Person Page - 5712

     Mary Louise Cox was buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.^7,5,8 Her Social Security Number was 412-38-3779.⁹ She was born on March 29, 1929 at Raleigh Co., West Virginia.^9,8 As of April 6, 1950,her married name was Talaska.² She married Robert John "Bob" Talaska on April 6, 1950 at Portsmouth, Virginia.^4,2,5 Mary Louise Cox died on September 12, 2008 at Hamilton Co., Tennessee, at age 79.^9,5,8 She Mary Louise Talaska, 79, of Soddy-Daisy, known as “Mam Maw” to all, died on Friday, Sept. 12, 2008, at a local hospital. She was a member of Mile Straight Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Talaska; parents, George and Lelia Cox; son-in-law, Bobby Smith. She is survived by her sons, Robbie Talaska, Warren Talaska; daughters, Carolyn Hawkins, Vickie Smith, Debbie (Roger) Clemons; brother, Junior Cox; sister, Norma Jean Clift; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the funeral home chapel with Dr. Seton Tomyn officiating. Interment will follow in Chattanooga National Cemetery. on September 14, 2008.⁵

     Norma Jean Cox was buried at Hamilton Memorial Gardens, Hixson, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.^2,4 She was born on December 6, 1931 at West Virginia.³ As of circa 1951,her married name was Clift.² She married Kenneth D. "Kent" Clift circa 1951.² Norma Jean Cox died on November 5, 2012 at Hamilton Co., Tennessee, at age 80.² She Norma Jean Clift, 80, of Soddy-Daisy, TN passed away Monday, November 5, 2012. She was of the Baptist Faith and a graduate of Soddy-Daisy High School Class of 1950. She was retired from Coors Manufacturing after 43 years of service. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Lelia Cox; sisters, Helen Murdock, Lucille Moon, Lelia Cox, Mary Talaska; brothers, George Russell Cox, Edward Cox, Ray Cox, half brother, Arthur Cox. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Kenneth D. Clift; adopted daughter, Jenny (Jerry) Standfield; grandson, Kenny (Christy) Standfield; great-grandchildren, Macie, Paige, and Carson Standfield. She was a loving aunt of several nieces and nephews. Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday, November 8, 2012 in the funeral home chapel with Dr. Al Goss officiating. Interment will follow the service at Hamilton Memorial Gardens. on November 7, 2012.²

     His Social Security Number was 233-24-3451.³ James Russell Murdock was born on March 2, 1915 at Hilldale, Summers Co., West Virginia.^3,4 He married Helen Corine Cox, daughter of George O. Cox and Lillian Margaret "Della" "Lillie" Callahan, on August 14, 1941 at Hinton, Summers Co., West Virginia.^1,2 James Russell Murdock died on March 28, 1997 at Tennessee at age 82.^3,5

