Local newspaper article

[Cliff Hargrave]

BEAUMONT - Convicted killer Shannon Agofsky is expected to die in prison, one way or another. Serving life without parole in a Beaumont federal prison, Agofsky has been accused of threatening inmates, stomping a prisoner's head until he was unconscious, and keeping homemade knives in his cell. He's a master of Hwa Rang Do, a Korean martial arts form.

Now, the 33-year-old is facing the federal death penalty, accused of murder in the beating Jan. 5, 2001, of fellow inmate Luther Plant, 37. Plant was serving a 15-year sentence for arson and felon in possession of a firearm.

Lawyers today will begin questioning potential jurors for Agofsky's trial in U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield's Beaumont courtroom.

In 1992, Agofsky and his brother, Joseph, 37, were given life in federal prison for using a firearm during a 1989 bank robbery in Missouri.

A piece of duct tape also connected Shannon Agofsky to the kidnapping and death of the bank's president, according to the McDonald County Press, a newspaper in Southwest Missouri.

Agofsky abducted Dan Short from his home in Arkansas, took him across the state line to the bank in Noel, Mo., then crossed into Oklahoma with his victim bound in duct tape. Agofsky tied Short to a weighted chair and dropped him into a lake while he was still alive.

Oklahoma prosecutors sought the death penalty, but a jury gave him life without parole. His brother, Joseph Agofsky, was acquitted of murder but is serving a life sentence in a Florida federal prison.

Shannon Agofsky allegedly beat another inmate six months before Plant's death. That man had a cut above his left eye and a concussion, according to court documents, but no charges were filed. Federal prosecutors have filed a motion to have Agofsky restrained during the trial, either with shackles and handcuffs or a shock belt, but Judge Heartfield hadn't ruled on that Wednesday. A gag order prevents anyone close to the case from speaking to reporters.

The provision on seeking the death penalty for prisoners was created in 1994, according to the University of Houston Law Center. At least one man, 45-year-old David Paul Hammer of Oklahoma, is awaiting a federal death sentence for killing another prison inmate. He pleaded guilty to strangling his cellmate in an Allentown, Pa., federal prison in 1999, according to his homepage.

[tkdcanada]

Why would you want to reach the reporter?

[Paul B]

Great...just great, like KMA's need more bad press, 33 yrs. old and already a "Master", what a jacka**, I think the Hwa Rang Do people in particular are going to experiance a little backlash over the actions of one mentally unstable,maladjusted,piece of filth, who probably never trained in any real capacity,with any real instructor, it makes me sad and ticked at the same time. Too bad the media had to throw that in,but it could have easily been any other art, and then those practitioners would have to deal as well, it's just unfair, as we all know, that they-the "unassuming public" will not know any better than to judge an art by some murderer who says he is a "master".

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen--Midwest Hapkido Group--Hanminjok Hapkido

[thebigj8]

Why so angry with the reporter? If this person (the reporter) has no previous experience in martial arts, wouldn't the term "master" seem more readable than "holds a black belt?"

Don't kill the messenger. It's the dude who threw a live human being to his death we should be disgusted with. Don't you think?

Besides, who's going to walk by a school and think "No way I'm going in there. I might murder someone."

[Paul B]

Yeah, I was afraid I would come off like that. Don't get me wrong, my disgust lies solely on the criminal, I just have a hunch that some people might misinterpet the Art as having a negative influence in some way, as in "hey, I heard about this Hwarang school!", oh, yeah, didn't that one guy, etc.. And you just know people have a tendancy to do this, and forever it is automatically associated with a negative image, ya know? We all have a certain "image" in the public's head. What applies to one automatically applies to all, simply out of ignorance.Not good,not bad, just the way it is. That's all I was trying to say. The reporter was just doing his/her job. Hope I came across in the right way this time.

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen

[thebigj8]

I hear you, Paul. Thanks for the clarification. Well stated.

ps- Why did you include the writer's phone number, Cliff?

[John Bennett]

Agofsky tied Short to a weighted chair and dropped him into a lake while he was still alive.

