Most people wouldn't show up for a traffic ticket court date without putting on their most professional look. But an alleged drug dealer accused of a double murder in Las Vegas cared not for the usual standards, and decided to waltz into the court room with a very different sort of attire.
Thomas Randolph, a 62-year-old man recently convicted of plotting his wife's murder, showed up to the final day of his murder trial last week wearing a Tony Romo Cowboys jersey. It certainly left an impression on the people around him at the trial, and Chief Deputy District Attorney David Stanton even pointed out the slovenly appearance while arguing for a conviction of Randolph.
"He doesn't care about that at all. It doesn't bother him a bit," said the prosecutor. "Any rational, compassionate human being would be appalled at themselves."
Asked to explain his wardrobe choice to reporters, Randolph confessed from his holding cell that it was meant to help him face the jury of eight women and four men on the trial's final day.
"Since I've been 12, I've been a Cowboys fan," said Randolph. "It gives me comfort, even in here."
Randolph's problems go much deeper than his courtroom attire, however. Though his recent trial concerns the death of his most recent wife and the man who allegedly helped him kill her, prosecutors claimed he either attempted to kill, hired someone to kill, or killed five of his previous six wives himself. He was previously put on trial following the death of his second wife, Becky Gault, but was acquitted when a Utah jury was convinced Gault had killed herself; Randolph ended up collecting over $500,000 in life-insurance money from her death.
It took nearly eight years for Randolph's case to go to trial, as the former drug dealer was arrested for the double homicide all the way back in 2009. Witnesses at the trial included Randolph's first wife, third wife, a man who claims Randolph tried to murder him, and family members of his previous wives who also claimed their lives were threatened by Randolph.
Jurors for the case are expected to return a verdict on Wednesday, July 5, ranging from 20 years in prison to a possible death sentence. The only appeal to decency from the defense has come from Randolph's public defender, who pleaded with jurors to consider Randolph's two children and grandchildren when deciding on a sentence. Randolph, on the other hand, appeared to welcome the death penalty if he couldn't walk free.
"I've lived a [hell of a] good life," he told the jury. "I'm sorry that all this happened ... We'll do one appeal, and if it doesn't work, give me that shot, and I'll go meet Sharon and Becky and Francis."
