EXECUTION #23

William Mark Mize
Executed April 29, 2009 07:28 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Georgia
23rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1159th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Georgia in 2009
45th murderer executed in Georgia since 1976
Summary:
Mize was the leader of a small white supremicist group. Eddie Tucker had applied for admission into the group and went driving with several members one evening. Mize suggested they burn down a "crack house," and directed Tucker and another man to start a fire with lighter fluid. The attempt was unsuccessful. Mize then drove to a wooded area, where he Hattrup, and Tucker walked in front of the group into the woods. Three shots rang out and only Mize and Hattrup emerged. Mize later admitted to friends that he and Hattrup had shot Tucker with a shotgun. Hattrup and another member pleaded guilty and now are serving life sentences in prison.
Final Meal:
Steak, fried chicken breast, baked potato, salad, garlic bread, a pint of butter pecan ice cream, half a pecan pie and soda.
Final Words:
Mize, in his final statement to a room of about 25 witnesses, accused the Oconee County Sheriff's Office of setting him up. He said Hattrup tried to take responsibility "but the courts have never heard him. I saw my friend killed by another friend. I'm here because of a travesty of justice. It's on their hands, not mine. I'm ready."
The Execution
The 52-year-old inmate was pronounced dead at 7:28 p.m. by authorities.

EXECUTION #22

Jimmy Lee Dill
Executed April 16, 2009 06:16 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Alabama
22nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1158th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Alabama in 2009
41st murderer executed in Alabama since 1976
Summary:
Leon Shaw was assigned to a federal work-release facility in Birmingham on a drug conviction. During a drug transaction in a car, Shaw was shot in the back of the head by Dill with a .22-caliber handgun and lingered unconscious until his death nine months later.
Final/Special Meal:
Fried chicken, fried okra, a biscuit and a root beer.
Final Words:
"I just hope God's will be done and everybody finds the peace they need. I'm good."
The Execution
When the curtain opened to the execution room, Dill looked through large, brown-rimmed eyeglasses and waved at his two nieces in the witness room. He then turned his head to acknowledge the victim's wife and son in a separate room. Dill prayed with a chaplain who knelt beside him in his final minutes. Dill left a check for $1.26 to sister-in-law Carolyn Dill. He was pronounced dead at 6:16pm.

EXECUTION #21

Michael F. Rosales
Executed April 15, 2009 06:17 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
21st murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1157th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
13th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
436th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Rosales was in the process of committing burglary of an apartment near where he was staying when he was confronted by the owner, 68 year old Mary Felder. Rosales grabbed a kitchen knife from the victim's kitchen, stabbed her 137 times, and struck her with a hard object resulting in her death. After confessing, Rosales led police to a dumpster where he disposed of the murder weapons. There, police found a white plastic trash bag containing a bloody pair of needle-nose pliers, a bloody steak knife with a 4 ½ inch blade, and a bloody two-pronged kitchen fork.
Final/Special Meal:
Beef enchiladas, fried chicken, a double bacon cheeseburger and a vanilla cake.
Final Words:
"I love you," he told witnesses, who included three of his brothers standing a few feet away and watching through a window. "May the Lord be with you. Peace. I'm done."
The Execution
The lethal injection was then started. Eight minutes later, he was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m.

EXECUTION #20

Luis Cervantes Salazar
Executed March 11, 2009 06:20 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
20th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1156th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
12th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
435th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Salazar entered Martha Sanchez’s home through a window, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and entered Sanchez’s bedroom, where he began stabbing the woman in the chest. Sanchez’s son, 10-year-old Erick, woke up to his mother's scream and went into his mother's bedroom, where he saw Salazar stabbing her. When Erick attempted to grab the knife, Salazar stabbed the boy in the chest. Sanchez ran to get help from a neighbor. Salazar later called 9-1-1 to turn himself into police, and confessed to the crime. The medical examiner testified that Sanchez suffered physical injuries that indicated an attempted sexual assault. In testimony at his trial, Salazar did not deny stabbing Sanchez and her son, but that he felt good during acts of violence and that he had dreamed of killing people.
Final/Special Meal:
A cheeseburger, a meat pizza, four slices of ham or bologna, chicken, three pieces of fried fish with lemons, french fries with no skin, a cup of extra olives and pickles and orange or grape juice.
Final Words:
Salazar expressed love to friends and relatives, asked for forgiveness and laughed several times from the death chamber gurney. "My heart is going ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump," Salazar said, adding a "Hah, hah!" He never acknowledged the crime, however, or addressed the mother, son, two sisters and brother of his victim who watched through a window. After reciting the Lord's Prayer and in the midst of a confession asking for forgiveness for the "sins that I can remember," the lethal drugs took effect. Nine minutes later he was pronounced dead.
The Execution
With his last statement completed, the lethal injection was started. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m.

