Lester Gee Funeral Home

Lonnie Braxton, funeral home owner Lester Gee, prison ministry leader Winston Taylor and local businessman Bill Cornish. We also talk about the fifth honoree, longtime United Way Food Center employee Sara Louis Chaney. ...

Trial transcriptsAPM Reports reviewed the trial transcripts for all six trials of Curtis Flowers, along with related briefs, hearings, exhibits, court orders, appeals, and other documents. Flowers' first, second, and third trials each ended in a conviction and death sentence.Flowers' fourth and fifth trials ended in mistrials when jurors couldn't agree on a verdict. Flowers' sixth trial ended in a conviction and death sentence.EPISODE 1D.A. Doug Evans' presentation to the jurorsDoug Evans described Flowers as a disgruntled former employee of Tardy Furniture. Evans noted that Flowers had worked at the store for three days earlier that summer. Evans told the jurors that Flowers had been fired and that he'd committed the murders because he was angry at the store's owner, Bertha Tardy. However, two victims' relatives — Benny Rigby and Frank Ballard — told APM Reports that Flowers wasn't fired from Tardy Furniture; he just stopped showing up for work. This corroborated Flowers' version of events and his repeated statements that he bore no ill will towards Bertha Tardy. During the sentencing phase of the first trial, Evans told the jurors that Flowers had shot someone when he was a high school student and that Flowers had told the boy, "I'm going to shoot you." The way Evans described the earlier shooting, it sounded intentional. The person Flowers had shot back in high school, James Douglas, told APM Reports that Flowers never said, "I'm going to shoot you," as Evans claimed in court. Douglas said that he had gone over to Flowers' house one day during school when Flowers' parents weren't home, and Flowers had shown him his father's gun. Flowers started playing with the gun and it went off. "We didn't have no beef," Douglas said.The police chief of Winona investigated the shooting at the time. The chief said it appeared to be an accident, not intentional. Doug Evans could have known this because that police chief was John Johnson, who, by the time of Flowers' first trial, was wo...

He was born January 30, 1940 in War Eagle, West Virginia to Clark Henderson and Ollie E. (Holderfield) Lester.He was a resident of Leesburg, a proud member of The Fellowship Church and a Christian.Steve proudly served our country for eight years as part of the U.S. Navy. He was an avid golfer and loved to service his community and church. All family members and friends adored him for his kind heart and humor.He is survived by his beautiful wife, Edna Lester; daughter, Colleen Lester of Niagara Falls; son, Steve Lester of Niagara Falls, son, Robert “Bob” of Montrose, NY, and son, David Lester of Longwood, Florida; two daughters-in law, Monica Lester and Mary Lynn Lester; also, 14 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren; brothers, Eddie Lester and Rickie Lester; sister, Linda D’Antuono and best friend and running mate Tim Anderson.A memorial service will be held in Steve’s honor at Beyers Funeral home, 1123 W. Main Street, Leesburg, Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. with a gathering of family and friends 1 hour prior from 4 to 5 p.m. ...