No fair stealing Ninjutsu techniques and calling it Hwa Rang Do!

[Paul B]

lol--You're a sick man, John--I love it!!

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen

[Cliff Hargrave]

I hear you, Paul. Thanks for the clarification. Well stated.

ps- Why did you include the writer's phone number, Cliff?

Sorry I just copy-n-pasted it and it had the number in it.

I think its funny how reporters jump on stuff like martial arts. The subtitle to the article was Martial arts master accused of prisoner's beating death.

They do the same thing to police officers. A few years ago there was a guy here that kidnapped a kid and killed him. This guy was a police officer for less than a year in the early sixties. Almost every article said "Former Police Officer......."

[Erik]

I would figure the following:

The press and public assume that a police officer knows policing, a martial artist knows fighting, etc., and that they can handle ALL situations without anyone being injured.

Due to this assumption, when the press tries to get in their 1 sentence attention getting headline, they try to pack in as much shock as possible. They do this by creating a seeming contradiction in their little title or sound byte.

I have lived in several countries and the US news is by far the most painfully asinine and sensationalist, unfortunately.

[Cliff Hargrave]

Now he isn't a "Master" but a 1st degree black belt
__________________________________________________ _____

BEAUMONT - A man described as a cold-blooded killer, eager to test lethal martial arts skills while serving life in prison, had no visible reaction Thursday when a jury found him guilty of premeditated murder.

Shannon Wayne Agofsky, 33, of Noel, Mo., faces a possible sentence of death by lethal injection when the penalty phase of his trial begins Monday. He could become the first person sentenced to death in a Beaumont federal court.

Agofsky beat 37-year-old Luther Plant of Orange to death June 5, 2001, in an exercise cage at the U.S. Penitentiary in Beaumont, the jury found.

Prison guard Christopher Matt testified he saw Agofsky repeatedly stomping an inmate's head as the man lay defenseless on a cement floor. By process of elimination, he figured it was Plant.

"I couldn't tell who it was because his face was too bloody," Matt testified. "His face was real messed up."

Jurors earlier this week watched videotape of Plant dying on the cage floor, his face bloody and mangled. He was pronounced dead at Mid-Jefferson Hospital in Nederland less than two hours later.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Tommy Brown testified that Plant's throat was crushed and he drowned on his own blood.

The jury deliberated 75 minutes Thursday, finding that Agofsky planned the attack, intended to kill and didn't act in self-defense.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Stevens argued that Agofsky incriminated himself a day after the attack when he told Matt that he'd waited for him to get to the end of the recreation area before attacking Plant.

"That's premeditation," Stevens told the jury during closing arguments Thursday.

Agofsky has a first-degree black belt in the Korean martial arts discipline of Hwa Rang Do.

Agofsky had been accused of a similar, less severe beating six months before the attack on Plant. It also took place in a recreation cage, known by prisoners as "gladiator school" or "the thunder dome."

In a November 2000 letter that prosecutors presented in court, Agofsky wrote: "All I do is work out, wait to leave and hope the cops mess up and let me around some other scumbag so I can test out my hand!"

Tyler-based defense attorney Patrick Black argued that Matt didn't see the fight or who threw the first punch. Three federal inmates testified it was Plant who first attacked Agofsky.

Agofsky already is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a 1989 Missouri bank robbery. He also was sentenced in 1997 to life without parole in an Oklahoma district court for killing the bank's president by tying him to a weighted chair and throwing him into a lake while he was still alive.

Plant was serving a 15-year sentence for arson and felon in possession of a firearm.

The victim's parents and an uncle were in court for the three-day trial, but declined to comment until Agofsky is sentenced.

Attorneys still are under a judge's gag order, which prevents them from talking about the case to anyone until the punishment phase is over.

[nosh276]

They harp on priests as well. Most Christian denominations, when something bad happens, they usually just say minister at church, but they are very specific with Catholics. I remember one article, from the Boston area I believe, that was on 12 men charged with molestation. It said 2 were Catholic priests of _____ Church and _____ Church. The other 10 were assorted protestant denominations.

