List of people executed in Texas, 1982–1989
The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Texas between 1982 (when the state resumed executions) to 1989. All of the 33 people during this period were convicted of murder and have been executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas.[1][2]
Executions 1982–89
The number in the "#" column indicates the nth person executed since 1982 (when Texas resumed the death penalty). Thus, Charles Brooks, Jr. was not only the first person executed in the 1980 decade, he was also the first person executed since Texas resumed the death penalty.
| 1982 – 1 execution | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Executed person | Race | Age | Sex | Date of execution |
Victim(s) | The Crime | Governor |
| 1 | Charles Brooks, Jr. | Black | 40 | M | 07-Dec-1982 | David Gregory | Charles Brooks was shoplifting with some friends when his car broke down. He went to a car shop to test drive a new car but due to store policy mechanic David Gregory had to ride along with him. He kidnapped Gregory and took him to a hotel room where he was bound to a wall and shot in the head. | Bill Clements |
| 1984 – 3 executions | ||||||||
| 2 | James David Autry | White | 29 | M | 14-Mar-1984 | Shirley Droust and Joe Broussard | James Autry intended to rob the store Droust worked at. Autry purchased a beer and then shot Droust between the eyes. He was unable to get any money out of the cash register so instead stole a beer worth $3. He then proceed to shoot two witness between the eyes. Joe Broussard died instantly while the other customer suffered permanent brain damage. | Mark White |
| 3 | Ronald Clark O'Bryan | White | 39 | M | 31-Mar-1984 | Timothy O'Bryan | O'Bryan was struggling financially and was about to become bankrupt. He decided to fix this by taking out a big life insurance policy plan on his son and murdering him. On Halloween 1974 he poisoned his son's Pixy Stix along with five others, which he distributed among fellow trick or treaters in the hope of diverting suspicion. Thankfully none of the others ate the sticks. | |
| 4 | Thomas Andy Barefoot | White | 39 | M | 30-Oct-1984 | Harker Heights police officer Carl Irving LeVin | Thomas Barefoot had previously raped a three-year-old in New Mexico and was on the run. Officer Irving found Barefoot in Harker Heights and was shot by Barefoot in his attempt to make his arrest. | |
| 1985 – 6 executions | ||||||||
| 5 | Doyle Edward Skillern | White | 49 | M | 16-Jan-1985 | Patrick Randel | Patrick Randel was an undercover narcotics officer who was investigating Doyle Skillern for drug dealing. Randel arranged a deal between him and Skillern. Skillern told him to go a place where they could talk business. Randel was found shot to death a few hours later. | |
| 6 | Stephen Peter Morin | White | 34 | M | 13-Mar-1985 | Carrie Marie Smith, Janna Bruce, and Shiela Whalen | Stephen Morin raped and murdered three women in Texas. He was suspected in Carrie Smith's death but police couldn't prove it until his DNA was found on Jenna's Bruce's body. His modus operandi was raping and strangling women. | |
| 7 | Jesse De La Rosa | Hispanic | 24 | M | 15-May-1985 | Masaoud Ghazali | Jesse De La Rosa and a friend were robbing a 7/11 where Masaoud Ghazail was employed. De La Rosa ordered Ghazali into a walk-in freezer where he shot Ghazali twice, once in the back and once in the head. | |
| 8 | Charles Milton | Black | 34 | M | 25-Jun-1985 | Manaree Denton | Milton was planning on robbing a liquor store that Manaree Denton, and her husband Leonard, owned. He went into the shop and ordered them at gunpoint to clear out the register. Manaree and Leonard fought back and during the struggle both of them were shot. Leonard was shot non-fatally while Manaree was shot through the heart. | |
| 9 | Henry Martinez Porter | Hispanic | 43 | M | 09-Jul-1985 | Henry Mailloux | Porter had just robbed a local shop and was trying to make a getaway when officer Henry Mailloux pulled him over for speeding. Porter obeyed until he was told to step out of the car; he then fatally shot Mailloux. | |
| 10 | Charles Francis Rumbaugh | White | 28 | M | 11-Sep-1985 | Michael Fiorello | Charles Rumbaugh became the youngest death row inmate in America when he murdered Michael Fiorello. Rumbaugh was robbing the jewellery shop that Fiorello owned. During the robbery he shot Fiorello in the chest four times. | |