EXECUTION #19

Robert L. Newland
Executed March 10, 2008 07:35 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Georgia
19th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1155th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Georgia in 2009
44th murderer executed in Georgia since 1976
Summary:
Newland lived with his girlfriend, across the street from the victim, 27 year old Carol Beatty. After a night of drinking, Newland appeared at Beatty's home and asked her to come outside. Beatty came out and petitioner attempted to kiss her. She refused, and told him to go home. When he again attempted to kiss her, she scratched and slapped him. Newland then drew a knife and slashed her neck and stabbed her repeatedly. In the hospital, shortly before her death, Beatty identified Newland as her attacker. Upon arrest, Newland gave a complete confession.
Final Meal:
Newland declined a special last-meal request. Instead, he was served the regular meal tray, which consisted of chicken and rice, carrots, collard greens, rolls, bread putting and iced tea.
Final Words:
Newland expressed remorse for killing his "good friend." "I'm sorry this happened. I wish I could go back to that day. I have no grudges against anybody. I still don't remember what happened, but what happened happened." A few minutes after his final statement, he continued talking again after the death chamber's microphone had been turned off. But his words were only heard by the warden, security officers and medical staffers behind the soundproof glass window.
The Execution
He was the first person executed in Georgia this year. The injection was administered at 7:20 p.m. and he was pronounced dead at 7:35.

EXECUTION #18

James Edward Martinez
Executed March 10, 2009 06:17 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
18th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1154th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
11th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
434th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Martinez and Sandra Walton had dated briefly and during the relationship he loaned her $1,000. When they broke up, he demanded repayment quickly. Walton gave him a promissory note, but told friends Martinez continued to harass and threaten her. Walton filed numerous police reports against Martinez but was unable to get a protective order. Walton was shot at least nine times as she returned home from a late-night fast-food run. Michael Humphreys, from Arlington, was hit eight times. At the shooting scene, authorities found 27 shell casings from a high-powered Austrian-made military-type rifle. On the night of the murders, Martinez called Casey Ashford, a long-time friend, several times. Martinez drove to the farm where Ashford was staying to deliver a black canvas bag for Ashford to keep. Ashford looked in the bag and saw the rifle later determined to be the murder weapon, among other items. He buried the bag, but later disclosed its location to police. Inside a storage bin Martinez rented, detectives found more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, bomb-making components, pistols, illegal knives, illegally modified firearms and books on killing techniques and body disposal.
Final/Special Meal:
Three chili cheese hot dogs with extra cheese on the side, fried okra with ketchup on the side, french fries with ketchup on the side and vanilla coke or regular coke.
Final Words:
Martinez told his mother and sister, who were watching through a nearby window, that he loved them and thanked them for everything they had done for him. “I hope y’all can move on after this. I’ll be fine. I’m fine.” Martinez told them all again that he loved them and added, “Take care, OK?” He then told the warden he had nothing else to say.
The Execution
As the drugs began taking effect, his mother was overcome with emotion, sobbing and scratching at the glass that separated them. “James don’t leave me, you can’t die. Don’t leave me,” she cried. Officers brought a wheelchair into the room and removed her and her daughter before Martinez was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. CDT, nine minutes after the lethal drugs began.

EXECUTION #17 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!)

Kenneth Wayne Morris
Executed March 3, 2009 06:16 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
17th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1153rd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
10th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
433rd murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Summary:
Morris and two accomplices broke into the home of James Moody Adams who got up from bed to confront the intruders. After handing over $1,800, Morris shot Adams for no apparent reason, then fled. Adams wife hid in the closet during the ordeal and was unharmed. A fingerprint was recovered from the scene and matched to Christopher Montez, who was arrested and confessed, implicating Morris. When Morris was arrested he also confessed. Eight days after the murder, he committed a car jacking, for which he received a 30-year sentence. From death row, Morris said that he and his friends broke into the wrong house. Accomplice Orlena Ayers was convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and sentenced to life in prison. Accomplice Montez, who is Ayers' cousin, received an 85-year sentence.
Final/Special Meal:
Fried chicken, fried okra, white cake with lemon icing and lemonade. (Executed on his birthday)
Final Words:
"I'm sorry for all the pain I might have caused you and your family. I carry nothing but love in my heart. I pray one day y'all can forgive me." Morris then looked toward two female friends and expressed his love to them, saying "I'm ready to go home." Then he grinned and mouthed a kiss to the women, saying: "I'll always be with you." As the drugs began taking effect, Morris turned again toward the victim's relatives and said, "I really am sorry."
The Execution
Morris was executed on his Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