I'm not trying to start a religious war with this post. I'm merely trying to further portray that anyone who makes any type of committment to almost anything is in danger of that being used against them even if they are totally innocent.

[Paul B]

This is gonna sound harsh, but I hope the courts do us all a favour and get rid of this idiot, who apparently has no value of human life and what it is to take one! Hope he takes one for the team!!

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen

[Cliff Hargrave]

BEAUMONT - A convicted killer, just condemned to die by lethal injection, smiled and waved to his family Friday, telling them, "It's OK."

The announcement of the jury's decision regarding punishment concluded the trial of Shannon Wayne Agofsky, a 33-year-old Missouri man.

On July 8, that same jury said Agofsky, who already has served 13 years of an unrelated life sentence, had killed 37-year-old Luther Plant of Orange in a locked exercise cage at Beaumont's U.S. Penitentiary on Jan. 5, 2001.

The convict stomped Plant's head and neck, leaving thick pools of blood and a tooth on the cage's cement floor, according to testimony. It took two minutes for prison officials to get Plant - who was still alive, with his arms and legs twitching - out of the cage.

Plant was pronounced dead less than two hours later. His throat was crushed, and he drowned on his own blood, according to trial testimony.

During the seven-day trial that spanned two weeks, prosecutors painted Agofsky, who has a first-degree black belt in Hwa Rang Do, as a fitness-obsessed prison bully and cold-blooded killer.

Federal prosecutors decided to seek the death penalty for Agofsky after committee meetings and approval from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

"I know the jury wasn't happy that they had to make this decision. We're not happy about it," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Stevens said after a judge's gag order was lifted Friday.

The government sought the death penalty because "we strongly believe it will save lives," Stevens said.

Agofsky was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 1989 bank robbery and the subsequent killing of the bank's president, Dan Short, to cover up the crime.

Agofsky and at least one accomplice used duct tape to fasten Short to a weighted chair, and threw him into a lake while he was still alive.

"How horrifying," Stevens said of that crime.

Defense attorneys tried to present Agofsky as a vigilante living by a rigid code of honor. He was said to be entrenched in a culture of confinement, where men live and die by a twisted sense of honor and respect, constantly defending their safety and dignity.

Seven months before the attack on Plant, Agofsky was accused of having beaten another man unconscious in the same manner, and in the same place, because he thought the prisoner had raped children and elderly men.

Agofsky attacked Plant because he was a "snitch," according to testimony.

"He dislikes people he considers to be child molesters or snitches and would be willing to fight with them at any point," psychologist Dan H. Roberts testified last week.

Sheila Agofsky, the defendant's mother, shed no tears Friday.

She's been through trials before.

Her eldest son, 37-year-old Joseph, is serving a life sentence in a Florida federal penitentiary for his role in the bank robbery.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for (Plant's) family," Sheila Agofsky said.

But she believes her middle son is innocent of murder.

"He has wanted to stand up for himself, and he's had the courage to do it, and you can see where it got him," she said.

Plant's family declined to comment but issued a written statement.

"Shannon has made some decisions that he must face a higher judge for," the statement reads.

Beaumont-based defense attorney Doug Barlow said Shannon Agofsky is "extremely intelligent." "It's a shame he spent all these years in prison when he had such potential," Barlow said. Barlow and Tyler-based Patrick Black are working on a motion for new trial and a notice of appeal. "It's not over, honey," Sheila Agofsky said.

Plant was serving 15 years for arson and felon in possession of a firearm. He would have been released next year. Agofsky will be sent to the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., home of the federal death row.

[thebigj8]

Since you first introduced this thread, I've been following the AP's coverage of the story, as Agofski is a Missouri native. Initially you asked why the fact he practiced Martial Arts was a factor. I'd say it's because he stomped some dude (mr Plant) to death. As a journalist, you have to answer those seven basic questions. The "how" is that he's trained as a martial artist and is a "fitness-obsessed prison prison bully." Those descriptions help the reader get a picture of this wacko in their mind's eye.

The martial arts factor wasn't something covered by just one writer, either. It's obviously been a factor in Agofski's legal dealings. So, it's become an issue the media can use to help make the point and, again paint that picture for the reader.

I'm curious, Cliff. Are you still against using that angle? Why or why not?

Respectfully,
A Less-Scary Missourian

[Cliff Hargrave]

I'm curious, Cliff. Are you still against using that angle? Why or why not?

I don't know, I guess I have mixed feelings about it. The prosecution certainly used it to their advantage. The sensantionalism of it gets kind of silly, especially with the first headline of "martial arts master!"

I mean come on, how dangerous can a 1st degree black belt in a Korean art be?


(just kidding, don't axe kick me!)

[Oz82]

Since you first introduced this thread, I've been following the AP's coverage of the story, as Agofski is a Missouri native. Initially you asked why the fact he practiced Martial Arts was a factor. I'd say it's because he stomped some dude (mr Plant) to death. As a journalist, you have to answer those seven basic questions. The "how" is that he's trained as a martial artist and is a "fitness-obsessed prison prison bully." Those descriptions help the reader get a picture of this wacko in their mind's eye.

The martial arts factor wasn't something covered by just one writer, either. It's obviously been a factor in Agofski's legal dealings. So, it's become an issue the media can use to help make the point and, again paint that picture for the reader.

I'm curious, Cliff. Are you still against using that angle? Why or why not?

Respectfully,
A Less-Scary Missourian

Good points, but it's still irritating to have "martial artist" stamped on this lowlife. That's like calling Dahmer a fusion cuisine chef (his "meals" were multi-racial, no?).

I bolded part of your thread; I wonder when we're going to cover "stomp head until death" in our hapkido class. Mr. Bladen, how lucky are you in recruiting an uke for this highly refined Korean MA technique?

[Paul B]

woe unto thee, oh unsuspecting one! Beware my deadly "head-stomp" and my equally devestating "axe kick of death"! Jeesh! That must be a highly advanced technique in both theory and application!! I guess I will just have to wait until my 6th dan or something...oh, wait a minute...he was only a 1st dan...hmmmmm..maybe it was due to the more "combatic reality" approach of Hwarang Do!?? Aww geez, no disrespect intended! But seriously, I hope he gets his just desserts! Now as far as "axe kicks" go....

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen--Midwest Hapkido Group--Hanminjok Hapkido

[UFChick]

Great...just great, like KMA's need more bad press, 33 yrs. old and already a "Master", what a jacka**, I think the Hwa Rang Do people in particular are going to experiance a little backlash over the actions of one mentally unstable,maladjusted,piece of filth, who probably never trained in any real capacity,with any real instructor, it makes me sad and ticked at the same time. Too bad the media had to throw that in,but it could have easily been any other art, and then those practitioners would have to deal as well, it's just unfair, as we all know, that they-the "unassuming public" will not know any better than to judge an art by some murderer who says he is a "master".

Best Regards,

Paul Bladen--Midwest Hapkido Group--Hanminjok Hapkido

Paul, I sincerely do not wish to disrespect you or enter in to a huge argument with you. That being said I simply could not read this and then not register and defend my friend. Shannon Agofsky is a VERY good friend of mine and has been for a long time. He is not a maladjusted, mentally unstable piece of filth. He is a highly intelligent, very disciplined and dedicated man who is loyal to a fault. He is most certainly a master in Hwa Rang Do. He studied under Bob Duggan from the age of 9, fought and beat the Edmundson twins before going to prison (for a crime he did not commit-a story for another day) and innovated many of the moves used in MMA today. He is a brilliant athelete, is respectful of his craft-but at the same time he never has intended to be a victim while behind bars. When I come across posts such as yours I often get frustrated because of the rampant ignorance that abounds regarding prison violence which is instigated in far too many cases by guards themselves. The American public simply does not understand the level of corruption and violence in our prison system, especially our federal prisons. It is a crying shame. I know many of those men are scum and deserve to be right where they are but at the same time there are also innocent men there and good men who did bad things that do not deserve to have to fight to just survive on a daily basis.

