Widow of slain Demo chairman honored to attend convention

[babylonsister]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/08/widow_of_slain_demo_chairman_t.php

Widow of slain Demo chairman to attend convention

Widow of slain Ark. Democratic Party chairman to take his place as convention delegate

ANDREW DeMILLO
AP News

Aug 21, 2008 14:43 EST


The widow of slain state Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney will fill his spot at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week, the governor said Thursday.

Gov. Mike Beebe said Rebecca Gwatney accepted an invitation from party leaders to fill the vacancy left in the state's delegation when her husband was killed last week.

"I can't express how honored I am to represent Bill at the Democratic National Convention ...," she said. "Bill loved helping and serving people. He wanted to make Arkansas better for everyone."

While Rebecca Gwatney replaces her husband as one of the state's 47 delegates, the party's vice chairwoman, Karla Bradley, was chosen to chair the delegation in Denver in Bill Gwatney's place.

Bill Gwatney, who would have turned 49 during the convention, was shot and killed Aug. 13 at state party headquarters, just two blocks from the Capitol.

The gunman, Timothy Dale Johnson, was shot dead by police after leading them on a 30-mile chase. Authorities said Johnson had abruptly quit his job at a Target store earlier in the day after being questioned about some graffiti on a store wall. Other than that, authorities had no motive for the shooting.

Gwatney had supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid after Arkansas' primary but switched his support to Sen. Barack Obama when Clinton left the race.

Gwatney had been one of the party's superdelegates, and his widow, 44, will also be considered a superdelegate at the convention, party spokeswoman Darinda Sharp said.

[eshfemme]

1. Did they ever discover what the motive behind the murder was?

[babylonsister]

2. I haven't heard anything; seems as if this whole horrid event

has been swept under the rug.