ERVIN, THOMAS GRANT
General Information
DOB: January 21, 1951
Race: White
Gender: Male
Crime and Trial
County of conviction: Callaway (on change of venue from Cole County)
Number of counts: Two
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Male/Female
Date of crime: December 15, 1988
Date of sentencing: July 2, 1982
Date of execution: March 28, 2001
Legal status:
Trial Counsel:
Patrick J. Eng
Last counsel of record:
John R. Osgood
740 N.W. Blue Parkway, Suite 305
Lee's Summit, MO 64068
816-525-8200
Last judicial decision:
--Affirmance of denial of habeas relief by Ervin v. Delo, 194 F.3d 908 (8th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1267 (2000).
Reported Opinions:
--Conviction, sentence, and denial of post-conviction relief affirmed by State v. Ervin, 835 S.W.2d 905 (Mo. banc 1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 954 (1993).
--Habeas corpus denied by Ervin v. Bowersox, No. 93-0235-CV-W-6, 1996 WL 634204 (W.D. Mo. Oct. 30, 1996), aff'd, 194 F.3d 908 (8th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 530 U.S. 1267 (2000).
Significant legal issues:
--Counsel's effectiveness in emphasizing during his opening statement that he would play a videotaped confession of Mr. Ervin's accomplice (Bert Hunter), in which the accomplice exonerated Mr. Ervin, then deciding not to play the videotape (the State's key witness was Mr. Hunter)
--trial court's admission of "other crimes" evidence regarding events occurring after the murders in question