Please see this article: http://www.radiohc.cu/heroes/ingles/...moni7abril.htm

I have Shannon's court documents in front of me and I can assure you that the random articles you come across do NOT give the full picture. Shannon did not set out to kill Luther Plant and that was never testified to in court. The testimony from numerous inmates, including the other 3 locked in the rec cage with Shannon and Luther all testified that Luther planned to kill Shannon, had told them he would and attacked Shannon first. The testimony was also that from the time Luther threw the first punch to the time Shannon took him down and turned to face the other three-a mere 10 seconds had elapsed. Shannon had no idea how badly he hurt Luther and did not intend to kill him, only disable him so he could face the other men. He did what he had to do to preserve his own life. The jury did not find that he intentionally killed Luther or that he premeditated it-only that he inflicted serious bodily injury he knew could lead to death. For this he deserves to die himself? For defending himself? Oh yes, I know some of the local yocal journalists like to spin the case and say Luther was some little Hep C weakling but that is simply not the case. The man was a hardened convict who knew well how he would be viewed if he could kill or injure Shannon, who was highly feared in Beaumont because of his martial arts ability. It is also interesting to note that Shannon has been transferred 43 different times within the federal prison system since his original incarceration at age 18 and only ended up in trouble upon being sent to Beaumont. I also have his entire disciplinary record in front of me and the only instances of any violence where there. Just something to think about. The only incident reports from other prisons, such as ADX Supermax in Colorado and Lompoc in California are in regards to Shannon defending other inmates from attacks, defending women prisoners and in some cases taking down inmates who were out of control and attacking the guards.

Until you yourself have had to endure prison life, the violence and the savageness and the warped heirarchy those men must live by-whereby someone will attempt to kill you just to make a name for themselves and when they do come to kill you they bring a shank-you really have no business passing judgment on my friend and speaking so disrespectfully of him. I am going to post a link where you can read about him if you like: http://shannonagofsky.tripod.com/index.html

Please bear in mind when you post about someone on the internet, many eyes can see what you say and your words, as innacurate and hateful as they are, may find their way to someone who knows and cares about whom you speak. Shannon is a good guy who has been dealt a shitty hand and has had to learn to survive in a brutal environment with only his MA skills to defend himself against violence, rape and extortion. He doesn't deserve to be bad mouthed by fellow martial artists whom he would most likely respect.

[UFChick]

I am sorry I am just curious why the Britts have not responded to this thread after dabating the abbolishment of the death penalty in another thread. The guy should have been executed for the murder of the banker initialy. His teacher should be held accountable for promoting some one of such poor character to Black Belt. I am an old school hardass though!
Your right John does sound like a Ninja terd! LOL

Shannon was not given the death penalty for the murder of Dan Short because the jury deadlocked on the sentencing and the judge handed down a term of LWOP. I won't go in to the details of the Dan Short case but suffice it to say that Shannon maintains his innocence ( I know all the cliches about prisoners claiming their innocent so please don't patronize me) and based on the trial transcripts I am befuddled as to why it ever went to trial. Arkansas refused to pick up the case, Missouri refused (no evidence) but Keating pressed the case in Oklahoma. The FBI fingerprint analyst testified to the Arkansas and Missouri grand juries that the fingerprints on the duct tape did not match Shannon's. Then at the Ok trial he switched his testimony and said they did but could not provide the duct tape for reanalysis since it was "lost". The only eyewitness to the crime was put under hypnosis by the FBI and then discredited as a witness because you can't testify after hypnosis-he original grand jury testimony was she saw 2 men with Dan Short in the parking lot the night he was murdered. She described them as short and chubby. Shannon and Joe are tall and thin.

I won't bore you with the laborious details. But the bottom line is-again-until you know facts about something you really have no business commenting and suggesting someone should be put to death. It just amplifies your own ignorance. Read John Grisham's 'The Innocent Man'. The main character is nothing like Shannon but the techniques law enforcement used in that case to put an innocent man on Death Row are frighteningly similar to that of Shannon's case. Just a suggestion.