| 1986 – 10 executions | ||||||||
| 11 | Charles William Bass | White | 30 | M | 12-Mar-1986 | Charles Baker | Charles Bass had just robbed a local shop and was fleeing on foot when city Marshall Charles Baker caught him. The ensuring fight resulted in Bass shooting Baker to death. | |
| 12 | Jeffrey Allen Barney | White | 28 | M | 16-Apr-1986 | Ruby Mae Longsworth | Jeffrey Barney was employed at the local church by the victim's husband. One day Longsworth and Barney got into an argument where she called him a "bum". Infuriated, Barney proceeded to rape her before strangling her to death with a microphone chord. | |
| 13 | Jay Kelly Pinkerton | White | 24 | M | 15-May-1986 | Sarah Donn Lawrence | Jay Pinkerton broke into Sarah Lawrence's beauty parlor and ambushed her. He proceeded to rape her and then strangled her to death. | |
| 14 | Rudy Ramos Esquivel | Hispanic | 50 | M | 09-Jun-1986 | Timothy Heam | Rudy Esquivel was snorting cocaine and was employing two prostitutes when undercover narcotics cop Timothy Heam caught him in the act. Esquivel shot at Heam and his partner. Heam's partner was wounded while Heam was struck fatally in the head. | |
| 15 | Kenneth Albert Brock | White | 37 | M | 19-Jun-1986 | Michael Sedita | Kenneth Brock was robbing a 7/11 that Micheal Sedita managed. Brock took Sedita hostage and demanded more money. The police arrived and as they moved in Brock shot Sedita in the head three times. | |
| 16 | Randy Lynn Woolls | White | 36 | M | 20-Aug-1986 | Betty Stotts | Randy Woolls broke into the drive-in cinema ticket booth that Betty Stotts managed. He bludgeoned her with a shovel and raped her. He then lit her body on fire while she was still alive. | |
| 17 | Larry Smith | Black | 30 | M | 22-Aug-1986 | Mike Mason | Larry Smith intended to rob a local shop. At night he broke in while a clerk and night manager Mike Mason were still inside. He ordered Mason to give him all his money, which he did. He then ordered him to open the company safe, but Mason didn't know the combination. Smith became angered and shot Mason in the head while he was kneeling on the floor. | |
| 18 | Chester Lee Wicker | White | 37 | M | 26-Aug-1986 | Suzanne Knuth | Chester Wicker was driving along the coast when he spotted Suzanne Knuth, who was walking alone to her home. Chester grabbed her and attempted to rape her. After failing to rape her and worrying that he was going to be sent to jail, he knocked her out and buried her alive. | |
| 19 | Michael Wayne Evans | Black | 30 | M | 04-Dec-1986 | Elvira Guerrero | Michael Evans and his group ambushed Guerrero and her boyfriend in the parking lot of the local church. They robbed the couple and murdered Guerrero's boyfriend. Guerrero then forgave her attackers but Evans was annoyed by this and proceeded to gouge out her eyes. When her screams of pain annoyed him he beat her to death. | |
| 20 | Richard Andrade | Hispanic | 25 | M | 18-Dec-1986 | Cordelia Mae Guevara | Richard Andrade stayed in Guevara's nightclub after closing time and waited for her. When she was sweeping the floor he ambushed her and raped her. After he raped her he strangled her to death. | |
| 1987 – 6 executions | ||||||||
| 21 | Ramon Pedro Hernandez | Hispanic | 44 | M | 30-Jan-1987 | Oscar Frayre | Ramon Hernandez intended to rob a local gas station. While robbing the gas station Oscar Frayre, a gas station employee, was on duty. Hernandez asked him to empty the register. Oscar did so but was fatally shot in the head afterwards. | Bill Clements |
| 22 | Elisio Hernandez Moreno | Hispanic | 27 | M | 04-Mar-1987 | Russell Lynn Boyd | Elisio Moreno attempted to find the location of his ex-wife but his brother and his brother's wife refused, so he murdered them both. He then went on a rampage and killed officer Russell Boyd when he tried to pull him over. He later went on to also murder three elderly people. He was only charged with Boyd's murder. | |
| 23 | Anthony Charles Williams | Black | 27 | M | 28-May-1987 | Vickie Lynn Wright | Anthony Williams was a serial rapist. One day he kidnapped 13 year old Vickie Wright as she was walking home. He attempted to rape her but failed. In the end he beat her to death with a 2x4 board. | |
