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2006 last meals...
(compiled from various news accounts)
december, 2006
FLORIDA LAST MEAL
ANGEL NIEVES DIAZ
December 13, 2006
...Lethal injections normally take about 15 minutes, Diaz's execution took 34 minutes...
Last Meal: Diaz had no final meal request. He was served the prison menu of shredded turkey with taco seasoning, shredded cheese, rice, pinto beans, tortilla shells, apple crisp and ice tea, which he turned down.
The skinny: Diaz was sentenced to die for the murder of a strip club manager who was shot with a silencer-equipped gun when Diaz and two accomplices robbed the Velvet Swing club.
More skinny: Diaz, the self-styled ''Daddy of Death'' for the Machete Men Puerto Rican terror gang who was implicated in at least three murders and two brutal prison breaks.
No one actually witnessed the shooting death of the manager. But to cops and prosecutors it doesn't really matter whether Diaz actually pulled the trigger or he was merely one of the thugs who corralled patrons and dancers into a bathroom jammed shut with a cigarette machine. A dancer hiding under the bar did not see who fired the shoots which killed Nagy. The case remained unsolved for four years until 1983, when Nieves' girlfriend told police he was involved in the crimes. Angel "Sammy" Toro and Angel Nieves were charged with murder. A third man, "Willie," was never identified.
At his trial, Nieves conducted his own defense, with the assistance of counsel. Toro cut a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to life in prison. The conviction was largely based on the testimony of a jailhouse informant, Ralph Gajus, who claimed the Spanish-speaking Diaz mimed a confession. The jury recommended he be sentenced to death by an 8-4 vote.
However, Gajus, recently recanted his testimony, saying he lied on the witness stand in 1984 because he was angry with Diaz. Gajus was serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Jailhouse informants are the leading cause of wrongful convictions in U.S. capital cases, according to a report by the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University. The report found that 51 death row inmates have been exonerated who were initially convicted on the word of jailhouse informants.
Priors: Nieves' prior record includes a second-degree murder conviction in his native Puerto Rico and escapes there and in Connecticut. In 1981, he escaped from the Hartford Correctional Center by holding one guard at knifepoint while another was beaten as he and three other inmates escaped.
The day of: Diaz spent part of his final day with family members. He later met with a prison chaplain and received last rights by a Roman Catholic priest shortly before his execution. He asked that his body be sent to Puerto Rico for funeral services. Puerto Rican Gov. Acevedo Vila had asked Gov. Jeb Bush to stop the execution. The U.S. territory abolished the death penalty in 1929.
Family members aren't allowed to witness executions, so they assembled with protesters in the pasture across the street from the prison. Relatives cried out in grief during the protests, and two passed out from what a relative said was anxiety.
Last words and such: ''The state of Florida is killing an innocent person." Diaz said from the gurney on Death Row. "The state of Florida is committing a crime, because I am innocent. The death penalty is not only a form of vengeance, but also a cowardly act by humans. I'm sorry for what is happening to me and my family who have been put through this.''
34-minutes: Diaz's execution took 34 minutes and two doses of lethal drugs. During the long execution at Diaz squinted his eyes, flexed his jaw, moved his mouth and grimaced. His movements did not stop early in the process.
Lethal injections normally take about 15 minutes, with the inmate rendered unconscious within the first three to five minutes. Prison officials said afterward that Diaz had liver disease that slowed the effects of the drugs, so they needed to use two doses.
Florida lawmakers voted to switch to lethal injection in 2000 following a series of bungled executions using the state's electric chair, known as "Old Sparky." In the most notorious incident, flames shot from the head of a prisoner during an execution in 1997.
The aftermath: A report concluded that the prolonged execution of Diaz was apparently caused by intravenous needles that pierced completely through veins in both arms.
Dr. William Hamilton, a 25-year veteran medial examiner who performed an autopsy on Diaz, said the errant intravenous needles drained the lethal cocktail of drugs into Diaz's flesh rather than his veins. The concoction should have been pumped into Diaz's bloodstream, where it would have circulated throughout his body faster and would have worked much more quickly. The misdirected chemicals were injected near his elbows and by the time the autopsy was conducted, Hamilton said he found chemical burns about a foot long on both of Diaz's arms.
Gov. Bush announced a moratorium on executions until at least March, 2007 to allow a specially appointed panel to study the Diaz case and other issues surrounding lethal executions.
Factoids: Diaz was the....
53rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1057th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Florida in 2006
64th murderer executed in Florida since 1976
Diaz was the 21st inmate executed during the governorship of Jeb Bush.
374 people remain on Florida's Death Row.
november, 2006
VIRGINIA LAST MEAL
JOHN SCHMITT
November 9, 2006
...The man was one month from getting married when Schmitt killed him...
Last Meal: Schmitt, 33, had a final meal request of cheese pizza, a cheese omelet with sausage, green peppers and onions, and white cake with white icing.
The skinny: Schmitt was executed for the murder of a guard during a bank robbery.
More skinny: Schmitt shot the victim to death during the Feb. 17, 1999, robbery of a NationsBank branch in Bon Air. The man, 39, had just retired from the military and was one month from getting married when Schmitt killed him.
Schmitt entered the bank wearing sunglasses and a bulky jacket, attracting the attention of the victim, who followed him inside. During the bank robbery, Schmitt fired two shots, one of them hitting the man in the chest. No one in the bank witnessed the murder, and it was not captured by a security camera. The dead man’s handgun remained in its closed, snapped holster. Schmitt fled with nearly $36,000 in cash.
It was the second time that Schmitt had robbed the bank. The first time he robbed it of $65,000 armed with a sawed-off shotgun, was accompanied by an accomplice and there was no security guard present.
Schmitt was captured days later at a hotel room in Williamsburg with more than $27,000 taken in the robbery. Schmitt claimed he shot the man accidentally as the two struggled over Schmitt’s weapon.
Authorities, however, said the killing was premeditated and the jury recommended the death penalty after finding Schmitt was a future danger to society.
Schmitt’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court contended he should have been allowed to present evidence of security conditions in Virginia prisons in an attempt to reassure jurors that it would be safe to impose a sentence of life in prison without parole instead of death.
Last words and such: Schmitt entered the death chamber at 8:55, unaccompanied by a lawyer or spiritual adviser, Schmitt looked straight ahead without expression at the stainless steel gurney. Six correctional officers moved the stout man onto the gurney and quickly fastened straps around his arms, legs and torso.
As Schmitt lay with his feet facing witnesses, arms at 45-degree angles on armrests, the prison warden held a microphone near his mouth and asked if he had any last words. “Come on with it,” Schmitt said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Factoids: Schmitt was the...
52nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1056th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Virginia in 2006
98th murderer executed in Virginia since 1976
A half-hour before the execution, more than a dozen protesters gathered outside the prison for a candlelight vigil.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
WILLIE SHANNON
November 8, 2006
...He urged the relatives of his victim to “go home, have fun, smile” ...
Last Meal: Shannon had no final meal request.
The skinny: Shannon was executed for the murder of a man whom he shot dead during a car hijacking outside a Houston shopping center. The man was waiting for his wife and children in his car when he was attacked.
More skinny: The victim was a witness enrolled in the federal witness protection program and had driven with his family from Lubbock for a vacation to the Astroworld amusement park and the Houston Zoo. He had been in the program for a decade and had been living under a new identity after testifying at drug trials in the Rio Grande Valley. He had just dropped his family off at a shoe store. An 11-year-old boy who was the key witness to the murder, testified that the man was sitting alone in his car, waiting for his family to return and Willie Shannon, 19 at the time, climbed into the passenger seat. The boy heard Shannon say to the man, “Get out of the car.” After a scuffle, three shots were fired, one striking the victim in the head. Shannon kicked his body out of the car, firing two more rounds and ran over the man s hand as he drove away in the victim’s vehicle. Shannon took off but abandoned the station wagon in a nearby county after wrecking.
He was arrested five hours later at a truck stop.
Shortly before he killed the man, Shannon raped a motel maid nearby.
Priors: Shannon had a prior conviction for aggravated assault and had a juvenile record in which he was adjudicated delinquent. The prosecutor told jurors Shannon was a sociopath who would be certain to commit more violent crimes if he ever goes free. The jury agreed and sentenced Shannon to death.
Last words and such: In his last statement while strapped to the gurney, Shannon said he had not meant to kill Garza. “I took a father, it wasn’t my fault, it was an accident ... God knows the truth.” Shannon was smiling and humming as witnesses entered the death chamber. He told the Garza family that his smile was “not from happiness. If my life could bring your father back, then let it be. Don’t take my smile for disrespect.” Shannon said he was going to heaven. “If I see your father I will ask for his forgiveness. I’ll say when I see him, ‘I’m sorry.” He urged the relatives of his victim to “go home, have fun, smile. I’m happy. Why should I lie now. I have no anger. I have no fear.”
Several of his friends were present at the execution, hands pressed against the viewing glass, offering quiet prayers, softly repeating the words, thank you, Jesus. All four had white, silk flowers tied to their wrists with a white ribbon.
Factoids: Shannon was the...
51st murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1055th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
24th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
379th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
TEXAS LAST MEAL
DONELL OKEITH JACKSON
November 1, 2006
...That $200 meant the difference between life and death...
Last Meal: Jackson had a final meal request of two double-meat bacon burgers, bbq ribs, freedom fries, onion rings, root beer soda, banana split ice cream and peach cobbler.
The skinny: Jackson, 33, was executed for the $200 contract killing of a witness in an assault case.
More skinny: Jackson, who was then 20, and his friend, David Smith, drove to the house where the victim and his father lived. After entering the house and speaking to both men. Jackson asked if the victim would go outside with him because he had something else that he wanted to tell him. Once outside, Jackson pulled a gun from his waist that Smith had given to him and shot the man once in the head. A neighbor saw the victim and Jackson seconds before the shooting and later identified him from a lineup. Smith quickly became a suspect because the dead man was scheduled to testify against him in an upcoming aggravated assault trial. Smith eventually admitted that he was with Jackson, but he did not know Jackson was going to shoot Stubblefield. Once Jackson heard this, Jackson admitted that Smith had paid him $200 to shoot the man.
David Smith later was convicted of paying Jackson the $200 to shoot the victim and was sentenced to life in prison.
That $200 meant the difference between life and death. In Texas, murder warrants the death penalty only in specific situations, including murder during a robbery or a rape, murder of a child or, in this case, murder for money. Of the 377 men and women executed in Texas since 1982, Jackson was just the 15th to die in such a case.
Jackson’s confessed fee is one of the smallest amounts ever offered in a murder-for-hire case resulting in the death penalty in Texas.
Last words and such: From the death gurney, Jackson acknowledged killing the man before he could testify. “The calmness I was telling you about, I still have it. I love you all. I just want you to know that. I m all right. Make sure momma knows. All right? Jermaine, I love you, too, man. You are Mario s uncle? Correct? I just want you to know that I wronged your family. I received nothing, I was not paid. I took his life for the love of a friend.
Factoids: Jackson was the...
50th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1054th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
23rd murderer executed in Texas in 2006
378th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
october, 2006
ALABAMA LAST MEAL
LARRY EUGENE HUTCHERSON
October 25, 2006
...Hutcherson thanked the judge for the death sentence....
Last Meal: Hutcherson had a breakfast of grits and eggs, but made no request for a final meal. He said he would eat from a vending machine with family members.
The skinny: Hutcherson was executed for the killing of an 89-year-old woman who was nearly decapitated in her home. There was also evidence she had been sodomized.
More skinny: According to his confession at hisretrial, Hutcherson broke into the home of the 89-year old woman after taking six Valium and drinking whiskey. When she returned home as he was ransacking the house, Hutcherson took a knife from the kitchen and killed her. An autopsy confirmed that she had been beaten and her throat cut so severely that she was almost decapitated.
Hutcherson left his driver’s license and other evidence at the crime scene. And he returned the next day to steal an air conditioner, microwave and more of the woman’s belongings. According to his confession, he sold some and gave some away.
After his first conviction was reversed, Hutcherson pled guilty to capital murder in 1996, and a Mobile County jury recommended the death penalty by an 11-1 vote. A judge adopted the jury’s penalty. Hutcherson thanked the judge for the death sentence.
The day of: Prison officials said beginning at 9:30 a.m. Hutcherson met with 23 family members, including his ex-wife, Tracie Havens, and daughter Candace Hutcherson, who took home his letters, photos and three Bibles. He left a television set to one inmate and a radio and headphones to another. He was described as very calm.
Last words and such: Hutcherson apologized to the victim’s family in a brief final statement and asked for forgiveness. “I’m so very sorry for hurting you like this. It’s been a long time coming. If I could go back in time and change things, I most certainly would. I hope this gives you closure and someday find forgiveness for me.”
Strapped on his deathbed, Hutcherson stared quietly at the ceiling. When the chemicals begin to flow into both arms he gave a thumbs-up sign to the prison chaplin. He then motioned the man to his bedside, where the chaplin knelt for prayer. Hutcherson appeared to be praying aloud while the chaplin clasped his hands, but he fell silent about a minute later.
Factoids: Hutcherson was the...
49th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1053rd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Alabama in 2006
35th murderer executed in Alabama since 1976
There are currently 192 inmates on Alabama’s death row.
Hutcherson was the 11th to die by lethal injection since the state changed from the electric chair in 2002.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
GREORY SUMMERS
October 25, 2006
...the region of Tuscany and the municipality of Cascina, both had agreed to have Summers buried there at their expense..
Last Meal: Summers had a final meal request of salad, onion rings, chili dogs, and sweet iced tea.
The skinny: Summers, 48, was executed for initiating a murder-for-hire plot that led to the fatal stabbing of his parents and an uncle.
More skinny: Summers was convicted of hiring another man for $10,000 to kill his adoptive parents. His father’s brother, who was mentally retarded and living with the couple was also killed. Each had been stabbed repeatedly and the home was set on fire.
Summers was the beneficiary and hoped to collect $24,000 in insurance benefits. Relatives told authorities that he was having financial problems, and his father had decided to stop bailing him out financially.
Police were first contacted by Keenan Wilcox, who said that his acquaintance, Gregory Summers, tried to hire him to murder his parents and mentally retarded uncle and to burn their house down. He said that Summers offered to pay him from insurance money and cash in the house. Another tipster said that his brother, Andrew Cantu, told him that he was hired for $10,000 to commit the murders. Cantu, a paroled burglar at the time, was supposed to find his payoff in a dresser drawer at the Summers’ Abilene home, but no money was there.
Numerous relatives and acquaintances testified about Summers’ difficult relationship with his father and about his many threats to kill him and burn his house down with him in it. Witnesses also testified to his history of violence against his family, including kicking his first wife in the stomach when she was pregnant, beating his second wife, holding a gun to her head, and forcing her to beg for her life on her knees, and beating his sons.
Andrew Cantu was also convicted and sentenced to death, and was executed in 1999. Two accomplices, Ramon Gonzales and Paul Flores, received plea bargains and testified against Cantu and Summers. Two men testified that Cantu slipped through a back window, stabbed the husband nine times in the chest, his wife eight times and the uncle seven times, then set the house on fire. Cantu denied involvement and blamed the companions.
Adoption: Gene and Helen Summers adopted their son when he was 3 days old. He was their only child.
The Trial: About 70 witnesses testified for the prosecution at Summers’ trial, which was moved from Abilene because of publicity and held in Denton, about 185 miles to the east.
Prosecutors also showed how Summers previously collected insurance payoffs from fires at his grandmother’s house and a vehicle.
Last words and such: Summers’ execution was delayed about three hours by final appeals efforts.
Asked by Warden Thomas Prasifka if he had a final statement while strapped to the death chamber gurney, Summer replied, “No.”
Three of Summers friends came in support of him, each dressed in a pink shirt and black slacks. They offered tears and prayers to the condemned, hands pressed firmly upon the glass. As Summers final moments passed his friends could be seen huddled together, sending out one final silent good-bye.
Italian Saps or Saints? Officials in the Tuscany region of Italy are seeking to have Summers buried in a small town near Pisa at the man’s request. An Italian school teacher is leading the effort. Summers had been corresponding with students from a local middle school for several years from prison. “He let it be known that he wanted to be buried in a white coffin with the (school) children’s signatures,” said the teacher, Maria Carmela Carretta. “He wanted it to be white as a symbol of innocence, and I, too, have decided that while it is not my favorite color, I will wear something white at the funeral.”
Massimo Toschi, Tuscany’s official in charge of international cooperation, said the region and the municipality of Cascina, 11 miles east of Pisa, both had agreed to have Summers buried there at their expense. “This is dependent, obviously, on getting consent from the family,” Toschi said.
Italy is a firm opponent of capital punishment, which is banned throughout the European Union. S ince 1999, the lights illuminating Rome’s ancient Colosseum have turned from white to gold every time a death sentence is commuted around the world or a country abolishes capital punishment.
Factoids: Summers was the....
48th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1052nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
22nd murderer executed in Texas in 2006
377th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
The lethal injection of Summers came more than seven years after the execution of Andrew Cantu.
FLORIDA LAST MEAL
DANNY ROLLING
October 25, 2006
...The Gainesville Ripper...<
Last Meal: Rolling, 52, had a final meal request of lobster tail, butterfly shrimp, a baked potato, strawberry cheesecake and sweet tea. A prison official reported, “He enjoyed his last meal. He ate every bite.”
The skinny: Danny Rolling was executed for multiple murders and rapes. He decapitated one victim, posed with some of the bodies, removed skin and body parts and arranged the murder scenes using props that included broken mirrors.
More skinny: Known as the Gainesville Ripper, Rolling murdered four University of Florida students and a Santa Fe Community College student in their apartments in 1990.
Rolling was 36 when he arrived in Gainesville shortly before the fall semester began at the University of Florida, a drifter with a criminal past who pitched a tent in some woods near campus.
The slayings began in August, 1990 when Rolling broke into the apartment of two women. They were found mutilated and stabbed to death. He had raped both women, one after she was dead.
The next day, Rolling killed an 18-year old woman. Her body was found propped up, sitting on her bed bent over at the waist. Rolling had sliced off her nipples and left them on the bed next to her, and police discovered that her torso was sliced open, from her chest to her pubic bone. Her severed head perched on a shelf across the room.
Two days later, Rolling killed two roommates, one man and one woman, both 23. Rolling posed his mutilated victims in sexually provocative positions and kept body parts as trophies.
The town of Gainesville was in a panic. Scores of state and federal police swept in and drew blood samples from a number of men. A rumor hot line produced numerous bad leads, and whispers that police were hiding more bodies to cover up an even more massive slaying. The campus shut down for a week and many of the 34,000 students scrambled home, some never to return. Others slept a dozen to a house. Deadbolt locks flew off the shelves. Helicopters with searchlights soared over the city by night. Sorority houses hired full-time security guards, gun sales soared and some townspeople never left their doors unlocked again. A long investigation ensued, with 6,500 leads and 1,500 pieces of evidence. At first, the police focused on a mentally ill student who had been evicted from the apartment complex where two of the victims lived.
Meanwhile, Rolling remained at large until September 8, when he was arrested after a botched robbery. But in January 1991, the police discovered Mr. Rolling in a county jail south of Gainesville, awaiting trial. He initially denied committing the murders, but DNA left at the crime scenes in Gainesville matched genetic material police recovered from Rolling during some dental work. He pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial in 1994, telling the judge, There are some things that you just can t run from.
Rolling later told other inmates and psychologists he had wanted to kill eight people for each year he had previously served in prison.
Rolling had a series of prior violent felonies; a 1976 Mississippi conviction for armed robbery; a 1979 Georgia conviction for two counts of armed robbery; a 1980 Alabama conviction for robbery; a 1991 Hillsborough County, Florida, conviction for three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and a 1992 federal conviction for armed bank robbery.
Just hours before he was executed earlier, Rolling confessed to three other killings in Louisiana, in which he was the only suspect, but was never tried for those crimes.
Rolling attributed his behavior to abuse by his father, a police officer, and to an evil alter ego. In prison, Rolling drew disturbing pictures and wrote a graphic book, The Making of a Serial Killer, with a woman who was his fiancee for a time.
The day of: Dozens of media satellite trucks sprouted up near the prison, in a scene reminiscent electric-chair execution of Florida’s most notorious killer, Ted Bundy. A year after Bundy’s death, Rolling arrived in Gainesville on a Greyhound bus, pitched a tent in the woods and recorded a tape of self-written songs for his family. Years later, at an appeals hearing, Rolling broke out in song in honor of a woman he asked to marry him from prison. Rolling later said in one of his confessions that he wanted to become a ‘’superstar.’’
On his last day, Rolling was calm and cooperative ahead of the execution. He spent several hours with his brother Kevin, and his brother’s pastor.
Last words and such: While restrained in a gurney, Rolling turned his head and briefly gazed with pale blue eyes at the mother of one of his five victims, then sang in a haunting Louisiana drawl of angels, mountains and, in a reference to St. Paul, of seeing “through a glass now, darkly.’’ For three minutes, as the lethal-injection drugs were about to pump into him, Rolling chanted the refrain, ‘’None greater than thee, Oh Lord. None greater than thee.’’ He continued to sing or speak in the windowed chamber after the microphone was cut.
Among Rolling’s possessions were a 13-inch television, personal hygiene items, a few books and colored pencils he used to draw with along with his drawings.
Factoids: A wall near Gainesville campus is painted with the names of the victims, hearts and Remember 1990.
Rolling was the...
47th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1051st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Florida in 2006
63rd murderer executed in Florida since 1976
He was the 259th since 1924, when the state took over the duty from individual counties.
About 100 death penalty opponents gathered in a circle, praying. Among an equal number of people who supported Rolling’s execution was a woman holding a sign that read “Finally, kill the killer.”
Death-penalty supporters whistled and clapped with word of Rolling’s demise.
Anti-death penalty protesters sung “Amazing Grace,” “Kumbaya” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” and methodically banged a hammer on an anvil.
Huh? Death penalty protesters, who were cordoned off in a separate area by police tape, said the execution only served to provide Rolling additional attention. “The state of Florida is giving this psychopathic killer just what he wanted,” said Mark Elliott of Clearwater, spokesman for Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
What argument do you make to spare a monster? This from the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty:
Danny Rolling, FL, October 25
Do Not Execute Danny Rolling
Danny Rolling is set to be executed by the state of Florida on Oct. 25. In late August 1990, Rolling went on a killing spree in Gainesville. Rolling broke into three apartments in the area belonging to five college students, whom he went on to assault and kill.
While these crimes are heinous and inexcusable, the death penalty is not the right choice for Danny Rolling. Rolling grew up in a dysfunctional household with an abusive father. Furthermore, he suffered from emotional and psychological problems, as noted in one appellate judge s opinion of his sentencing. Rolling pleaded guilty in his 1994 trial, where it was established that at the times of his crimes, he had the emotional maturity of a 15-year-old and that he suffered from extreme emotional disturbance.
During his trial, Rolling and his defense team tried to get a change of venue for the trial, which was denied. His story had been sensationalized by the media, so he could not have received a fair trial where jury members had no bias about the crimes. Furthermore, several pieces of evidence, including statements made without counsel present and items gathered without a warrant from Rolling s place of residence were allowed in the trial.
Rolling expresses remorse for his crimes, as demonstrated by his confession and eventual guilty plea. His family has a history of mental illness, and his father s abuse influenced his mental instability. Rolling s emotional state, as well as several errors in his trial, prove that justice will not come to him in the form of capital punishment.
OHIO LAST MEAL
JEFFREY LUNDGREN
October 24, 2006
...”I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet.”...
Last Meal: Lundgren has a final special meal of turkey, potatoes and gravy, a salad and pumpkin pie.