     Larry Eugene Moon was buried at Poe Cemetery, Soddy-Daisy, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.¹ He Ricky Callahan was killed in Catoosa County, near the Tennessee border, after leaving his wife late in the evening to buy headache medicine. His body was found in a rock pit the next morning. He had been shot twice in the head with a .22 caliber handgun. The headache powders were found on the body, but his wallet, watch and car were missing. After a nationwide hunt, law enforcement officials arrested Moon in Oneida, Tenn., on Dec. 14, 1984. He was driving the car stolen from Callahan, with a number of weapons inside. Although there were no eyewitnesses, there was strong evidence tying Moon to the crime. Moon had the murder weapon when he was arrested and was seen with Callahan's wallet on the night of the killing. Moon has an extensive criminal history and has been accused of two other killings. He has admitted to one, saying it was self-defense. He was not convicted of either one. Citations: Zant v. Moon, 440 S.E.2d 657 (Ga. 1994). (State Habeas) Moon v. State, 375 S.E.2d 442 (Ga. 1988). (Direct Appeal) Final Meal: Steak, pork chops, potatoes, okra, corn, green beans, dinner rolls, walnut ice cream and iced tea. Final Words: "I'm innocent, and I did not kill Ricky, I'll add."⁴ He The state of Georgia is scheduled to execute Larry Moon March 25 for the 1984 robbery and murder of Ricky Callahan in Catoosa County. Moon, a white man, allegedly shot Callahan twice in the head and stole his car before fleeing to Tennessee. He received his death sentence in 1988, but only after a trial plagued by prosecutorial misconduct. Through all the procedural flaws in Moon’s case, one critical possibility now stands out as the obvious reason to halt this pending execution: Moon may very well be innocent. As his lawyers have unsuccessfully appealed to the courts concerning irregularities in the state’s case, more evidence has come to light concerning Mickey Lee Davis - the man who likely shot Ricky Callahan to death. The state convicted Moon based on purely circumstantial evidence, and the coincidence that Davis - whose trademark was shooting people in the head at close range - was near the crime scene on the night of the murder seems incredibly suspicious. Evidence now shows that Davis admitted numerous times that he shot Callahan, but unfortunately for Moon, these confessions did not emerge until long after his conviction. Davis died in a motorcycle accident shortly after Moon received his death sentence; mortally wounded and dying in the street, his final act alive was to pull a gun on the police officer who responded to the accident. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has the exclusive power to commute Moon’s sentence to life in prison, and judging by the lingering doubt surrounding the very basic facts of this case, the Board should most certainly do so. Although a commutation from the Board would relieve the courts of some responsibility concerning this execution, they should weigh in regarding the blatant prosecutorial misconduct that dominated Moon’s trial. Attorneys trying the case for the state violated his rights at several critical junctures, most notably by withholding exculpatory evidence from the defense in order to paint an unfavorable picture of Moon’s past, and by striking the only black prospective juror on his selection panel. Because the case was so weak, the state’s strategy in seeking the death penalty revolved around linking Moon to a second offense – the murder of Thomas DeJose in Tennessee – during the sentencing phase of the trial. Moon admitted to shooting DeJose, but claimed self-defense. During the sentencing phase, Darryl Ehrlanger, who was DeJose’s fiancée, testified for the state. She had previously failed a lie detector test concerning the facts of the case, but the prosecutors never shared that information with the defense. Furthermore, the prosecutors withheld critical evidence about DeJose, most importantly that he had spent time in prison for armed robbery, and that his autopsy revealed a blood alcohol level of .17 and signs of recent drug use. If the defense had learned about these facts, as they clearly should have under Brady v. Maryland (1963), they would have destroyed the credibility of the state’s story and seriously harmed its case for the death penalty. Moon has a legitimate argument concerning racial discrimination in his trial as well. During jury selection, prosecutors used a peremptory strike to remove the one black prospective juror – Ms. Florence Harris. They cited two principle reasons for striking Ms. Harris: a) that a political controversy had created a great deal of anger in the black community toward the sheriff, and her family members might have been involved in some protests, and b) that she displayed a philosophical objection to the death penalty. The first of these reasons is clearly grounds for a Batson claim, which Moon unsuccessfully argued in his appeal. In Batson v. Kentucky (1986), the U.S. Supreme Court held that prosecutors cannot strike jurors on racial grounds. Specifically, Moon’s argument finds precedent in a Georgia Supreme Court case – Congdon v. State (1993); that ruling banned peremptory strikes based on stereotypical beliefs that all members of an African-American share a biased view toward the sheriff. The second reason cited by the state marks one of the fundamental flaws of the death penalty system in the United States. The fact that people opposed to the death penalty cannot serve on juries blatantly discriminates along racial lines. People of color oppose capital punishment more than white people do, and that exclusion allows prosecutors to seat juries that do not reflect a cross-section of society. Throughout the appeals process, Moon has argued that his death sentence resulted in part from the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel. By any reasonable standards, he is correct in claiming that his attorneys should have investigated thoroughly enough to find the information on DeJose, so this argument has serious merit as well. As in Moon’s case, Georgia typically schedules its executions only a few weeks prior to the date. This makes the task of notifying authorities even more difficult than usual, so please take action. Larry Moon is at a high risk of being executed; please contact the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and request as commutation of his sentence.⁴ His Social Security Number was 424-58-1521.² He was born on November 5, 1944 at Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.^2,1 He died on March 25, 2003 at Jackson, Butts Co., Georgia, at age 58.^2,1