EXECUTION #16

Willie Earl Pondexter

Executed March 3, 2009 06:18 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
16th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1152nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
9th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
432nd murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Pondexter and accomplices Ricky Bell, Deon Williams, and James Henderson met together and discussed robbing Martha Lennox, a wealthy 84-year-old woman in Clarksville. They parked a few blocks away. On their first attempt to enter the house, they saw a patrolling police car. The men ran back to their car, but later returned to Lennox's house. After Pondexter kicked in the front door, all four of them went inside and went upstairs to Lennox's bedroom. The victim was there, sitting on her bed. Williams then took $7 from the victim's coin purse. Lennox was then shot twice in the head with a 9 mm pistol. The intruders then fled in the victim's car. Pondexter and his companions drove Lennox's car to Dallas, using the money they stole to buy gas. The day after the murder, they were arrested after attempting to rob a man on the street. At Pondexter's trial, Deon Williams testified that Henderson shot Lennox in the head first, then handed the gun to Pondexter. Pondexter then shot Lennox in the head and said, "that's how you smoke a bitch." James Lee Henderson was also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. He remains on death row.
Final/Special Meal:
Two fried chicken legs, two fried chicken thighs, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, peach cobbler and lemonade.
Final Words:
"Well, first I want to say. They may execute me but they can't punish me because they can't execute an innocent man. I am not mad. Jack Herrington, I am not mad. You were given a job to do but that's neither here nor there. I am not mad. I am disappointed by the courts. I feel like I was upset and let down by them. But that's O.K. I just played the hand that life dealt me. Look at my life and learn from it. I am very remorseful about what I did. I apologize. To my kids, Daddy loves you. Irene Wilcox, Thank you. It's been a long journey. Thank you for being there. Tell Jack hello. I know I am wrong but I am asking ya'll to forgive me."
The Execution
He looked toward the district attorney who prosecuted him and a distant cousin of his victim and said, “I know I’m wrong asking you to forgive me.” Before he could say anything else, the lethal drugs took effect. At 6:18 p.m., nine minutes after the lethal drugs began, he was pronounced dead.

EXECUTION #15

Luke A. Williams, lll
Executed February 20, 2009 6:13 p.m. by Lethal Injection in South Carolina
15th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1151st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in South Carolina in 2009
41st murderer executed in South Carolina since 1976
Summary:
The bodies of Williams' wife Linda, and their 12-year-old son, Shaun, were found in the family van just across the state line into South Carolina. The van had been driven into a tree in what appeared to be a botched attempt to stage an accident. The bodies had been doused in gasoline and set ablaze. Autopsies revealed that Linda had been beated to death and Shaun had been strangled to death. Months later, it was discovered that Williams had secretly insured his wife and child just weeks before their deaths. The combined payout from several policies was $525,000 and Mr. Williams was the sole beneficiary. Williams was unemployed had a history of living off insurance settlements for injuries and accidents. He was out of money and had filed for bankruptcy protection. A few days before her death, Linda had contacted United Way’s Help Line a few days before her death and was referred to a shelter for battered women. The shelter’s phone number, scrawled on a torn slip of paper, was still in her purse when her body was removed from the burned out van.
Final Meal:
Fried chicken, steak, baked potato with sour cream and butter, a tossed salad, cranberry sauce, peach cobbler, fried turkey and ketchup.
Final Words:
None.
The Execution
Williams lay motionless on the steel table in the death chamber. He was strapped to the table with his left arm stretched out to the side for the needles that carried the drugs into his body. The tubes carrying the drugs flinched slightly as the liquid began flowing at 6 p.m. Within seconds Williams eye lids lightly fluttered and lips parted slightly as he appeared to snore. By 6:02 p.m. his breathing appeared to stop. At 6:04 p.m. a prison official walked to the table for a closer look then walked back to the corner. A few minutes later the official checked again and summoned a doctor who check his pupils and heartbeat. The doctor nodded at the prison officials who then pronounced him dead at 6:13 p.m.

