SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 2006

Docs Withdrawal Causes Execution Delay

Two Anesthesiologists Refused To Participate Due To Ethical Concerns

    • Michael Morales, 46, of Stockton, is seen in this undated image released by the California Department of Corrections.

      Michael Morales, 46, of Stockton, is seen in this undated image released by the California Department of Corrections.  (AP/ California Dept of Corrections)

    • Michael Morales of Stockton, Calif., was convicted in 1983 of murdering Terri Winchell, 17, who was found beaten and stabbed in a secluded vineyard.

      Michael Morales of Stockton, Calif., was convicted in 1983 of murdering Terri Winchell, 17, who was found beaten and stabbed in a secluded vineyard.  (AP/Calif. Atty. General's Office)

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(CBS/AP)  Morales has admitted to the crime that put him on death row, the murder 25 years ago of 17-year-old Terri Winchell. In a petition for clemency that Schwarzenegger first turned down on Friday, Morales claimed that he killed Winchell because he was high on PCP and alcohol.

Saturday, Winchell's family and friends gathered at her grave – some with flowers, others with balloons – to celebrate her life and say a final goodbye.

"When we graduated high school, a lot of us put a white rose in our bouquet in honor or Terri. We're still carrying our white rose for Terri," said Trish Costa, a classmate of Winchell's, in an interview on KXTL-TV. "We're gonna go to our high school reunion. We're gonna look for our fellow classmates, the first thing on your mind is, Terri is not here."

"I'm so glad this is coming to a close," said Barbara Christian, Winchell's mother. "All the news and notoriety is just making it like the crime happened yesterday."

Terri's father, Mack Winchell, said she was a "lovely, vivacious young lady," who always found time to spend with both her parents, who divorced when she was young.

"In all of these years, no one has contacted our family and said sorry," said Bradley Winchell, brother of the victim.

Brian Pratt, another relative, is unsympathetic to arguments by Morales and his attorneys that the execution ought to be called off.

"I think they ought to bring back hanging or electrocution for this type of crime," said Pratt. "He'll get what he deserves."

"He's the monster that killed the beauty, and he needs to pay for a crime that was senseless," said Jacqueline Miles, a family friend. "We need to actually show the world that people can't get away with murdering people just because they get mad."

©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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