Blacks Death Penalty for Murder of White Family Delayed Due to Underfunding

News Channel 5
December 17, 2013

Patrick Sullivan, his wife Deborah, and the couple's daughter, Wendy, were found stabbed to death on the afternoon of October 22.
Patrick Sullivan, his wife Deborah, and the couple’s daughter, Wendy, were all found stabbed to death by their other daughter, Nakeeah. All three had multiple stab wounds and Nakeeah says they were tortured and murdered by Lorenzo Jenkins who had befriended the family.

A Nashville judge is weighing a request to allow a private attorney to handle the death penalty case against Lorenzo Jenkins.

The request from the public defender’s office comes as the state is pushing to begin executing condemned inmates again.

Assistant Public Defender Mike Engle told Criminal Court Judge Randall Wyatt Jr. last week that the Nashville public defender’s office lacks the resources to take on another death penalty case, which on average takes 2,000 hours of preparation.

Lorenzo Jenkins She said her mother had prescription pills due to pain from almost two dozen surgeries.
Lorenzo Jenkins waited until Nakeeah had left for the day, then attacked the family with other accomplices who have yet to be identified. He had been trying to steal Deborah’s prescription pills, which she had for chronic pain due to numerous surgeries.

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