EXECUTION #14

Edward Nathaniel Bell
Executed February 19, 2009 9:11 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Virginia
14th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1150th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Virginia in 2009
103rd murderer executed in Virginia since 1976
Summary:
Winchester Police Officer Ricky Lee Timbrook was assisting probation officers in making home visits to individuals on probation or parole. They approached two men, Daniel Charles Spitler and Bell. Bell ran and was pursued by Timbrook. As Sergeant Timbrook started to climb a fence, he was shot once in the head with a .38 caliber handgun. The area was secured and Bell was discovered uninvited in the basement of a neighbor's home. A .38 caliber handgun was found under her porch the next day. Although Bell claimed not to have a weapon, another man testified that Bell tried to sell him a handgun on the night of the shooting. Timbrook had arrested Bell twice before. Bell had told others that he would like to see Timbrook dead.
Final/Special Meal:
Bell did not request a last meal and was served the same food as the rest of the inmates.
Final Words:
"To the Timbrook family, you definitely have the wrong person. The truth will come out one day. This here, killing me, there’s no justice about it.”
The Execution
Bell needed assistance coming into the execution chamber, Warder Traylor said. "He obviously could not come in under his own power."
He was strapped to a gurney, administered a sequence of three drugs and pronounced dead at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt at 9:11 p.m

EXECUTION #13

Johnny Ray Johnson
Executed February 12, 2009 06:19 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
13th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1149th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
8th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
431st murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Summary:
Johnson confessed that he offered to give Leah Smith some of his crack cocaine in exchange for sex. After Smith smoked the crack, she refused to have sex with Johnson. He became angry and grabbed her, ripped her clothes off, and threw her to the ground. When she fought back with a wooden board, Johnson repeatedly struck her head against the cement curb until she stopped fighting, and then raped her. During the punishment phase of his trial, the State introduced evidence, including Johnson’s oral and written confessions, revealing that Johnson raped and/or murdered numerous other women on several occasions in much the same manner.

Final/Special Meal:
Two chicken-fried steaks, 20 fried shrimp, four fried chicken breasts, four fried eggs without yolks, two biscuits with butter and honey, two large pieces of peanut brittle and 2 gallons of black coffee with cream and sugar on the side.
Final Words:
In a rambling final statement, Johnson denounced the Texas death penalty, calling Livingston’s Allan Polunsky Unit, home of the state’s death row, “a dungeon.” “Death row is full of isolated hearts and suppressed minds,” said Johnson as a small group of friends and relatives he asked to witness his death stifled sobs. “The Polunsky dungeon should be compared with the Death Row Community as existing not living. Why do I say this, the Death Row is full of isolated hearts and suppressed minds. We are filled with love looking for affection and a way to understand. I am a Death Row resident of the Polunsky dungeon. Why does my heart ache. We want pleasure love and satisfaction. It. The walls of darkness crushed in on me. Life without meaning is life without purpose. But the solace within the Polunsky dungeon, the unforgivesness within society, the church Pastors and Christians. It is terrifying. Does anyone care or who I am. Can you feel me people. The Polunsky dungeon is what I call the pit of hopelessness. The terrfying thing is the US is the only place, country that is the only civilized country that is free that says it will stop murder and enable justice. I ask each of you to lift up your voices to demand an end to the Death Penalty. If we live, we live to the Lord. If we die we die to the Lord. Christ rose again, in Jesus name. Bye Aunt Helen, Luise, Joanna and to all the rest of yall.
The Execution
You may proceed Warden." (began singing) The song ended as he lapsed into unconsciousness as the lethal drugs took effect. Johnson was declared dead at 6:19 p.m., eight minutes after the drugs began to flow.

EXECUTION #12

Danny Joe Bradley
Executed February 12, 2009 06:15 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Alabama
12th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1148th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Alabama in 2009
40th murderer executed in Alabama since 1976
Summary:
12 -year-old Rhonda Hardin and her younger brother, Bubba, were left in the care of their stepfather, Danny Joe Bradley. The mother of the children, Judy Bradley, had been hospitalized for more than one week. At approximately 8:00 p.m., Rhonda was watching television with Bubba and Bradley. Rhonda was lying on the couch and asked Bubba to wake her if she fell asleep so that she could move to the bedroom. When Bubba decided to go to bed, Bradley told him not to wake Rhonda but to leave her on the couch. Bradley also told Bubba to go to sleep in the room normally occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Bradley instead of his own bedroom. Bradley claimed that he had fallen asleep and that when he awoke, Rhonda was gone. Her body was found the next day in woods near Bradley's apartment. She had been raped, sodomized and strangled to death. When he discovered her "missing" Bradley went to his in-laws, then to the next door neighbor, before going to the hospital. He claimed to police that he had not left the house before discovering her missing, but was witnessed by a police officer near where the body was eventually discovered. Her brother later testified that Bradley had frequently rendered the children unconscious by squeezing their necks. Fiber evidence from Bradley's home and trunk was also consistent with clothing and bedding fibers from the victim.
Final/Special Meal:
Bradley had no final meal request. He had two fried egg sandwiches for breakfast and a snack during the day.
Final Words:
None.
The Execution
Bradley, 49, was given a lethal injection at 6:15 p.m. at Holman prison after spending 25 years on Alabama’s death row.

EXECUTION #11

Wayne Tomkins
Executed February 11, 2009 06:32 p.m. EST by Lethal Injection in Florida
11th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1147th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Florida in 2009
67th murderer executed in Florida since 1976

Summary:
In 1983, Tompkins lived with Barbara Wallace and her 15 year old daughter, Lisa Lea DeCarr. Tompkins was assisting Wallace's mother in packing to move and went home several times during the day to obtain newspapers to use in the packing. The defendant returned later in the day, after going home, and reported that Lisa Lea had run away, and he doubted she would ever return. In 1984, her decomposed body was found buried underneath the residence. She had been strangled. Two years later, Tompkins was behind bars on unrelated rape charges and told a jailhouse informant he strangled the girl with her bathrobe sash when she fought off his sexual advances. A friend of the victim came forward and stated that she went to he residence on the day of her disappearance and observed Tompkins on top of the victim, who was struggling and screaming for help.
Final / Special Meal:
He ate a last meal of fried chicken and banana split ice cream, using only the single spoon the state allows.
Final Words:
When asked whether he had a final statement, Tompkins said, "I am good."
The Execution
A brown curtain opened at 6:23 p.m., about 15 minutes later than planned. Witnesses saw Tompkins splayed out on a gurney with a white sheet pulled up to his chin. His tattooed left arm hung out, strapped to the gurney. He was hooked to IVs that would deliver three drugs. The first one would render him unconscious. The next one brings paralysis and stops all breathing. The final drug causes cardiac arrest. He lay perfectly still, except to adjust his chin a couple times. He looked up into a microphone that would broadcast his final statement. He could not see the witnesses and made no effort to look their way. They shifted in their seats and clasped their hands. Men in black-and-gray suits nervously tapped their shiny shoes on the white linoleum floor. An old wall-unit air conditioner strained overhead.
At 6:26 p.m., Tompkins' breathing calmed. The mouth movements stopped. His eyes closed.Three minutes later, Warden Cannon checked to make sure Tompkins was unconscious before ordering the release of the final two drugs. Cannon shook Tompkins and tapped his eyelids twice. Nothing. A couple minutes later, a man with a stethoscope emerged to check Tompkins' pulse. He checked again. He said something to Cannon, and left through the same curtain entrance. Cannon pronounced the execution complete at 6:32 p.m.

EXECUTION #10

Dale Scheanette
Executed February 10, 2009 06:21 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
10th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1146th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
7th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
430th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
On 17 September 1996, the body of Christine Vu, 26, was found lying face down in a half-filled bathtub in her Arlington apartment. Her hands, ankles, and neck were wrapped with duct tape. An autopsy showed that she had been raped, strangled, and drowned. A fingerprint was found in her apartment, and a DNA sample was collected during the autopsy, but this evidence did not lead to any suspects. On 24 December 1996, 20-year-old Wendie Prescott, who lived in the same apartment complex, was found lying face down in her bathtub. Her neck, wrists, and ankles were wrapped in duct tape and were all connected together with a band of duct tape down her back. An autopsy showed that she had been sexually assaulted and bound in this fashion prior to her death, which was caused by manual strangulation. Investigators recovered a high-quality fingerprint from a television stand in Prescott's apartment, and sperm samples were recovered, but no matches were returned from law enforcement data bases. The killings, which the media dubbed the work of the "Bathtub Killer", remained unsolved for years. In 2000, Arlington police resubmitted the fingerprint and sperm samples to the FBI, who found a conclusive match with Scheanette. After his arrest, Scheanette was also connected to the sexual assaults of four other women in their apartments the Dallas-Fort Worth area from September 1998 to October 1999. A jury convicted Scheanette of the capital murder of Wendie Prescott in January 2003 and sentenced him to death. Scheanette was charged with Vu's murder, but was not tried.
Final/Special Meal:
Two spicy fried leg quarters, french fries and ketchup and two spicy fried pork chops.
Final Words:
"My only statement is that no cases ever tried have been error-free. Those are my words. No cases are error-free." He did not acknowledge the six witnesses who attended on behalf of his victims.
The Execution
The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.