The skinny: Lundgren, a self-professed prophet, was executed for killing five people in what he said was a sacrifice demanded by a higher power.
More skinny: Lundgren and about two dozen followers had broken away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and formed the Community of Christ, a small church that splintered from the mainstream Mormon church. His group believed doomsday was near. Lundgren killed a family both because of a message he felt he got from God and because he saw the family as disloyal for not pooling their finances into a common church fund. After inviting the husband and wife and their three daughters over for dinner, each was led individually out to the barn, where each was bound and gagged by a group of men. After they had placed each family member into the pit, Lundgren shot each person two or three times with a .45 caliber semiautomatic weapon. The men then filled the pit with dirt and stones. A chain saw was used to muffle the gunfire while remaining family members cleaned up after dinner. Afterwards, Lundgren and the others went back to the farmhouse and held a prayer meeting.
Before the slayings, Lundgren ensured that no one would look for the the famuly by directing the mother to write to relatives and inform them that the family was moving to Wyoming and would provide contact information when they got settled. The case was cracked eight months later when a dissident cult member, upset that his wife had been selected to become Lundgren’s second wife, tipped off authorities. Thirteen cult members were charged in the case, including Lundgren’s ex-wife, Alice, now 55, and their son, Damon, now 35, both serving life prison terms.
Trial: Lundgren told a jury in 1990 that he was a prophet of God and therefore not worthy of the death penalty. “It’s not a figment of my imagination that I can in fact talk to God, that I can hear his voice,” he told the jurors. “I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet.” He told the jury the spiritually unclean had to be dealt with and referred to the killings as “pruning the vineyard.”
Leading up to: Prison officials said Lundgren had been so certain that he would win a delay that he napped much of the morning.
Last words and such: Lundgren walked the 17 steps to the death chamber without the well-worn Bible that he used to control his cult. As a dozen people watched from the other side of a glass wall, Lundgren issued a 15-second statement, “For my last words I’d like to profess my love for God, my family, my children and my beloved wife. ... I am because you are.”
The once haughty prophet who surrounded himself with loyal followers died with no family members or friends among the witnesses. With no one claiming his body, Lundgren will be buried in a simple ceremony in a prison grave. Other convicts will serve as pallbearers.
Factoids: Lundgren was the...
46th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1050th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
5th murderer executed in Ohio in 2006
24th murderer executed in Ohio since 1976
*-Clarification from a reader...
You, or perhaps the source you used, have a few things wrong about Lundgren’s religious affiliation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) are the Mormons, Lundgren and his followers were originally members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) who split from the larger Mormon church in 1860. In 2001 the RLDS changed their name to Community of Christ. I don’t believe the Lundgren group used any special name for themselves when they left the RLDS. (Because the church, always a lot more liberal than the Mormons, was adopting even more progressive policies, such as the ordination of women.)
I don’t blame you for being confused by the names. They’re very similar, and they’re quite a mouth full. I suspect the leadership of the former RLDS may have had that partially in mind when they changed their name to Community of Christ.
MISSISSIPPI LAST MEAL
BOBBY GLEN WILCHER
October 18, 2006
...Wilcher asked for a conjugal visit with a woman who had been a juror in one of his trials, but the request was denied....
Last Meal: Wilcher had a final request of two dozen jumbo fried shrimp with tarter sauce and ketchup, two large orders of fried onion rings and french fries, one raw regular onion, six pieces of garlic bread, two cold 32 oz. Cokes, two 32 oz. strawberry milkshakes. The request for his final meal is similar to what he ordered in July. Wilcher said his plan is to share the meal with prison personnel, but the prison commissioner said he won’t allow that.
Wilcher declined breakfast and drank only coffee. Wilcher’s last meal was served at 12:45 p.m. instead of the traditional 4 p.m. It was moved for logistical purposes to allow more time for things such as a haircut for Wilcher.
The skinny: Bobby Glen Wilcher was executed for the brutal killings of two women in Mississippi in 1982.
More skinny: Wilcher met the two victims at a bar and at closing time persuaded the women to take him home. Under this pretext, he directed the women down a deserted service road in a National Forest where he robbed and brutally murdered the women by stabbing them a total of 46 times.
Thereafter, Wilcher was stopped for speeding between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. He was alone and was driving one victim’s car. The victims’ purses and one victim’s brassiere were on the back seat. Wilcher was covered in blood; he had a bloody knife in his back pocket that had flesh on the blade. Wilcher explained his condition by telling the policeman that he had cut his thumb while skinning a possum. The officer followed Wilcher to the hospital, where Wilcher’s wound was cleaned and covered with a band-aid. Another officer was called to the hospital to observe Wilcher, the knife, the car, the purses, and the brassiere. The officers left the hospital on an emergency call. Wilcher went home. The next morning, he abandoned the car at an apartment complex. Wilcher also threw the victims’ purses and some of the victims’ clothing in a ditch. He was arrested later that day. The victims’ jewelry was subsequently found in Wilcher’s bedroom.
Close: In July, Wilcher received a last-minute reprieve from the U.S. Supreme Court after the court said it needed more time to consider the case.
Leading up to: Wilcher on Wednesday asked for a conjugal visit with a woman who had been a juror in one of his trials, but the request was denied. Wilcher and the woman had developed a friendship. She was allowed a non-contact visit with Wilcher, along with his attorney and a paralegal. However, his lawyer said Wilcher did not ask for a conjugal visit. He said Wilcher sought a “contact” visit with the woman, which means they could speak in the same room. “This is very different from a conjugal visit, which clearly has sexual connotations....the Commissioner knows the difference.”
Notes from the prison: Inmate Wilcher ate his last meal at approximately 12:45 p.m. today and took a shower at 4:15 p.m. He has requested no sedative and has chosen not to participate in communion. Inmate Wilcher remains under observation. As reported earlier, Wilcher is somber and quiet. Wilcher got only an hour of sleep Tuesday night because he was writing goodbye letters.
Last words and such: Wilcher said before his execution that he didn’t want a sedative but changed his mind as the time neared.
He was strapped to a gurney with nine wide, tan leather straps. He was dressed in a red prison jumpsuit and white socks. A big man who weighed between 315 and 345 pounds, Wilcher’s long dark hair was clean and combed, his goatee streaked with white.
Wilcher said only three words during the final 11 minutes of his life. Offered a chance to make a final statement, he said: “I have none.
At his request, none of Wilcher’s family attended his execution.
Factoids: Wilcher was the...
45th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1049th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Mississippi in 2006
8th murderer executed in Mississippi since 1976
It took 24 years for Wilcher’s execution to be carried out.
About eight anti-death penalty activists gathered on the penitentiary grounds before the execution.
september, 2006
FLORIDA LAST MEAL
ARTHUR DENNIS RUTHERFORD
October 18, 2006
...He had the same meal in January, when the U.S. Supreme Court stopped his execution just minutes before he was to be executed....
Last Meal: Rutherford has a final meal request of fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried eggplant, hush puppies and sweet tea. He had the same meal in January, when the U.S. Supreme Court stopped his execution just minutes before he was to be executed.
The skinny: Rutherford, 57, a handyman, was executed for the 1985 murder of a woman who had hired him.
More skinny: Rutherford was hired by the 63-year old woman to do a series of odd jobs, including replacing her sliding glass patio doors. She expressed concern about him to her friends. Her naked body was later found submerged in the bathtub of her home, dead from drowning or asphyxiation. Police found Rutherford’s fingerprints and palm prints in the bathroom where she was killed.
At his trial, two witnesses testified that Rutherford asked for their help in cashing a $2,000 check on the victim’s bank account. Rutherford forged her name on the check and took Heaton to a bank, where she cashed the check. Several friends and relatives testified that Rutherford had told them of his intentions to rob a lady and leave her in the bathtub, but no one took him seriously. The victim had a broken arm, bruises on her face and arms, and three severe head wounds.
The trial Judge sentenced Rutherford to death following a 7-5 jury vote recommending death.
Legal Machinations: Rutherford had maintained his innocence, claiming a witness in the case had confessed to the crime. The courts had continuously rejected that claim, along with his challenges to the lethal injection process as cruel and unusual punishment.
The latest challenge revolved around the Florida Department of Corrections’ adoption of a document in August laying out the execution process. The document included new details about the amounts of drugs injected, the drug and alcohol testing of executioners and a cutdown procedure when a vein can’t be located. The department didn’t publicly release the document until this week, leading Rutherford’s attorneys to ask for a stay of execution to review it. The Florida Supreme Court rejected that argument Tuesday and the U.S. Supreme Court followed suit Wednesday.
Leading up to: On Wednesday morning, Rutherford had last visits with more than a dozen relatives, including his father, children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers. None of his relatives attended the execution.
Last words and such: Rutherford nodded to someone in the front row but made no final statement. He declined to take a sedative before receiving the injection.
At 6:11, the first of two blue-smocked and hooded medical personnel entered the death chamber, checked Rutherford’s vitals and departed, the last with a nod to warden Randall Bryant. ‘’The sentence of the state of Florida vs. Arthur Rutherford has been carried out at 6:13,’’ said an assistant warden at Florida State Prison.
Factoids: Rutherford was
44th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1048th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Florida in 2006
62nd murderer executed in Florida since 1976
He is the 19th inmate to be executed during the tenure of Gov. Jeb Bush.
About 50 anti-death penalty protesters held a vigil across the highway from the maximum-security prison while the execution was taking place. No one supporting the death penalty made a public showing.
september, 2006
FLORIDA LAST MEAL
CLARENCE EDWARD HILL
September 20, 2006
... Florida leads the country in exonerations of prisoners on Death Row, with 22 since 1973. ...
Last Meal: Hill requested no special last meal and prison officials said he refused a meal that included tacos, beans, a tossed salad and apple crisp.
The skinny: Hill was executed for the killing of a Pensacola cop during a botched bank robbery in 1982.
More skinny: Hill and a friend, Cliff Jackson, drove from Mobile to Pensacola in a stolen car to rob the Freedom Federal Savings Bank. When an alarm went off, Hill ran out the back door and Jackson fled out the front door. A Pensacola police officer was one of the first on the scene. Along with Officer Larry Bailly, they arrested Jackson and were attempting to handcuff him when Hill approached them from behind and began shooting. The officer died in the shootout, and partner Larry Bailly was wounded. Hill was shot five times and was caught a short time later.
Hill’s trial began on April 25, 1983 and concluded on April 29, 1983, with the jury finding Hill guilty of both first-degree murder and felony murder as alleged in Count I. The sentencing phase began on April 29 and as a result, the jury returned a 10-2 death recommendation.
Accomplice Jackson pled guilty and was given a life sentence.
The victim’s portrait hangs in the lobby of the Pensacola police station as a ‘’vivid reminder’’ of what can happen in police work.
A close call: Hill had been strapped to the death gurney once before, in January, and was moments away from execution then when the U.S. Supreme Court granted him a stay of execution so he could challenge Florida’s method of lethal injection on the grounds it violated his civil rights. That was unsuccessful.
His death came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal on a 5-4 vote.
Leading up to: Hill received visits from defense attorney D. Todd Doss, a death row advocate and the inmate’s wife, Serena Mangano, of Modino, Italy, who married him in June in a no-contact wedding at Florida State Prison in Starke. Mangano visited him again Wednesday.
Last words and such: Hill, 48, was revealed to witnesses already strapped to a hospital bed, intravenous tubes visible and his head and hands restrained by leather straps. Hill did not respond when warden Randall Bryant asked him at 6 p.m. if he had any last words. He stared, unblinking, at the ceiling in the death house. At 6:02, Hill blinked several times before heavy lids drooped to near closed and his chest rose visibly twice. He showed no further signs of life. A blue-cloaked and hooded medical staffer came in at 6:11 to check Hill’s vitals, followed by a similarly clothed doctor to check Hill with a stethoscope. After two nods to Bryant from the anonymous member of the execution team, the warden declared Hill dead.
Factoids: Hill was the...
43rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1047th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Florida in 2006
61st murderer executed in Florida since 1976
FLORIDA: Hill’s execution came within days of a lengthy American Bar Association study that says Florida complies with only eight of 93 ABA legal standards covering death penalty cases. Florida also leads the country in exonerations of prisoners on Death Row, with 22 since 1973.
The ABA made 11 recommendations for change in Florida, including a requirement that Florida juries unanimously recommend the death sentence as they do in the 37 other death-penalty states. Today, jurors need only recommend death by a majority vote, and judges have the final say. Though it apparently hasn’t happened since 1999, the report says, a judge has the authority to override a jury’s recommendation of life in prison and sentence the convicted person to death.
With Hill’s execution, there are 376 men and no women left on Florida’s Death Row.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
FARLEY CHARLES MATCHETT
September 12, 2006
..A moment later he went on to thank his supporters, who included French actress Brigitte Bardot....
Last Meal: Matchett had a final meal request of four olives and a bottle of wild-berry flavored water.
The skinny: Matchett, a former crack addict, was executed for the murder of a Houston house painter committed will on a three-day crime spree to support his $600-a-day crack cocaine habit.
More skinny: Matchett was a crack addict in desperate need of a fix. A day earlier in Huntsville, he killed a 74-year-old woman with a meat hammer after she refused to give him money. The day before that, he severely beat a 91-year-old woman for the same reason. Today, he randomly knocked on doors in a northeast Houston neighborhood before he appeared at the male victim’s doorstep to ask for money. The man, who was related to Matchett by marriage, lectured him about his drug habit. The victim, who was home alone, was attacked by Matchett. His body was found two days later.The 52-year-old father of four had been stabbed twice in the back and his head badly beaten with a hammer.
Matchett was arrested when he tried to cash one of the man’s personal checks. Matchett confessed to Houston police about the three-day crime spree and later pleaded guilty to the man’s murder. Matchett later accepted plea deals in the Huntsville murders. He received a life prison sentence for the murder, and 99 years in prison for attacking the woman.
His story: At 13, Matchett began to hang out on the streets and run errands for drug dealers and prostitutes. The bottom really fell out of his life when his 11-year-old sister was raped. Matchett said he blamed himself for not being around to protect her.
He dropped out of school and joined the U.S. Army, but soon learned that the life of solitude he had sought would not be found in the military. Matchett “lost interest” and was discharged in 1981 for being absent without leave, fighting with a private and possession of marijuana. After the Army, Matchett worked as a truck driver, school bus driver and landscaper. He could make it through the week, but come Friday his addiction took hold and he “binge smoked.” “You couldn’t get me to do nothing on the weekend,” he said with a smile.
Leading up to: During a recent interview from death row, the 43-year-old spoke about his life before and after drugs, his court case and what he considers an unfair shake at the legal system with his state-appointed counsel. “I live every day with what happened, and I regret what happened,” he said. “How much remorse does society want me to show?”
Last words and such: He began his final statement by telling his family: “I love you all. Stay strong, and know that I am in a better place.” He then addressed members of victim Uries Anderson’s family, who witnessed the execution. Matchett, who is related to the Anderson family by marriage, asked for their forgiveness. He said he hoped they “found peace” in their hearts through his death. He then said, “Into thy hands I command my spirit.” A moment later he went on to thank his supporters, who included French actress Brigitte Bardot. “Don’t let this be the end,” he said. “Keep going.” His voice trailed off as the lethal injection took effect.
Factoids: Matchett was the...
42nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1046th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
21st murderer executed in Texas in 2006
376th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Texas has six more executions scheduled this year.
More Bardot: The actress has sent an open letter to Texas governor Rick Perry asking him to pardon Matchett before he was executed. Bardot states she’s convinced that Matchett, 43, was acting in self-defence when he stabbed his victim in 1991. Matchett has been incarcerated for 13 years. In her letter, Bardot writes, “This man has unintentionally committed a serious fault, since he acted in self-defence. “He is not a gangster, not a child’s rapist, not a serial killer either... I beg you to please pardon Farley Matchett. “Dear Mr Governor, by according your pardon, your mercy to Farley Matchett to live, you would make me a wonderful favour (sic) and I will always be thankful to you.”
august, 2006
TEXAS LAST MEAL
DERRICK WAYNE FRAZIER
August 31, 2006
...Frazier said that he felt no remorse for the victims. “Driving down the highway,” he said, “you see a raccoon on the side of the road. It just got run over by a truck. Do you have any remorse? You didn’t even know that raccoon, did you?”...
Last Meal: Frazier made no final meal request.
The skinny: Frazier was executed for the slayings of a mother and her teenage son at their home.
More skinny: Frazier and co-defendant Jermaine Herron knocked on the door of the victim’s mobile home, claiming car trouble and needing to make a phone call. The mother, age 41, invited them in, gave them iced tea and offered to drive them in her pickup the 10 miles to town.
When she went out to start her vehicle, Frazier followed her. When she went back into the house, he shot her in the face with a 9-millimeter handgun. He then shot her again in the back of the head. Herron shot the 15-year old son one time in the head and three more times in the chest and abdominal area with a 9-millimeter handgun.
Frazier and the co-defendant then took the pickup and fled the scene. The husband found the bodies of his wife and son when he arrived home from work. Frazier and Herron had earlier showed up at a home near the residence and inquired about work. During the visit, they spotted guns in the house and decided to return to steal them. They came back the next day when the people who lived there were gone, broke in, sat around drinking in the house and watched as the victim drove up to her place. Then they walked over and told her the story about their car breaking down. After the shooting, they used her truck to carry loot from the neighbor’s house, including some clothing Frazier was wearing when he was arrested in Victoria, about 30 miles to the north. The truck was found parked outside Frazier’s apartment and items taken from the burglary were recovered from his girlfriend. Frazier’s fingerprints were inside the truck.
Upon arrest, both Herron and Frazier admitted to the crimes in separate confessions. Frazier blamed the slayings on Herron. Herron, testifying at his own trial, blamed them on Frazier.
Frazier had an earlier conviction for aggravated assault for shooting a man and a juvenile conviction for robbery. When he was arrested for the killings, he had assault charges pending against him. In May 2006, Jermaine Herron was executed by the State of Texas for these crimes.
Interviews: Frazier gave a television interview in April 2006, when a previous execution date was approaching. In the interview, Frazier said that he felt no remorse for the victims. “Driving down the highway,” he said, “you see a raccoon on the side of the road. It just got run over by a truck. Do you have any remorse? You didn’t even know that raccoon, did you?”
Frazier blamed a coerced confession for convincing a jury to convict him of capital murder and the decision that he should be put to death. “I wasn’t there. I did not commit the crime,” Frazier, also known by his Muslim name, Hasan al-Shakur, said last week from death row.
But Michael Sheppard, the Refugio County district attorney who prosecuted Frazier and Herron, said Frazier was “cool as a cucumber” as he talked about the June 26, 1997, slayings. “There are videotapes,” Sheppard said of Frazier’s discussions with detectives following his arrest. “He’s sitting on a couch, drinking a Coke. “In his confession he talked about details only someone in the house would know, where the bodies were, how many bullets were in them, where they were shot.
Last words and such: “I am innocent. An innocent man is being put to death. I’ve professed my innocence for nine years and I will continue to profess my innocence for another nine years,” Frazier said. He repeatedly told the woman he married by proxy that he loved her.
“Tell my people we must continue on. Do not give up the fight. Do not give up hope. We can make it happen,” he said. After again expressing love to the woman, who was sobbing as she watched through a window a few feet away, he told her: “Stay strong, Baby. I love you forever.” He was urging her to smile as the lethal drugs began taking effect.
“He deserved just what he got, only a lot worse,” Jerry Nutt, who lost his wife and only child in the killings, said after watching Frazier die. He also witnessed Herron’s execution. “I just wish I could have done it myself,” he said. “I’d kind of liked to have been the one to push the button. “I know that sounds pretty cold, but when you lose someone like I’ve lost, my wife and son, and you hear animals like that, playing the system, getting a stay, cruel and unusual punishment is us waiting on justice.”
Factoids: Frazier was the....
41st murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1045th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
20th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
375th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Frazier was the 20th Texas prisoner executed this year, one more than all of last year in the nation’s most active death penalty state. At least seven other executions are scheduled for the remainder of year.
OKLAHOMA LAST MEAL
JAMES MALICOAT
August 31, 2006
...baby killer....
Last Meal: Malicot had a final meal request of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, biscuits, Dr Pepper and an apple pie.
The skinny: Malicoat, 31, was executed for the beating death of his 13-month old daughter.
More skinny: Malicoat was alone at home with his 13-month old daughter while her mother was at work. He had lived with the girl and her mother for 19 days, worked nights and cared for the child during the day. During that time she suffered abdominal bleeding, broken ribs, bite marks and extensive bruising.
According to the medical examiner s report, the baby died from two subdural hematomas and abdominal bleeding caused by injuries Malicoat inflicted. Malicoat admitted hitting her head on a dresser a few days before she died and punching her twice in the stomach the day she died, causing her to stop breathing.
Malicoat used CPR to revive her before lying down beside her to take a nap. When he awoke, Malicoat noticed she was dead. He put her in her crib and covered her with a blanket before going back to sleep. When Leadford s mother returned from work, the couple rushed the child to the emergency room, but staff there determined she had been dead for several hours. Mary Leadford was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in jail for not protecting her child from the abuse of which she was keenly aware. A Grady County jury took only half an hour to decide the father s fate.
Last words and such: When the curtains to the execution chamber were lifted, Malicoat — strapped to a gurney and wearing glasses — turned his head to the witness room, smiled and gave a small wave. Shortly before his execution, Malicoat apologized for the murder. “I just want everybody to know how sorry I am this thing had to happen; any of it,” he said. “I am sorry I caused the death of another human being. There is nothing I can do to change it. Contrary to what some people believe I spent many years going over it in my head. It’s never left me. I hope someday people involved in it will move on.” He thanked his witnesses for supporting him, then said, “That’s just about it.”
“He died within a few seconds of injection,” said Grady County District Attorney Bret Burns, who helped prosecute Malicoat and attended the execution. “You can’t say that for his victim. (She) took 19 days to die.” Burns said he respected Malicoat for offering remorse, but that Malicoat needed to be executed for his crime.
No members of the baby’s family attended the execution, nor did Malicoat’s adoptive mother.
Factoids: Malicoat was the....
40th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1044th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Oklahoma in 2006
83rd murderer executed in Oklahoma since 1976
Outside the prison gates, a prayer vigil was held for the girl’s family and Malicoat. Bryan Brooks, the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Muskogee, said 10 similar vigils were being held at places across the state, including the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City. “For us as Catholics, it’s part of our way of showing we believe in the dignity of all human life,” Brooks said. “We believe that all human life is sacred and that each and every person has dignity from the moment of conception until a natural death, both victims of violence and people executed because of those murders.”
OKLAHOMA LAST MEAL
ERIC ALLEN PATTON
August 29, 2006
...Patton said there were demonic forces present and the victim was a demon. A psychiatrist confirmed this version of events at trial. ...
Last Meal: Patton final meal request — a large pepperoni pizza with sausage and extra mushrooms and a large grape soda. The cost of the meal is limited to $15.
The skinny: Patton, 49, was executed for the 1994 robbery and murder of an Oklahoma City woman. Patton was condemned for stabbing the woman to death with several knives, a barbecue fork and a pair of scissors.
More skinny: At the time of the murder, Patton was employed as a brick mason. He left the job site to buy electrical boxes at a local hardware store. When he returned 4 hours later, he was wearing different clothes and did not have the electrical boxes. During that time, Patton went to the home of the victim and asked to borrow money. The woman had taken the day off from her job at Blue Cross and Blue Shield to go Christmas shopping. He then forced his way into the home, grabbed her by the throat and dragged her through the house looking for money and valuables. He took the woman to the bedroom and stabbed her numerous times. Then, he dragged her down the hallway into the kitchen, stabbing her several more times with a variety of knives and breaking several of them. Finally, he stabbed the victim in the chest with a pair of scissors.
Patton, who had done some painting for the couple, was arrested 13 days later when fingerprints he gave police matched those on a bloody barbecue fork found at the scene. Patton told police first denied but later admitted his involvement, stating that he was high on cocaine and saw himself at the murder scene and stabbing the woman, but he said there were demonic forces present and the victim was a demon. A psychiatrist confirmed this version of events at trial. The jury did not buy the story.
Patton was on a parole for a robbery in California at the time Kauer was killed in her home. He had a lengthy criminal record of burglaries and robberies in Oklahoma and California.
A new mix...During the execution, corrections officials used an altered drug recipe for the first time. The new system — in part a response to a challenge filed by Patton — was to deliver a larger dose of anesthesia before the fatal drugs were administered. Patton had argued that inmates might be subjected to pain during lethal injection. Although a federal judge rejected that argument this month, the Corrections Department revised its procedure. When the drugs began to flow, Patton exhaled deeply. His breathing stopped a few moments later.
Last words and such: While strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber, Patton thanked his family, his legal team, and prison officials. “I want to thank the guards here on death row who have been like family to me, and their lives have been a blessing to me. I’ve had a good life here on Earth. It’s been a blessing. It’s been a blast. I want to thank my savior Jesus Christ for all he’s done for me. I look forward to being with him now and for eternity.”
None of Patton’s or the victim’s relatives witnessed the execution.
Factoids: Patton was the....
39th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1043rd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Oklahoma in 2006
82nd murderer executed in Oklahoma since 1976
TEXAS LAST MEAL
JUSTIN CHAZ FULLER
August 24, 2006
...Fuller told police that he was urinating in the lake at the time of the shooting...Also, The case inspired the passage of a state law making it a crime to know about a body and remain silent about it.
Last Meal: Fuller had no final meal request.
The skinny: Fuller, 27, was executed for the abduction, robbery and fatal shooting of a Tyler man nine years ago.
More skinny: Fuller and the victim lived in the same apartment complex. Prosecutors said the robbery plot was hatched by the victim’s girlfriend, who believed that he had received $15,000 from a trust fund when he turned 21.
Fuller and three friends went to the man’s apartment to rob him. Fuller and his accomplices sprayed tear gas, then bound and blindfolded the college student and searched his apartment valuables. While one of the men removed property from the apartment, Fuller and the two other men then forced the victim into his vehicle and drove to an automatic teller machine where Fuller withdrew money from his account. The money was distributed between the three captors - eighty dollars apiece.
Fuller and his two accomplices then drove the man to a local park, forced him to his knees, and Fuller shot him three times with a .22 handgun while he was praying. The next day, Fuller took two friends from school to view the body and told them about the robbery and murder. Smith County deputies found the body four days after the murder.
Once in custody, Fuller gave a videotaped statement, confessing to the details of the offense, but denied being the triggerman. Fuller told police that he was urinating in the lake at the time of the shooting. Accomplices Samhermundre Wideman of Tyler and Elaine Hays of Red Springs receiced life sentences. Brent Bates Chandler accepted a 25-year sentence and testified against Fuller.
Love those high school students...Authorities said by then numerous people had gone to see the body, which became the subject of conversation at Chapel Hill High School near Tyler. A student at the school, which the victim, Fuller and two other people convicted in the slaying had attended, overheard some of the talk and called police. The case inspired the passage of a state law making it a crime to know about a body and remain silent about it.
Leading up to: Fuller said in a recent interview that he couldn’t express regrets about the killing. “If I have regrets, it means I done it.”
Last words and such: “I would like to tell my family thank you for your support and my friends. Let everyone know that you must stay strong for each other. Take care of yourselves.” He then told the warden standing next to him, “That’s it.” As the lethal drugs began to take effect, he looked at his parents watching through a window a few feet away and said, “I love you.” He did not acknowledge the victim’s family.
Factoids: Fuller was the...
38th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1042nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
19th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
374th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
At least seven Texas condemned prisoners have death dates through the end of the year. If all scheduled executions are carried out, the state will execute 27 people by the end of the year.
NORTH CAROLINA LAST MEAL
SAMUEL FLIPPEN
August 18, 2006
Last Meal: Flippen had a final meal request of popcorn shrimp, hush puppies, french fries and a Coke.
The skinny: Flippen, 36, was executed for the beating death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter.
More skinny: Flippen lived with his wife, and her two-year-old daughter. When the wife left for work, Flippen and the little girl were alone. A call was placed to 911 by Flippen approximately 50 minutes later. Flippen stated that the child likely had fallen out of her chair and was having trouble breathing.
When EMS arrived they found the girl gasping for breath and nearly blue from lack of oxygen. She was pronounced dead nearly 30 minutes later. An autopsy revealed that she died from a fatal blow or blows to the abdomen that cut her pancreas in half against her spine and tore her liver. The injuries she sustained did not indicate a fall, but rather a homicide. It is believed that Flippen started beating his stepdaughter because she would not stop crying. Flippen never publicly admitted to the killing.
After finding Flippen guilty, the jury recommended a death sentence. The state Supreme Court overturned that sentence and ordered a second jury to consider Flippen’s lack of previous criminal convictions. In 1997, the second jury also recommended a death sentence.
Legal Machinations: Hours earlier, a flurry of last-minute court fights ended when state judges and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected arguments to stop the execution. Flippen’s request that his execution be delayed unless 45 family members can witness the event was denied. Gov. Mike Easley declined to grant clemency. A former prosecutor and attorney general, Easley has granted clemency only twice during his two terms in office.
Last words and such: Flippen did not make a final statement. He locked eyes with his parents, smiled and mouthed “I love you.”
The victim’s mother witnessed her former husband’s execution. She said in a written statement that there was no such thing as closure but she would try to move on.
Factoids: Flippen was the...
37th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1041st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in North Carolina in 2006
43rd murderer executed in North Carolina since 1976
The execution brought out Flippen’s family and friends, who stood on one side of the street outside Central Prison with death penalty opponents, and relatives of the victim, who stood on the other side. The two groups did not exchange words. “We came tonight to make sure that everyone knows (the girl) is the victim here. Sammy chose to do what he did,” Ben Streett, the girl’s uncle, said as he stood on a street corner blocked by about a dozen prison guards. “He took from our family a precious, precious child.”
Four death penalty opponents were arrested for crossing a police line onto prison property.
There are now 168 people on the state’s death row.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
RICHARD HINOJOSA
AUGUST 17, 2006
...Big Red! We love Big Red!...
Last Meal: Hinojosa has a final meal request of a chef salad with ranch dressing, 12 pieces of fried chicken, five jalapeno nachos with chili cheese, four fried eggs over easy, French fries, onion rings, six Cokes, 6 Big Reds, and ketchup.
The skinny: Hinojosa was executed for the abduction, rape and fatal stabbing of a woman more than 12 years ago.
More skinny: Hinojosa broke into the home of his next-door neighbor after cutting her telephone wires. Once inside, he was confronted by the woman and engaged in a violent struggle. Eventually, he forced the woman into her vehicle and took her to a secluded area known for illegal trash dumping. Once there, Hinojosa raped her and fatally stabbed her 11 times in the back and chest. Hinojosa dumped the nude body in a field and covered her with grass.
Hinojosa was linked to the crime through both fingerprint and DNA evidence. Hinjosa was previously convicted of manslaughter in 1986 and released after serving 2 years.
DNA identified Hinojosa as the only one of nearly 20 million people who fit a profile of sperm taken from Wright. The former custodian at a club at San Antonio’s old Brooks Air Force Base said his sex with the victim was consensual. The same argument was raised at his trial.
Last words and such: Thunder boomed, lightning crackled and rain pounded on the prison roof as Hinojosa expressed love for his family and asked his victim’s family to find peace in their heart. “I am going to be free. I am going to heaven,’’ Hinojosa said from the death chamber gurney. “I pray for you. Please find peace in your heart,’’ he said looking at the parents, a brother and two aunts of his victim. “I know you may hate me for whatever reason. The Lord says hate no one. I hope you find peace in your heart. I know my words cannot help you. I truly mean what I say.’’
He indicated to the prison warden that he had finished his statement, telling him, “Kick the tires and light the fire. I’m going home to see my son and my mom.’’ He began chanting a prayer, repeatedly invoking Yahweh as the lethal drugs were being administered.
Eight minutes later he was pronounced dead.
Factoids: Hinojosa was the...
36th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1040th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
18th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
373rd murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Hinojosa’s execution was the 18th this year in Texas one short of last year’s total.
Two more executions are scheduled for this month and at least six other inmates have dates through the remainder of the year. If all are carried out, the total still would fall well short of the record 40 executions in Texas in 2000.
Hinojosa said he was part Cherokee and Choctaw, and his American Indian ancestry earned him the nickname “Hawkeye” on death row.
MONTANA LAST MEAL
DAVID THOMAS DAWSON
August 11, 2006
...our first Montana last meal...
Last Meal: Dawson had a final meal request of two double cheeseburgers, two large servings of French fries, a half a gallon of vanilla fudge ripple ice cream, and two bottles of Dr. Pepper.
The skinny: Dawson was executed for killing three members of a Billings family in 1986.
More skinny: Dawson was the first person executed in Montana since 1998.
The parents, along with their 11-year old and 15-year old daughter , checked into the Airport Metra Inn at Billings, preparing to move from the area to Atlanta, where the father was to begin a new job.
Dawson checked into the room next door and later forced his way in at gunppoint, forced the family into his room, then robbed them after binding them with tape and gagging them. The parents and the son were found 2 days later strangled to death with a telephone cord in the motel room. Only the family s teenaged daughter survived. She was rescued by Billings police officers, who arrested Dawson and found the bodies of her family. The girl survived the attack and testified at trial.
The Trial...Dawson did not take the stand during his trial. He did not mount much of a defense and nothing in his past or his demeanor, at trial or since, suggested Dawson was a violent man.
Several things made the case stand out. It was the first time local law enforcement encountered the extreme effects of methamphetamine use. Dawson, it turned out, was addicted to the drug, and he didn’t sleep from the time he abducted the the family until his arrest nearly 48 hours later.
Prosecutors never charged Dawson with a sex crime, but evidence suggested he may have planned to sexually abuse his victims. Sexual paraphernalia was found in Dawson’s duffel bag when he was arrested.
The Volunteer..Dawson, 48, is what death penalty expert David Baldus refers to as a volunteer, one of a small number of condemned inmates who willingly end court battles aimed at keeping them alive. Just 12 percent of those who ve been executed in the United States since 1976 have abandoned their appeals. The figure is as of April 1. Baldus, a law professor at the University of Iowa, cites three reasons inmates on death row might volunteer to die: despair, loss of interest in living, remorse.
Last Day...Prison officials said there should be little difference between Dawson s last day on Cell Block D and all the ones before it. Head count is set for 6 a.m.; breakfast served through a slot in the cell door within the hour; a shower or time alone in the prison day room, which is a place to punch bags or play games. He will be allowed to talk with other inmates as usual. Such communication often occurs through vents, Chladek said. Dawson speaks frequently with Ron Smith, also on death row, the prison official said. Dawson also watches television, works out and listens to music in a cell that Chladek describes as meticulously kept up.
Last words and such: When asked by Warden Mike Mahoney if he had any last words, Dawson gave a one-word reply: No. He was pronounced dead six minutes later.
Factoids: Dawson was the...
35th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1039th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Montana in 2006
3rd murderer executed in Montana since 1976
As a nearly full moon rose over the low hills surrounding the prison, and heat lightning struck in the darkening sky, members of the groups held a vigil on the windswept prairie. Two people who support the death penalty lingered nearby.