     Robert John "Bob" Talaska was buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.^5,3,4 His Social Security Number was 398-18-9041.⁶ He was born on December 21, 1926 at Ashland, Ashland Co., Wisconsin.^2,6,3 He married Mary Louise Cox, daughter of George O. Cox and Lillian Margaret "Della" "Lillie" Callahan, on April 6, 1950 at Portsmouth, Virginia.^1,2,7 Robert John "Bob" Talaska died on July 23, 2005 at Soddy-Daisy, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, at age 78.^6,3,4 He Robert J. "Bob" Talaska, 78, of Soddy-Daisy, died at home surrounded by family Saturday, July 23, 2005. Mr. Talaska was of the Baptist faith. He was a retired chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy after 23 years of service, and later retired from Combustion Engineering. He was an avid supporter of the Soddy-Daisy High School Girls Softball Team. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Helen Talaska, and a son-in-law, Bobby Smith. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Louise Talaska; sons, Robert Talaska and Warren Talaska, of Soddy-Daisy; daughters, Vicki Smith, Debbie Austin and Carolyn Hawkins, all of Soddy-Daisy; brothers, Warren (Mavis) Talaska, of Mesa, AZ, and Claude Talaska, of Minneapolis, MN; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, in the chapel of Williamson & Sons Funeral Home with Dr. Seton Tomyn officiating. Burial will follow in Chattanooga National Cemetery with military honors. on July 25, 2005.⁴

     Kenneth D. "Kent" Clift was buried at Hamilton Memorial Gardens, Hixson, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.^3,4 He was born on March 9, 1929.⁴ He married Norma Jean Cox, daughter of George O. Cox and Lillian Margaret "Della" "Lillie" Callahan, circa 1951.² Kenneth D. "Kent" Clift died on September 23, 2019 at Tennessee at age 90.^3,4 He Kenneth D. Clift went to his heavenly home on September 23, 2019. He was 90 years old. He served his county in the US Navy during WWII in active combat. He was a retired machinist from Card Monroe. He was a devoted family man and a caring neighbor. His hobby was growing a garden and sharing with his neighbors and family. Son of the late Herbert Buck Clift and Bertha M. Clift. He was preceded in death by Norma Jean Clift, his wife of 61 year; brothers, Warren Clift, Edwin L. Clift and Robert Clift; as well as sisters, Mildred Workman and Jewell Clift. He is survived by his sisters, Cathy Durgerian of Orlando, FL, Joyce Carden of Hixson, TN, and Virginia Sue Chambers of Hixson, TN; brother, Raymond Don Clift of Hixson, TN; niece and caregiver Jenny and Jerry Stanfield; as well as, several nieces and nephews. Services will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. with Chaplin Rick Vaughn presiding. Burial will follow at Hamilton Memorial Gardens with full Military Honors. on September 25, 2019.³

     Warren Gordon Durham Sr. was buried at Durham Cemetery, Clarkrange, Fentress Co., Tennessee.¹ His Social Security Number was 409-30-2951.³ He married Lucille Virginia Cox, daughter of George O. Cox and Lillian Margaret "Della" "Lillie" Callahan.⁴ Warren Gordon Durham Sr. was born on April 4, 1921 at Fentress Co., Tennessee.^3,1,2 He died on January 10, 1978 at Tennessee at age 56.^3,1

     His Social Security Number was 413-19-7589.⁴ Warren Eugene Talaska married Kimberly Jean "Kim" Thomas.² Warren Eugene Talaska was born on March 16, 1959 at Tennessee.⁴ He died on April 1, 2010 at Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, at age 51.^4,2 He Warren Eugene Talaska, 51, of Chattanooga, passed away Thursday, April 1, 2010, at his home. Mr. Talaska was a lifelong residence of the Chattanooga area. He was a graduate of Soddy-Daisy High School and attended Chattanooga State. He was a long time employee of Browns Appliance. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife, Kim; parents, Robert and Mary Talaska; grandparents, Clarence and Helen Talaska, George and Lelia Cox. He is survived by his longtime friend and companion, Jeff Perkinson; son, Justin Eugene Talaska, of Rossville; grandson, Skylar Talaska, of Rossville; sisters, Caroline Hawkins, Vicki Smith, Debbie Clemons, all of Soddy-Daisy; brother, Robert Talaska, of Soddy-Daisy; several nieces and nephews. on April 3, 2010.²

     Her Social Security Number was 253-17-6958.¹ Her married name was Talaska.² Kimberly Jean "Kim" Thomas married Warren Eugene Talaska, son of Robert John "Bob" Talaska and Mary Louise Cox.² Kimberly Jean "Kim" Thomas was born on October 18, 1959 at Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee.¹ She died on September 30, 2003 at age 43.¹