EXECUTION #9

David Martinez
Executed February 4, 2009 06:18 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
9th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1145th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
6th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
429th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Martinez lived with his firlfriend, Carolina Prado and her two children, 14 year old Erik and 10 year old Belinda. On July 10, 1994, Martinez beat Carolina to death with a baseball bat in her bed, and used the same bat on Erik in the living room. Belinda was left tied up but unharmed and had seen her brother beaten to death by Martinez. She escaped and returned with her Grandmother who discovered the bodies. Upon arrest, Martinez confessed to the murders, bragging that he had killed them like cockroaches. No apparent motive for the murders was revealed.
Final/Special Meal:
Declined.
Final Words:
"Nothing I can say can ever change the past. I hope one day you can find peace. I am sorry for all of the pain I have caused you for all those years. There is nothing else I can say that can help you." Martinez also expressed love to his family and apologized for making them grieve. "I am sorry to put you through this as well. I can't change the past. I hope you find peace and know that I love you. I am sorry. I am sorry and I can't change it. Keep on going and it will be OK. I'm sorry. I truly am."
The Execution
David Martinez was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m., about eight minutes after he was administered a lethal mix of drugs. Before succumbing to the lethal injection, Martinez shook his head vigorously back and forth.

EXECUTION #8

Steve Henley
Executed February4, 2009 1:31 a.m. CST by Electric Chair in Tennessee
8th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1144th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Tennesee in 2009
5th murderer executed in Tennesee since 1976
Summary:
Fred and Edna Stafford, an elderly couple, lived in Jackson County, just a short distance from the farm owned by Steve Henley’s family. On the day of the murders, Henley had visited his grandmother. Accomplice Terry Flatt was with him. According to Flatt, Henley commented that the Staffords had owed his grandparents some money, and he was going to stop and see about collecting some money off them.” Henley retrieved a .22 rifle with him, and filled a plastic jug with gasoline. He confronted the Staffords in the yard, and said “I want your money, if you don’t give it to me this man in the truck here, he’s going to kill me.” He then directed them to go to the house. Despite Mr. stafford offering to give Henley money, as they reached the porch Flatt saw Henley begin to shoot. He first shot Fred then turned and shot Edna a time or two. While she was laying on the floor moaning and groaning he threw the rifle to Flatt, took out his pistol and shot her again with the pistol. Both men pured gasoline, lit it, and fled. The bodies of the Staffords were found in the ashes. Flatt was given a reduced sentence for his testimony against Henley and served five years of a 25-year prison sentence.
Final / Special Meal:
A seafood plate of shrimp, fish, oysters, onion rings and hush puppies.
Final Words:
“As I have said ever since this happened, I didn’t kill them,” Henley said during his final words of his victims, Fred and Edna Stafford. “I hope they can rest easier after this procedure is done.”
The Execution
Henley was revealed to family members and media witnesses to the execution at 1:17 a.m., already strapped to the death gurney. When he heard the shouts and cries of his family, Henley lifted his head and smiled to them. Henley was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m. today in the Riverbend Maximum Security Institute’s death chamber. Henley was put to death using Tennessee’ controversial three-drug protocol for lethal injection.

EXECUTION #7

Ricardo Ortiz
Executed January 29, 2009 06:18 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
7th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1143rd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
5th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
428th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
On August 17, 1997, Gerardo Garcia died in the El Paso County Jail of a heroin overdose. The concentration of morphine in Garcia's blood was three times higher than the average. A pathologist testified that the absence of track marks meant that Garcia was not a heroin addict. At trial, two witnesses testified that the heroin overdose was involuntary, forced upon Garcia by Ortiz because Ortiz believed that Garcia had revealed Ortiz's role in some bank robberies. This section of the jail was known as the "Texas Syndicate tank" because it was set aside specifically to contain those associated with the Texas Syndicate. Ortiz was the "tank boss," meaning he exercised de facto authority over the other inmates in the tank.
Final/Special Meal:
None.
Final Words:
Ortiz expressed love for his family and thanked them for their support. "Stay strong," he said, although he had no friends or relatives in the death chamber. "I'm at peace. I love you and my kids. See you."
The Execution
Texas prison officials injected lethal drugs to execute Ortiz for the retaliation slaying.
Nine minutes later, at 6:18 p.m. CST, he was pronounced dead.

EXECUTION #6

Virgil Martinez
Executed January 28, 2009 06:50 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
6th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1142nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
427th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
27 year old Veronica Fuentes dated Virgil Martinez for a short while and then was victimized by his harassment. On October 1, 1996 Veronica was found shot to death in front of her trailer park home, with 14 bullet wounds. Also found in the front yard was 18 year old John Gomez with 7 bullet wounds. Inside, Veronica’s two children, Joshua (5) and Cassandra (3), were found in their beds, dead from gunshot wounds: Several close neighbors identified Martinez shooting Veronica and Gomez in the yard. Ballistics revealed all four victims were shot by the same gun that was never recovered. Gomez also identified "ex-boyfriend" as the shooter.
Final/Special Meal:
Two fried chicken breast, two pork chops, seven flour tortillas, avocados and french fries.
Final Words:
“I know what you’ve been told and that’s all a lie. John Gomez killed your kids and sister. I wish I would have shot him in the leg, then he would be here. Those investigators were just trying to convict somebody.” He was recalling the slaying scene when prison officials, who warn condemned inmates they will have only a couple of minutes for their final comments, began pumping in the lethal drugs. Nine minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

EXECUTION #5

Reginald Perkins
Executed January 22, 2009 06:24 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
5th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1141st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Texas in 2009
426th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
Perkins stepmother Gertie went missing from her home on December 4, 2000. Police found a small bloodstain on the carpet of her home and observed the line cord from the bedroom telephone was missing. On the day Gertie disappeared, her stepson used his drivers license to sell her wedding ring at a pawn shop for $150. Two checks from the family business were also cashed - one for $600 and one for $700. Later that day, the police arrested Reginald. Reginald called his father, who said, "I sure hope you've got good news for me." Reginald answered, "I'm afraid not; she's dead." Perkins then directed his father and police to a parking garage, where they found Gertie's car parked. Her body was in the trunk. She had bruises on her head and mouth and had also been strangled with something thin and smooth. In 1980 in Ohio, Perkins pled guilty to the rape of a 12-year old girl, was sentenced to Life, but was paroled in 1986. Through trial, Perkins continued to announce his innocence of "ever hurting anybody." Since his conviction and sentence of death for the murder of Gertie Perkins, Perkins has been connected by DNA evidence to at least two other murders, and is suspected in a third.
Victims: Gertie Mae Perkins, 64
Paula Nelson, 21
Jenny Morman, 43
Terry Thomas
Hattie Wilson, 79
Shirley Douglas, 44
Final/Special Meal:
Final Words:
When the warden asked him if he wanted to make a statement, Perkins replied: "I already made my statement. Appreciate it. Love y'all. I can feel it going in." He then looked at Gertie's sister and told her he loved her, then he lost consciousness.
The Execution
Perkins was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m., approximately eight minutes after he was administered a lethal injection.

Execution #4

Darwin Demond Brown
Executed January 22, 2009 06:11 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Oklahoma
4th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1140th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Oklahoma in 2009
89th murderer executed in Oklahoma since 1976
Summary:
Brown, 32, and three other men were convicted of killing store clerk Richard Yost during the February 1995 robbery of a QuikTrip store in Tulsa. Yost's bound and battered body was discovered by a customer in the store's walk-in refrigerator in a pool of blood, milk and beer. A store surveillance video and audio recording indicated that Yost was moaning and conscious when beaten with a metal baseball bat during a two-minute,11-second span. 54 “pings” were audible on the tape, reflecting the number of times Yost was struck with the bat. Accomplices Michael L. Wilson, 33, and Billy D. Alverson, 37, were also sentenced to death and are awaiting execution. A third defendant who was 17 at the time of the killing, Richard J. Harjo, now 30, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Final/Special Meal:
Barbecue ribs, chopped beef, hot links, baked beans, plain potato chips, coconut doughnuts and chocolate milk. (Inmates are limited to $15 for their last meals request. Food must be available in the McAlester area.)
Final Words:
“I apologize for anybody I hurt. I’m sorry to everybody. … I’d like to thank all of my family for the support that they’ve given me.”
The Execution
As he lay strapped to a metal gurney inside the execution chamber, Brown apologized to the family of his victim who were watching the execution from behind one-way glass.
As the drug cocktail began to flow at 6:05 p.m., Brown coughed and heaved against the leather straps holding him to the gurney. "That's my baby," Dunbar Brown said as his son stopped breathing and the color slowly drained from his face.
The murderer was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m.