Four prisoners are on Death Row. All of them are convicted for complicated murders. Montana Legislature has drafted a very tight circumstances that you can have before you have a death penalty. Those circumstances are: killing a member of Montana Corrections (a parole officer or a guard); killing another person while awaiting sentencing for a first murder; killing more than one person; raping and killing someone; killing a kidnapping victim; or, torturing and killing someone.
OHIO LAST MEAL
DARRELL WAYNE “GATOR” FERGUSON
August 8, 2006
...See ya later, gator...
Last/Special Meal: For his last meal, Ferguson had three t-bone steaks cooked medium rare, two breaded chicken breasts with a side of ranch dressing, chocolate ice cream and Mountain Dew.
The skinny: Ferguson was executed for the Christmastime murders of three elderly, disabled Dayton residents in 2001.
More skinny: Following his conviction for burglary, Ferguson served time in a drug treatment program and received a 2-day pass on December 21, 2001. His murder spree began four days later on Christmas Day in Dayton when he attacked and killed a disabled relative with a kitchen knife. Ferguson stole two televisions and a radio that he sold to buy crack cocaine. The next day, Ferguson broke into the home of an elderly couple who were his former neighbors, attacked them with a kitchen knife, then beat and stomped them to death.
Ferguson waived his right to a jury, pled guilty to all charges, and waived his right to presentation of any mitigating evidence. A court-appointed clinical psychologist then conducted an evaluation of the defendant and deemed him competent of standing trial.
Young Ferguson...Ferguson, who grew up in Dayton, frequently wandered the streets and spent nights in warehouses and alleys. He said at age 9 he began huffing - inhaling chemical vapors to achieve a feeling of euphoria. He started drinking at 15 and using crack cocaine at 18.
A real fun guy...Ferguson called Satan his lord and said he enjoyed killing the three people, keeping his promise to show the family of his victims no remorse for stabbing and beating them and stomping on them with steel-toed boots.
Last words and such: “Mom, Dad, I love you both. I love you a lot. I wish you all the best.” Ferguson, who previously said he worshipped Satan, made a sign that some consider to be a symbol of the devil as he died. While he was on the lethal-injection table with his left arm extended palm up he extended his index and little fingers to make the sign and held that pose for several minutes before lapsing into unconsciousness.
Afterward, there was as little sympathy for Ferguson as he showed his victims, one of whom was on crutches, another had cancer, and a third was in a wheelchair.
Factoids: Ferguson was the...
34th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1038th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Ohio in 2006
23rd murderer executed in Ohio since 1976
Ferguson’s family will donate his body to Wright State University for biological study.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
WILLIAM E. WYATT JR.
August 3, 2006
Last Meal: Wyatt has no final meal request.
The skinny: Wyatt, a former county jail officer, was put to death for raping and smothering the 3-year-old son of his girlfriend.
More skinny: Wyatt lived at the home of his girlfriend and her 3-year old son. Wyatt babysat the boy after taking his girlfriend to work.
At about 6:07 p.m., Texarkana police received a 9-1-1 call from Wyatt, asking for an ambulance for an accidental drowning victim. When emergency personnel arrived, the boy had no pulse and was not breathing. He was then taken immediately to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. The medical examiner concluded that the boy was smothered to death. In a statement to authorities, Wyatt stated that he sexually assaulted the boy. Then, believing that the child had placed something in a light socket, he whipped him with a belt. When he began screaming, Wyatt placed a plastic bag over the child s face until he stopped screaming.
Authorities determined the boy had been sexually assaulted, both in the past and just before he died.
Wyatt says: Wyatt, 41, said he might have been irresponsible in leaving the little boy alone to drown in the bathtub of his Texarkana home 9 years ago, but didn’t kill the toddler.
Wyatt contended his statements to police were coerced.
Wyatt, a Detroit native, was known to his fellow death row inmates as “Motown.”
Last words and such: In a brief final statement, Wyatt Jr. thanked relatives for their support. “I went home to be with my father, and I went home as a trooper,’’ he told them. Then he addressed his victim’s father and grandmother, who watched through a window a few feet from him. “I did not murder your son,’’ Wyatt said. “I did not do it. I just want you to know that. I did not murder Damien, and I would ask for all of your forgiveness, and I will see all of you soon.’’
Factoids: Wyatt was the...
33rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1037th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
17th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
372nd murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Texas has nine executions scheduled for the rest of 2006, with three of those set for August.
july, 2006
VIRGINIA LAST MEAL
MICHAEL LENZ
July 27, 2006
...the three inmates practiced an ancient Norse religion called Asatru...
Last Meal: Lenz had no final meal request.
The skinny: Lenz was executed for killing another inmate.
More skinny: Lenz was serving a 29-year sentence for burglary and weapon possession. The victim, a fellow inmate was a convicted murderer serving a 50-year sentence. Along with 3 other inmates, they held a meeting of the Ironwood Kindred, a group practicing the Asatru religion, a faith based on worship of Nordic Gods.
The guard assigned to watch the group was stationed outside the meeting room. Lenz read poetry and afterward called the victim to a pagan altar set up for the gathering. He confronted the man about their longstanding friction and pulled out a knife. Three other inmates ran out of the room saying, They re stabbing him. The guard immediately entered the room to see Michael Lenz and Jeffrey Remington stabbing the victim. He died as a result of 68 stab wounds.
Both Lenz and Remington were sentenced to death after separate trials. Remington committed suicide while incarcerated in 2004. Lenz testified that he killed the victim for religious reasons. The man had been opposed to Lenz forming the Ironwood Kindred. Lenz stated that the reason that he attacked the victim the way that he did was because he had threatened to kill him twice before and that the fight broke out mutually. Jeffrey Remington had jumped in the fight unprovoked.
The reason why...Remington said in a 2001 interview that he killed the man because he was “disrespecting the gods” and because of a history of friction between them. Lenz said the man blasphemed by “saying that he was teaching Asatru but what he was teaching was not Asatru.”
About Asatru...Asatru has been gaining popularity among inmates, say religious leaders and prison experts who believe its roots in Viking mythology attract prisoners seeking power, protection and unity. The gang culture in prison also contributes, said theologian Britt Minshall, a former police officer and Baltimore pastor who ministers to inmates. Some white inmates who felt threatened by black prison gangs formed their own gangs and sought out a belief system they felt would provide additional security, he said. “It’s a way of grouping together for safety,” he said. “And you have to have a god in the middle of that to really keep you safe.”
Asatru is often referred to as Odinism, although some followers believe the two are separate religions. It is a polytheistic, pre-Christian faith native to Scandinavia whose adherents worship gods including Thor and Odin. It emphasizes a connection with one’s ancestors and values honor, loyalty, generosity and truth. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people in the United States consider themselves Asatruars or Odinists, said Stephen McNallen, director of the Asatru Folk Assembly, a leading Asatru group. No national statistics are kept on how many inmates follow Asatru. But experts say its popularity enjoyed a boost from the Supreme Court, which last year sided with an Asatru inmate by upholding a federal law requiring state prisons to accommodate prisoners’ religious affiliations. Asatru is often associated with white supremacy, although most Asatru leaders bristle at suggestions of such a relationship. A 1999 FBI report on domestic terrorism described Odinism as a “white supremacist ideology that lends itself to violence.” “What makes Odinists dangerous is the fact that many believe in the necessity of becoming martyrs for their cause,”
“It’s a theology that celebrates raw physical power and domination, and that is why I think it is so popular among prison inmates. The kind of inmate who might be attracted to this is a white man who is looking for justification for extreme violence, who is looking for an ideology which explains why he should be the boss.”
The appeals: Attorneys for Lenz had argued that their client’s right to a fair and impartial jury was violated because jurors consulted a Bible while considering whether Lenz should be sentenced to death. At least one juror recalled that the Bible passages referred to by the jury indicated death is the appropriate punishment for murder, the appeal said. However, during an evidentiary hearing, the jurors said the Bible did not influence them, and appeals courts had rejected the contention that it violated Lenz’s rights.
Last words and such: Lenz gave no last statement.
Factoids: Lenz was the...
32nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1036th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Virginia in 2006
97th murderer executed in Virginia since 1976
In a field outside the prison last night, four death-penalty opponents held a vigil. They carried candles, and just before 9 p.m., they began ringing a bell that they had brought. They rang it 97 times, once for each person who has been executed in the state since the death penalty resumed.
Including Lenz, Virginia has executed 333 inmates since 1908.
VIRGINIA LAST MEAL
BRANDON HEDRICK
July 20, 2006
...executed in Virginia’s electric chair ...
Last Meal: Hedrick had a final meal request of pizza with cheese, sausage and hamburger; french fries with ketchup; bacon; chocolate cake; and apple pie.
The skinny: Hedrick was executed in Virginia’s electric chair last night for the slaying of a 23-year-old woman.
More skinny: While walking down the street at 1 a.m. in an area where prostitutes gathered, the 23-year old victim was abducted by Hedrick and Trevor Jones. Reportedly, the two were drinking bourbon and ingesting marijuana and crack cocaine.
The woman was robbed, put in Jones’ truck and driven around before she was raped and then shot to death at short range with a shotgun. Her face no longer recognizable, her head wrapped in duct tape and her hands shackled, the woman was later found in the river. Upon arrest, Hedrick confessed to pulling the trigger. Accomplice Jones was sentenced to life in prison.
The Chair: Hedrick was the first person electrocuted in the United States in more than two years, and the first in three years in Virginia.
Only four of 72 Virginia killers have chosen the chair since Jan. 1, 1995, when they were given the option of injection.
The electrocution for the murder the mother of a 5-year-old boy and slain on Mother’s Day — was performed without complication.
Hedrick may have chosen electrocution because of concerns about pain accompanying lethal injection.
The Chair Procedure: Shortly before 9 p.m., Hedrick, his head freshly shaved, was led into the execution chamber. He appeared calm, wearing dark-blue prison pants with the right leg cut off at the knee and a light-blue shirt with the sleeves cut off. He was ushered into the electric chair and a half-dozen execution team members secured him stiffly upright with leather and nylon straps on his limbs and torso before asking if he had any last words.
A metal device holding a sea sponge soaked in brine was then attached to his right calf, and a wide strap with a hole for his nose but covering his eyes and mouth secured his head to the chair. A metal cap holding another brine-soaked sponge was strapped on the top of his head. Power cables were then connected to the head and leg.
A prison official turned a key on the wall activating the system and an execution team member viewing the chair through a one-way window pressed the execution button.
It was about 9:02 p.m. when Hedrick’s body jumped up straight, straining against the straps, his fists clenched. A small amount of smoke briefly rose from his leg. His body briefly relaxed between the two 90-second cycles of electricity. Each cycle starts with about 1,800 volts at 7.5 amps for 30 seconds and then 60 seconds of about 240 volts at 1.5 amps. His body jumped and leg smoked at the start of the second cycle. After five minutes, a physician entered, put a stethoscope to Hedrick’s chest and pronounced him dead.
Last words and such: Asked if he would like to make a last statement, Hedrick said: “I pray for everybody that believes in Jesus Christ in heaven, and I pray for the people that are unsaved that they will accept Christ because they know not what they do and will accept Christ one day. I am ready to go and be free.”
Factoids: Hedrick was the...
31st murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1035th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Virginia in 2006
96th murderer executed in Virginia since 1976
About eight protesters gathered outside the correctional center before the execution. Many were with Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Katie Norberg said she had been a pen pal of Hedrick for more than six years, since she had been a student at Alexandria’s West Potomac High School. “I really believe he is a good person. Nothing malicious about him,” she said.
Virginia is one of 10 states that allows electrocution and it is required in Nebraska. As in many of those states, however, the electric chair has fallen largely into disuse. In 1995, the state passed a law allowing death-row inmates the option of choosing lethal injection. The chair was rewired in 1991 after a series of botched electrocutions in Virginia and other states in the 1980s.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
ROBERT JAMES ANDERSON
July 20, 2006
Last Meal: Anderson had a final meal request of lasagna, mashed potatoes with gravy, beets, green beans, fried okra, two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream, a fruit pie, tea and lemonade.
