident of his birth have to do with his crime? Frume yidden commit crimes, so what is so special about a freie yid?
Can’t answer for 112, but I’ll answer for me. It bothers me, on some level, when anybody is put to death. But don’t fall for that “changed man” stuff. EVERYBODY claims that. Nobody wants to be executed. Would you be willing to let everyone who claims to have changed go free and live near you or your family?
Personally, the other facts about him couldn’t possibly change anything. Is everybody who loses a parent or winds up on drugs allowed to murder innocent people? I sure hope not.
As far as clemency, what will be, will be. But this wouldn’t be the first Death Row inmate for whom I’d go to bat. He’s dragged this on and on for 25 years. The victim’s family has suffered terribly. They want very much to have closure, and intend to travel to the execution. Even though I’m opposed to Capital Punishment, I don’t blame them for that.
Yes, let’s let all of the guys on Death Row out. And maybe they’ll move next door to us, and hang out with our children! Where’s that key — it’s time to release all of the killers from prison!
No, he wouldn’t be a free man. He was sentenced to death. People on Death Row do not only serve 20 years in jail. The only reason it’s taken this long to execute him is that he filed appeal after appeal. The family of the victim have held on for this long, waiting for the final appeal to fail, and now it has. If they don’t execute him, I at least hope he gets life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Here is the true story, not cleaned up to gain sympathy. ( it was an execution style murder)
Wildlife Officer Margaret E. (Peggy) Park
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
Florida
End of Watch: Thursday, December 13, 1984
Biographical Info
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, December 13, 1984
Weapon Used: Officer’s handgun
Suspect Info: Apprehended
Wildlife Officer Park was shot and killed with her own service weapon when seizing an illegal weapon from a suspect on Keystone Road in Pinellas County. Officer Park had just finished citing a poacher when she heard gunshots coming from an undeveloped subdivision. Officer Park located a pair of men and located a handgun in their van. One of the suspects asked her not to arrest him because he was on probation for grand theft and breaking and entering.
As Officer Park reached into her truck to radio dispatch the suspect grabbed her flashlight and started hitting her on the head. Officer Park was able to call for help on the radio and fired a single shot from her weapon, grazing the second suspect, who then held her down. The first suspect then gained control of her service weapon and shot her in the back of the head as the second suspect held her down. The two fled the scene but were arrested a short time later.
When caught, the first suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. His co-defendant, a juvenile, was convicted of third degree murder and sentenced to seven years in prison but served only two years and ten months before being released. The shooter was still appealing his death sentence as of December 2004.