Noble is on Trial in 3 Men’s Murders
By Jason Riley, The Courier-Journal (Louiseville, Kentucky)
A man standing trial in the murders of three western Louisville men within a week’s time in March 1987 told a jury yesterday that he confessed to the crime only because he was beaten and coerced by police.
Sherman Noble, who is serving as co-counsel in his murder case, testified that police who interviewed him on March 17, 1987, beat him until he told them “what they wanted to hear.”
But Don Burbrink, now a Louisville Metro Police captain, testified yesterday that he was unaware of any mistreatment during the two hours he helped question Noble. Also, prosecutors have noted that Noble’s arrest photo, taken after about 11 hours of police questioning, showed no marks on his face.
If Noble is convicted, he could receive the death penalty.
Noble testified that his hands were cuffed behind his back while police slapped him on the head and beat him on the shoulders with a flashlight.
“I wanted to get them to stop, and the only way to get them to stop was to lie,” Noble said.
“I would have said anything,” he said in a strong voice while answering questions from his attorney. “I would have blamed it on Jesus Christ and admitted to killing Jesus Christ if it would have stopped what was happening to me.”
Noble, who testified for about three hours, said he had waited nearly 18 years for a chance to clear his name.
At times, Noble recalled details of the case, such as what he ordered from a fast-food restaurant the day he was questioned by police. Noble said he got two cheeseburgers, French fries and a soft drink late that night in return for signing a confession.
He acknowledged, however, that his memory of some details had grown murky over time, but he said repeatedly that he never entered the victims’ homes and never killed them.
Noble also questioned investigators yesterday, asking several times about possible impropriety within the police department.
Prosecutors, who have expressed exasperation with Noble throughout much of the trial, objected repeatedly yesterday and at one point told Jefferson Circuit Judge Stephen Ryan that Noble’s questions were ridiculous.
On March 11, 1987, Walker Ison Jr. was found dead in his home on South 27th Street. Four days later, Charles F. Thompson, 71, was found dead in his house on South 41st Street, and the next day Lorenzo F. “Pat” Harris, 87, was found dead in his Cedar Street home. All three men had been beaten with a hammer. Harris also was stabbed more than 18 times.
Noble was arrested and indicted on three counts of capital murder, three counts of first-degree burglary and three counts of first-degree robbery.
In 1988, however, he was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. He has been in jail or a state mental hospital since his arrest. He was found competent in 1997.
Noble also is accused of fatally shooting Michael Edward Cox, 24, whose body was found in an alley on Maple Street on July 31, 1985. That case will be tried separately.
Yesterday Noble said that prosecutors had not produced a murder weapon and that no blood was found on his shoes or clothing. He went into personal detail about his ordeal, noting that his father, a brother and other relatives had died during his long confinement.
The case is to go to the jury today.