The skinny: Anderson, 40, a child sex offender, was executed for abducting and killing a 5-year-old girl in Amarillo 14 years ago.
More skinny: One afternoon, the five-year old girl went outside to play. As she returned home past Anderson’s home, he abducted her and took her inside, where he attempted to rape her, then choked, stabbed, beat and drowned her. He then stuffed her body into a large foam cooler, pushed the cooler along the street in a grocery cart and dumped it in a trash bin, where it was discovered.
Upon arrest, Anderson gave a complete confession.
The trial: An Amarillo jury took less than 15 minutes to return a guilty verdict and less than 30 minutes to determine Anderson should die. “By far, it was absolutely the worst thing a little girl could ever go through,” Chuck Slaughter, the Potter County assistant district attorney who prosecuted Anderson, said this week. “If there’s anybody out there who deserves the punishment he received from a jury, it would be Robert Anderson.”
Priors: Anderson had a history of sexual offenses involving children that dated to his teen years in Tulsa, Okla., and said he’d been in and out of centers to deal with his obsession with young girls.
“My whole life is a regret,” he said, adding that he looked forward to dying. “I should have been in prison when I was 15.”
No appeals: Anderson acknowledged the horrific slaying of the girl and asked that no new appeals be filed to try to block his execution.
Last words and such: “I am sorry for the pain I have caused you,” Anderson told the grandmother of his victim. “I have regretted this for a long time. I am sorry.” “Anderson also apologized to his family. As the lethal drugs began taking effect, Anderson muttered a prayer. Eight minutes later he was pronounced dead.
Factoids: Anderson was the....
30th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1034th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
16th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
371st murderer executed in Texas since 1976
In 1998, Anderson survived an attack by a fellow death row inmate who stabbed him 67 times with a shank. Anderson said the attack was the result of race-related prison gang extortion efforts and not related to his crime.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
MAURICEO MASHAWN BROWN
July 19, 2006
...strapping on the feed bag...
Last Meal: Brown had a final meal request of fifteen enchiladas heavy with cheese and onions, onion rings or fries, eight pieces fried chicken and eight pieces bbq chicken, eight whole peppers, ten hard shell tacos with plenty of meat, cheese, onions and sause, four double meat-double cheese-double bacon burgers, a boneless T-bone steak with A1 Steak Sauce and a pan of peach cobbler.
The skinny: Brown, 31, a San Antonio gang member, was executed for the shooting death of a man during a robbery attempt in the driveway of his victim’s home.
More skinny: On an August evening, Kenneth Foster, Mauriceo Brown, DeWayne Dillard, and Julius Steen embarked on a series of armed robberies around San Antonio, Texas, beginning with Brown s announcing he had a gun and asking whether the others wanted to rob people: I have the strap, do you all want to jack?
The next day, Brown and his accomplices followed a car to the residence of the victim, looking to carjack the vehicle. Brown ran up to the man, who was standing near his vehicle. A woman who was with the victim heard Brown demand the man s wallet, money and keys; she saw Brown point a gun at the victim’s face for about two minutes before firing. The woman gave police a description of the assailants. Police arrested the men shortly thereafter.
Brown s three accomplices gave written statements to police identifying Brown as the person who fatally shot the man. Brown admitted in his statement to police and at trial that he fired the fatal shot. At trial, Brown testified that he approached the man to obtain the woman’s telephone number and only drew his weapon when he saw what appeared to be a gun on the victim. Foster and Brown were tried jointly for capital murder committed in the course of a robbery and they both were sentenced to death.
The early morning attack capped a spree by the street gang members who called themselves the Hoover 94 Crips. At least four other people were robbed that night. “They were out pretty much on a rampage, stoned to the bone, victimizing people,” said Jack McGinnis, one of the prosecutors in the cases against Brown and Foster.
Recant: Brown had been recanting his confession, saying his accomplices threatened his family if he didn’t take the fall for the slaying. “That claim is preposterous,” said Mike Ramos, who was a Bexar County assistant district attorney in 1997 and also prosecuted Brown and Foster. “He has absolutely no credibility. Any court could see he has zip.”
Leading up to: A brother said earlier Wednesday that Brown seemed calm and almost upbeat, having found refuge in religion. A month ago, Brown had himself re-baptized a Catholic. He had been reading the Bible daily. “He feels like everything happens for a reason, and he was given this opportunity to get his life right with God,” Leslie Brown said.
Last words and such: With two brothers of his victim watching nearby through a window, Mauriceo Brown final words were...”To the victim’s family, I am sorry you lost a brother, loved one and friend. I apologize that you lost a loved one this way. To my family, I love you all. Keep your heads up and know I will be in a better place. God bless you all. OK, Warden.”
As the drugs took effect, Brown’s mother wailed and then collapsed to the floor in tears, proclaiming he was innocent. “He was not guilty, God Jesus, no,” screamed Cynthia Lucky after the drugs took effect and Brown lost consciousness. “They didn’t care. They didn’t care.”
Factoids...Brown was the....
29th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1033rd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
15th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
370th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
SOUTH CAROLINA LAST MEAL
WILLIAM DOWNS, JR.
July 14, 2006
Last Meal: Downs was served his last meal early Friday afternoon: Salted cashew nuts, instant french roast coffee, chocolate chip cookie dough, moose tracks ice cream and three Mr. Goodbar candy bars.
The skinny: William Junior Downs was put to death by lethal injection for the 1999 kidnapping, rape and murder of a 6-year-old boy.
More skinny: The six-year old victim went bike riding while his mother cooked dinner inside her apartment. He never returned home.
His body was found the next day just outside the park after a massive search.
William Downs had only been in Augusta for three months, having moved from Albany, Ga., when he learned he had a son in the area. He crossed the 13th Street bridge into North Augusta one day and saw the victim riding a bike along a dirt path. He stopped the boy and asked his name before throwing the boy to the ground and raping and strangling him. Downs confessed and pled guilty, telling the Judge he deserved to die for his crime. “I think it would be disrespectful to the family and disrespectful to the whole world if you did not give me the death penalty.”
Downs also pleaded guilty in 2005 to kidnapping, raping and killing a 10-year-old boy in Augusta in 1991. That boy was missing before his body was found, and officials originally thought he had accidentally drowned. As part of a plea deal, and since he was already condemned to die in South Carolina, Downs agreed to be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, plus 10 years. In both cases, authorities said Downs sexually assaulted the victims after they were dead.
No legal machinations: Downs did not pursue any appeals.
Last words and such: Downs made no final statement and kept his eyes trained on the ceiling,
Factoids: Downs was the...
28th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1032nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in South Carolina in 2006
36th murderer executed in South Carolina since 1976
Nine people protested outside Friday’s execution, including Rose-Louise Terry of Great Britain, whose husband, Gary Dubose Terry, is on death row in South Carolina. “(Capital punishment) doesn’t bring the victim back, and revenge is only sweet for a short time,” Ms. Terry said.
This spring, the South Carolina Legislature passed a law allowing the death penalty for criminals who are convicted twice of sexually assaulting children younger than 11.
OHIO LAST MEAL
ROCKY BARTON
July 12, 2006
...the couple had just married two years earlier while Barton was in prison for the attempted murder of his ex-wife in Kentucky...
Last Meal: Barton requested a special meal of pork chops, gravy, hash browns, biscuits, fried eggs over easy, cherry pie and Pepsi. Barton ate all of his specially-requested meal, except for the cherry pie which he saved for breakfast. Barton awoke at 4:47 a.m., showered, got dressed and ate a regular prison breakfast of two hard boiled eggs, Cream of Wheat, grapefruit, toast and orange juice...and the pie.
The skinny: Barton was executed for fatally shooting his wife because she wanted to leave him.
More skinny: Barton murdered his fourth wife at their home in Waynesville after they had gotten in a domestic dispute that morning. He called and threatened her several times the day of the killing before persuading her to come to the house to get her belongings. When she arrived, he appeared and shot her once in the shoulder and then again in the back at close range. His uncle and the woman’s 17-year old daughter witnessed the shooting.
He then turned the gun on himself, blowing out most of his teeth and requiring four surgeries to insert pins, wires and screws to hold his eyes in their sockets and the cadaver s jaw to replace his shattered one.
Barton has a history of arrests for burglary, assault, drug and DUI charges and violence against women. He beat one of his ex-wives with a shotgun, stabbed her three times, cut her throat and left her for dead, but she survived. The victim had known Barton for many years, but the couple had just married two years earlier while Barton was in prison for the attempted murder of his ex-wife in Kentucky.
Last words and such: Barton, 49, said he deserved execution and gave up his appeals that could have delayed his sentence for years.
“I m sorry for what I done. I m sorry for killing your mama. I m not asking you to forgive me. Not a day goes by that I m not trying to forgive myself. Don’t let your anger and hate for me destroy your lives.” He also apologized to his parents for the “embarrassment and shame” brought on the family, then stated, “As Gary Gilmore said, Let s do it. “
Gilmore, who was convicted in Utah of shooting two people, said the same thing before he became the first person put to death after a 1976 Supreme Court ruling that the death penalty was legal. He was executed Jan. 17, 1977, by firing squad.
The Process...It was a successful first test of lethal injection guidelines adopted after the last execution was plagued with problems. Two injection sites were established on Rocky Barton — one as a backup in case something went wrong with a vein — and the whole process went smoothly, prisons Director Terry Collins said.
The state’s lethal injection protocol was changed after Joseph Clark’s execution in May, which was held up 90 minutes when prison staff struggled to find a useable vein and one they used collapsed. The state now requires staff to make every effort to find two injection sites and use a low-pressure saline drip to make sure the veins stay open once entryways are inserted. The execution team appeared more relaxed and less hurried after the new guidelines advised staff against feeling pressured to follow what had become an artificial, self-imposed timeframe to complete an execution quickly, Collins said. “I think that was the biggest thing,” Collins said. “I noticed a different relaxation.” Barton also was examined closely for any medical problems a day before his execution and again on Wednesday morning.
Factoids: Barton was the....
27th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1031st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Ohio in 2006
22nd murderer executed in Ohio since 1976
TEXAS LAST MEAL
SEAN DERRICK O’BRIEN
July 11, 2006
...another bad one....
Last Meal: O’Brien had no final meal request.
The skinny: O’Brien was executed for the torture, rape and strangling of two teenage Houston girls 13 years ago.
More skinny: O’Brien was one of six members of a fledgling street gang drinking beer after initiating a new gang member. The two victims were walking home from a friend’s house, taking a shortcut along some railroad tracks when they stumbled upon the group.
Evidence showed the girls were gang raped for more than an hour, then were kicked and beaten before being strangled. A red nylon belt was pulled so tight around one girl’s neck that the belt snapped. The belt was later recovered from O’Brien’s home. The bodies of the two teenage girls were found four days after they failed to return from a friend’s house. When the bodies were discovered, they were decomposing and mummifying in 100-degree heat.
A smiling O’Brien, then 18, was seen on a videotape of the crowd that gathered as investigators worked the scene of the grisly discovery. A tip from the brother of one of the gang members led police to the arrests in the killings that shocked even crime-hardened Houston.
O’Brien, who confessed to police, was one of six gang members convicted in the case and the first to be executed. The ninth-grade dropout, who had previous arrests for shoplifting a pistol, assault and auto theft, also was a suspect in a murder six months before the girls were killed but never was charged.
Two of the gang members, Efrain Perez and Raul Villarreal, had their death sentences commuted to life in prison when the Supreme Court last year barred executions for those who were 17 at the time of their crimes. Peter Cantu, described by authorities as ringleader of the gang, remains on death row without an execution date. Jose Medellin, who was condemned and who O’Brien said was at one end of the belt being pulled around the girl’s neck as he yanked on the other, had his case returned to the state courts under an order from President Bush. Medellin is among some 50 Mexican-born offenders who argue that under international law they should have been allowed assistance from the Mexican Consulate before trial. A sixth person convicted, Medellin’s brother, Vernancio, was 14 at the time and received a 40-year prison term.