Execution #3

Frank Moore
Executed January 21, 2009 06:21 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
3rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1139th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Texas in 2009
425th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Summary:
In the early morning of 21 January 1994, Moore, then 34, became involved in a confrontation with Samuel Boyd, 23, and Patrick Clark, 15, at the Wheels of Joy nightclub in San Antonio. After a shoving match, Boyd and Clark left the club, but later they returned in a car. Someone then handed Moore a .30-caliber rifle. Moore then fired six to ten shots into the car. Boyd died from a gunshot to the chest, and Clark died from a shot to the head. Moore then fled in his own car. Moore had been in and out of prison four times in the preceding seven years.
Final/Special Meal:
None.
Final Words:
“I would like to say that capital self-defense is not capital murder. To my wife and family, thank you for your support. I appreciate you and thank you.”Moore did not address relatives of his victims, who also watched through a window a few feet from him.
The Execution
Nine minutes after the lethal flow of drugs began, he was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m. CDT.

EXECUTION #2 2009

James Harvey Callahan
Executed January 15, 2009 06:24 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Alabama
2nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1138th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Alabama in 2009
39th murderer executed in Alabama since 1976

Summary:
Becky Howell was a 26 year old student at Jacksonville State University. On February 3, 1982, around 11:00 p.m., Becky Howell met her fiancé, Murray Knight, at the club where he was performing with his band. After visiting, Becky went across the street to the Norge Washerteria to do laundry. She was supposed to return to the club, but when Knight’s band finished playing at 1:30 a.m., she had still not returned. Knight became worried and went to the laundry to look for Howell. He found her car, her school books, her laundry, and her jacket, but he did not find her. Knight called the police. Two weeks after her disappearance, Becky Howell was found dead of asphyxiation in the Tallasseehatchee Creek in Calhoun County, Alabama—her hands were taped together; her belt was on upside down; and she was not wearing pantyhose, socks, or shoes. A vaginal swab revealed the presence of seminal fluid. A concerned citizen had been near the Washerteria the night of the incident and had witnessed a green Ford pickup, noting the license number after he saw a woman running from the truck. The license number and vehicle description was traced to James Callahan, who eventually gave several conflicting statements to police admitting everything except the murder. Callahan was on probation for Assault with Intent to Murder at the time of the Murder.
Final/Special Meal:
Two corn dogs, french fries and a Coke.
Final Words:
In his final moments, Callahan waved his left hand toward his son, Kevin Callahan, who was seated in a witness room, and asked him to take care of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "I love you. That's all I have to say." Callahan never looked toward the victim's family members who were seated in a separate viewing room, but told his son, "I have a lot of remorse that I can't be here for you."
The Execution
Shortly after 6 p.m. Chaplain Chris Summers knelt alongside Callahan, 62, who was strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber at Holman Correctional Facility near Atmore. Summers took Callahan's left hand in his own and said a short prayer. When the injection began, Callahan closed his eyes, pressed against the restraining straps, yawned, coughed and became still. He was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m.

EXECUTION #1 2009

Curtis Moore
Executed January 14, 2009 06:21 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
1st murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1137th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Texas in 2009
424th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Summary:
Moore was condemned for the fatal shootings of Roderick Moore, 24, who was not related to him, and LaTanya Boone, 21, both of Fort Worth. The two were found shot to death in a roadside ditch across from a Fort Worth elementary school in November 1995. That same night, firefighters summoned to put out a car fire found Darrel Hoyle, 21, of Fort Worth, and Henry Truevillian Jr., 20, of Forest Hill, shot and burned. Truevillian, robbed of $5, was dead. Hoyle, robbed of $150, survived and helped lead police to the arrest of Moore and his nephew, Anthony Moore, then 17. The victims were abducted after agreeing to meet with Curtis Moore, that culminated a drug ripoff. Moore doused Hoyle and Truevillian with gasoline and ignited them as they were bound and in the trunk of a car. Hoyle, who regained consciousness six days after he was attacked, gave information that led authorities to Moore’s nephew, who later pled guilty and was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment.
Final/Special Meal:
Declined.
Final Words:
In a brief, final statement, Moore thanked a woman who administers to the spiritual needs of death row inmates. “I want to thank you for all the beautiful years of friendship and ministry,” Moore told Irene Wilcox as she watched through a window a few feet from him. Moore never acknowledged a man who survived his attacks or five relatives of the three who died.
The Execution
Curtis Moore, 40, was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m, eight minutes after the drugs began flowing in a lethal injection.