| 24 | Elliot Rod Johnson | Black | 38 | M | 24-Jun-1987 | Joseph Granado | Elliot Johnson and three accomplices intended to rob Joseph Granado's jewelry store. Johnson and his accomplices entered the store and ordered everyone on the floor. Johnson ordered Granado to hand over some of the protected jewellery but he refused. Johnson shot him five times in the head. | |
| 25 | John Russell Thompson | White | 32 | M | 08-Jul-1987 | Mary Knuepper | John Thompson planned on robbing Mary Knuepper's mini mart. He broke into the shop and demanded she hand over all her money. She obeyed John but he shot her in the neck in order to avoid going to jail for the robbery. | |
| 26 | Joseph Blaine Starvaggi | White | 34 | M | 10-Sep-1987 | John Denson | Joseph Starvaggi broke into the home of officer John Denson in order to steal Denson's collection of prized guns. Denson caught Starvaggi in the middle of stealing his guns. Starvaggi then shot Denson in the head execution style. | |
| 1988 – 3 executions | ||||||||
| 27 | Robert L. Streetman | White | 27 | M | 07-Jan-1988 | Christine Baker | Christine Baker was killed by a single shot to the back of her head, fired through the window of her home, while she was watching TV. Streetman was among four men who had planned to rob the house in the belief that a large amount of money was there. Trial testimony showed that the only item taken was Mrs. Baker's purse, containing $1. The four unknowingly missed $64,000 in cash and checks that was hidden. A month after Mrs. Baker's death her relatives accidentally found the money. | |
| 28 | Donald Gene Franklin | Black | 37 | M | 03-Nov-1988 | Mary Margaret Moran | Donald Franklin waited for a victim to rob in the Veteran's Hospital parking lot. Mary Moran was leaving the hospital after finishing her shift as a nurse when Donald Franklin attacked her in the parking lot and raped her. He then stabbed her to death and stole her car. Moran was found in a field five days later, naked and barely alive. But she had suffered irreversible shock and died the following morning. | |
| 29 | Raymond Landry, Sr. | Black | 39 | M | 13-Dec-1988 | Kosmas Prittis | Raymond Landry planned to rob Kosmas Prittis's restaurant. While Prittis and his family where closing up the restaurant Landry entered and ordered Prittis to give him all of their money. Raymond groped Prittis's wife and shot Prittis 6 times in the chest. | |
| 1989 – 4 executions | ||||||||
| 30 | Leon Rutherford King | Black | 44 | M | 22-Mar-1989 | Michael Underwood | Leon King abducted Michael Underwood and his girlfriend outside of a popular nightclub. King took $1000 from the couple and brutally raped Underwood's girlfriend. Underwood was beaten to death by King with the butt of a gun. | |
| 31 | Stephen A. McCoy | White | 40 | M | 24-May-1989 | Cynthia Johnson | Stephen McCoy was hired to help James Paster kill Robert Howard. After they killed Howard they all agreed to kill one person each to demonstrate their loyalty. Stephen showed his loyalty by raping Cynthia and then strangling her with a telephone cord. | |
| 32 | James Emery Paster | White | 44 | M | 20-Sep-1989 | Robert Howard | James Paster was hired by Robert Howard's estranged wife to murder him. She promised him $50,000 if he was successful. Paster hired Stephen McCoy to help with the crime. The men cut Howard's truck tire in the parking lot of the Legal Tender Club and waited for him to leave the club. On noticing the flat tire Howard opened the trunk to retrieve the jack, whereupon Paster crept behind Howard and shot him in the back of the head. | |
| 33 | Carlos DeLuna | Hispanic | 27 | M | 07-Dec-1989 | Wanda Lopez | Carlos DeLuna was planning to rob a deli shop where Wanda Lopez worked at. Lopez called 911 when she saw DeLuna outside the shop acting suspiciously. DeLuna then entered the shop and demanded that she give him all the money in the register. After she gave him the money he killed her with an 8" Buck Knife. | |
| Preceded by List of people executed in Texas, 1960–64 |
Lists of people executed in Texas | Succeeded by List of people executed in Texas, 1990–99 |
See also
References
- ^ a b List of Executed Offenders. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ a b The Espy File: 1608–2002. Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved 23 February 2009.