Last words and such: “I am sorry. I have always been sorry,” O’Brien said, holding his head up and looking straight at relatives of his victims. “It is the worst mistake that I ever made in my whole life. Not because I am here but because of what I did and I hurt a lot of people, you and my family.” He repeated again and again that he was sorry.
Factoids: O’Brien was the...
26th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1030th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
14th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
369th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
june, 2006
TENNESSEE LAST MEAL
SEDLEY ALLEY
June 28, 2006
Last Meal: Alley had a final meal of pizza pockets, ice cream, iced oatmeal cookies and milk.
The skinny: Alley was executed for the rape and murder of a young female Marine who had been out jogging while undergoing aviation training near Memphis.
More skinny: Alley was a civilian married to a military person and was convicted in the abduction, beating, murder and mutilation of a 19-year old Lance Corporal, who was due to graduate from aviation school the next day.
Two marines jogging near where the woman was abducted heard a scream and ran toward the sound, seeing Alley’s car drive off. A few hours later, the body was found. Alley was arrested in his on-base housing and admitted to having killed the woman, claiming that he had gone out for more liquor when his car accidentally hit 19-year-old as she was jogging.
An autopsy revealed that her skull had been fractured with a screwdriver. A 31 inch tree limb had been rammed into her vagina so hard that it entered her abdomen and lacerated one of her lungs. Eventually Alley showed police the tree from which he took the limb.
Alley unsuccessfully tried to convince a jury at trial that he had multiple personality disorder.
Legal machinations: Alley s execution followed a burst of legal activity Tuesday and continued almost until the time Alley brought into the death chamber, at 1:46 a.m. A federal judge issued a stay of the execution around 11 p.m. Tuesday, just two hours before the execution had been scheduled to begin. The state attorney general s office fought back vigorously, describing the events around Judge Gil Merritt s last-minute stay as a highly irregularly and in brazen violation every rule that applies to this situation, and called his order unlawful.
Last words and such: Alley s two grown children were present at the execution. Before the drugs started to flow into his veins, Alley made a final statement in the death chamber in which he said that he loved them. “Yes, to my children. April, David, can you hear me? I love you. Stay strong.” Alley then thanked the prison chaplain and said, “I love you, David. I love you, April. Be good and stay together. Stay strong.”
I love you, Dad, it s OK, Alley s daughter, April McIntyre, was reported to have said.
Factoids: Alley was the...
25th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1029th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Tennesee in 2006
2nd murderer executed in Tennesee since 1976
Alley’s execution was only the second in Tennessee since 1960. Robert Glen Coe was executed in 2000 for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl.
After Alley’s execution, Tennessee now has 102 inmates on death row.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
ANGEL RESENDIZ
June 27, 2006
...The Railroad Killer...
Last Meal: No final meal request.
The skinny: Resendiz, the serial killer who claimed he was half-man, half-angel and could not be killed, was executed for the December 1998 murder of a physician.
More skinny: Eight days before Christmas in 1998, Resendiz sneaked into the upscale home of the victim in the Houston enclave of West University Place, just down the street from a railroad track. Resendiz attacked the sleeping woman, raping her, stabbing her 39 times with a butcher knife, and then beating her to death with a 2 foot tall bronze statue. Resendiz took the victim’s cash and fled the scene in the victim’s jeep. This murder is among eight in Texas linked to Resendiz, who became known as the “Railroad Killer.” Two were tied to him in Illinois and two in Florida, and one each in Kentucky, California and Georgia.
Resendiz’s killings began with a murder in San Antonio in 1986 and ended in June 1999 with a double slaying in Illinois. For a while, he was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list as authorities searched for a killer who slipped across the U.S. border and roamed the country by freight train.
Legal Machinations: The start of the execution was delayed almost two hours while the U.S. Supreme Court considered several last-day appeals. The court rejected the appeals at 7:25 p.m. Resendiz’s lead appeals attorney, Jack Zimmermann, had argued that he couldn’t be executed because he didn’t believe he could die.
The court also rejected an appeal by the Houston-based consul general of Mexico questioning Resendiz’s competency and challenging the constitutionality of the lethal injection process as cruel and unusual punishment. Capital punishment is not practiced in Mexico.
Leading up to: As the hour of the planned execution approached, Maturino Resendiz, who claimed he was an avenging angel and that he could not be killed, visited with his 7-year-old daughter and his mother.
Opponents of the death penalty came to the Huntsville Walls Unit on Tuesday evening to protest the execution of Angel Maturino Resendiz, but they were practically outnumbered by the amount of media from around the state covering the controversial case.
Last words and such: As execution witnesses members of his family and those of four of his victims filled the tiny chambers set aside for them, the killer nodded toward them and apologized for his crimes. “I want to ask if it is in your heart to forgive me,” Maturino Resendiz said in a quiet voice. “You don’t have to. I know I allowed the devil to rule my life. I just ask you to forgive me and ask the Lord to forgive me for allowing the devil to deceive me. “I thank God for having patience with me. I don’t deserve to cause you pain. You did not deserve this. I deserve what I am getting.” Before drawing his final breath, the killer, who claimed to be Jewish, prayed in Hebrew and Spanish.
The victim’s husband speaks: George Benton, husband of the doctor who was repeatedly stabbed and bludgeoned, lashed out at the killer, the Mexican government, which had supported his appeals, and opponents of the death penalty.
Maturino Resendiz...”looked like a man ... and walked like a man. But what lived within that skin was not a human being.” Benton said that every Mexican citizen should “feel denigrated” by their government’s effort to save the killer’s life, and accused death penalty opponents of failing to comprehend the nature of evil. They could not, he said, understand the pain of telling one’s children their mother had been murdered. [The vicitm] was compassionate, her husband said, and would have aided Maturino Resendiz with food, money or advice had he simply knocked on her door and asked. The Mexican government, which opposes capital punishment, was “especially cynical” in urging that Maturino Resendiz be imprisoned for life rather than be executed. The killer, Benton said, was a “diseased human.”
Factoids: Resendiz was the....
24th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1028th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
13th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
368th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
TEXAS LAST MEAL
LAMONT REESE
June 20. 2006
... Yeah, I got my eat on. ...
Last Meal: Reese had a final meal request of Beef or Chicken Fajitas w/cheese and & sour cream with jalapenos, beef and cheese enchiladas w/jalapenos and salsa, bacon cheeseburger with the works & jalapenos (small combination), pizza with jalapenos & everything, chicken salad w/ranch dressing & jalapenos, soft beef taco’s & salsa, fried chicken w/ketchup & hot sauce.
The skinny: Reese, 28, an admitted drug dealer, was executed for a shooting spree that left three men dead and two others wounded outside a Fort Worth convenience store.
More skinny: Reese’s 18-year-old girlfriend walked out of the convenience store about four miles southeast of downtown Fort Worth and drew the attention of several men who were drinking and playing dice outside the place. Reese became angry with the men flirting with his girlfriend.
The couple left, met up with three others, including a pair of juveniles, and armed themselves with handguns and assault rifles. With the girlfriend driving and accompanied also by her 2-year-old son, she dropped off the four near the store.
The gunmen then sprayed the scene with bullets. the girlfriend drove back around, retrieved her friends and they all sped off. A witness told police that Reese was bragging about the killings. That led to the arrests of Reese and his companions. Detectives found ammunition in Reese’s car that matched bullets found at the shooting scene. The girlfriend is serving a life prison term on a capital murder conviction. The three others, including the two juveniles who were charged as adults, agreed to plea bargains and are serving sentences ranging from 35 to 50 years.
Legal Machinations: Reese’s lawyers went to the federal courts to try to block the punishment, citing among their claims a U.S. Supreme Court ruling a week ago that condemned prisoners can file special appeals challenging the lethal injection method under a federal civil rights law after exhausting regular appeals. The high court, however, said inmates would not always be entitled to delays in their executions. In Reese’s case, the justices rejected his appeals about 20 minutes before he was scheduled to be taken to the death chamber.
Last words and such: Reese had to be carried into the death chamber.
Brenda Reese asked her son through the window if he enjoyed his final meal, which consisted of fajitas, enchiladas, a burger, pizza, tacos and fried chicken.
Yeah, he replied to her. I got my eat on.
“I want everyone to know I did not walk to this because this is straight-up murder. I am not going to play a part in my own murder. No one should have to do that.” He expressed love to his mother and to relatives of the murder victims as they watched from separate windows nearby. “I do not know all of your names and I don’t know how you feel about me. And whether you believe it or not, I did not kill them.” He said that he was at peace and he wanted them to be at peace. “You have to move past it. It is time to move on.” He said he was glad that the execution was occurring and that his time on death row was not “10 or 20 years.” As the drugs began taking effect, he said, “This is some nasty.” Then he gasped.
At that moment, his mother, Brenda Reese, began pounding with her fists on the chamber window and began screaming repeatedly, “They killed my baby.” She kicked two holes in the death chamber wall and eventually was removed from the chamber. She sobbed loudly as she walked from the prison and nearly collapsed as she reached the prison administration building across the street.
Factoids: Reese was the...
23rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2006
1027th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
12th murderer executed in Texas in 2006
367th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Scheduled to die next in Texas is serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, a former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive, set for lethal injection June 27 for the fatal stabbing of Houston-area physician Claudia Benton in December 1998. Benton is among at least 15 victims police in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Illinois have linked to Resendiz, who became known as the “Railroad Killer” because many of the attacks were near railroad tracks and because he was known to hop on freight trains to travel around the United States.
TEXAS LAST MEAL
TIMOTHY TYLER TITSWORTH
June 6, 2006
...06-06-06...
Last Meal: Titsworth had a final meal request of beef fajitas with japalenos, rib eye steak with baked potato, beef enchiladas with cheese, six mountain dews.
The skinny: Titsworth, 34, was executed for the 1993 ax murder of his girlfriend in Amarillo.
More skinny: At the age of 20, Titsworth was convicted of car theft and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He spent two months in a “boot camp” and was released early.
Three months later, he shared a trailer with his girlfriend. According to a confession later given by Titsworth, he and the woman had argued, she went to sleep, and he went out to buy crack cocaine and a pill he believed was LSD. When he returned to the trailer, Titsworth got an axe from a closet and blacked out, although he said he did remember hitting his girlfriend four or five times. Her body was later discovered in the trailer with 16 axe wounds.
A friend of the woman testified at trial that the victim told her the day before she was killed that she intended to ask Titsworth to leave because she believed her boyfriend had been stealing from her. After the attack, Titsworth took her car along with items from the trailer home that he sold to buy more crack cocaine. Over the two days following the murder, Titsworth and other crack addicts returned to the home to take more items to sell.
Escape: While awaiting trial, Titsworth was among four inmates who escaped by crawling through ductwork. He was captured about 12 hours later.
His youth: His mother testified at his 1993 trial she was a bartender with a drinking problem, that her son began drinking beer about the age of 2 and that his father committed suicide when Titsworth was 6. Wyoming authorities took him and an older brother from her custody when Titsworth was 8 and placed the siblings in an orphanage for a year. He had his first run-in with the criminal justice system at 13, she said.
Last words and such: Strapped to the death chamber gurney, Titsworth offered a heart-felt apology to the family of his victim. There are no words to describe the pain and suffering that you have gone through all these years. That is something that I cannot take back from you all. I hope that Megan, if she is here present today, know that today I hope you get peace and you. I am sorry that is has taken 14 years to get closure. If it would have brought closure or brought her back, I would have done this years ago, I promise, I promise. My family all knows the sincerity in my heart when I say these words to you. I didn t mean to inflict the pain and suffering on your family. I pray that (Christine) is safe in Heaven.... If these words can ever touch your heart, I am sorry. I am truly sorry. After saying, I love you, several times to his friends and family, Titsworth stared at the ceiling as the lethal chemicals entered his system. Here we go, he said, as he took his final breath.
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