Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
3:50 pm Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Death sentence a sad end to story

By Staff
Staff editorial
Franklin County Times
The last chapter in one of the most heinous crimes in the history of Red Bay was written Monday when Franklin County Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey sentenced Jody Wayne Waldrop to death for killing his infant son in September 2005.
Dempsey heard statements from the state and the defense prior to passing sentence in the case.
Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing asked for the judge to impose the death penalty in the case.
"Eye for an Eye" justice is a cold part of the legal system, and is typically reserved for the most obscene of crimes.
The murder of an infant at the hands of his father certainly ranks among the most vile of the vile.
After all the legal push and pull, Judge Dempsey said that he had no doubt that Waldrop engaged in conduct that killed the victim in this case.
Waldrop is the first person in Franklin County to ever be given the death penalty.
In the end, there are only three people who will ever know what happened that Autumn day: Jody Waldrop, baby Chance and God. While many disagree with imposing death on such a case, it seems very fitting considering the crime.

Also on Franklin County Times
Walk Thru Bethlehem captures Christmas story
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 10, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville First Baptist Church’s annual Walk Thru Bethlehem over the weekend transformed two downtown blocks into a first-century se...
Use of force: ‘It’s a split-second decision’
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Kevin Taylor For the Franklin County Times 
December 10, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE –Before each shift at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, supervisors will always talk about officer safety. They talk about incidents ...
Tree lighting ceremony draws crowd in Red Bay
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 10, 2025
RED BAY — Members of the community gathered downtown Nov. 30 for the annual tree lighting ceremony, which brought students, local organizers and famil...
Rideshare drivers should be able to understand English
Columnists, Opinion
December 10, 2025
When I was in college, if we needed a ride, we would either call a friend or walk home. These days, however, millions of Americans rely on rideshare s...
‘Roxy’s Christmas Spectacular’ gets ready to take stage
Columnists, News, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
December 10, 2025
Susie Hovater Malone Columnist The Roxy’s Christmas Spectacular does more than bring holiday joy to the stage each December. It unites our community, ...
Golden Tigers split contests with Belgreen
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
Brannon King For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
The Russellville Golden Tigers visited the Belgreen Bulldogs and each school picked up a win. Russellville’s girls defeated Belgreen by a final score ...
PC Lady Bobcats win 3 games
High School Sports, Phil Campbell Bobcats, Sports
Bart Moss For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
Phil Campbell picked up three wins this week beating Shoals Christian 49-34, Cherokee 55-21 and Lexington 52-41. In the Shoals Christian win Phil Camp...
Romero makes triumphant return to stage
News, Phil Campbell
Chelsea Retherford For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — When Jonathon Romero first walked out as Sweeney Todd during the show’s opening weekend, it marked a triumphant return to the stage af...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *