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Six killers were executed in the month of February 2000. They had
murdered at least 7 people.
Three killers were issued stays of execution.
They have murdered at least 5 people.
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 4, 2000 |
Alabama |
Hugh Kite, 63 |
Robert
Tarver Jr. |
stayed |
| Robert Lee Tarver Jr.,
convicted of robbing and killing a Cottonton store owner and stealing his
wallet. Robert Lee Tarver Jr. was convicted in the
Sept. 15, 1984 death of Hugh Kite. Hugh was apparently closing up his store,
Kite's Grocery and Bait Store located
on Alabama 165, for the night as Tarver robbed and fatally shot him. Hugh's
wife had called, asking him to bring a bag of ice home. While a 10-year-old
helper waited inside, Kite exited the store and went around the corner of the
building where he was shot three times with a .38-caliber revolver and robbed
of his cash. "That store was kind of a community center," said
Russell County District Attorney Kenneth Davis and chief prosecutor in the
Kite murder trial. "Mr. Kite's death cast a pall over that community. It
was frightening and disconcerting and had a chilling effect on everybody
there." Kite's Grocery and Bait Store also served,
in a sense, as a crossroads of country culture. Prior to Hugh's death, it was
a gathering place for the people of Cottonton, Jernigan, Pittsview, Glenville
and other remote places in the county. Kite also operated a post office
inside. Most everybody in the area knew him, including Tarver and Richardson.
During his 1985 Russell County trial, co-defendant Andrew Lee Richardson said
he was with Tarver on the night Kite was murdered. He said the 2 men were
drinking beer in Tarver's late 1970s Chevrolet Impala in a pasture near Kite's
store before Tarver, armed with a gun, got out of the car and walked toward
the store. Richardson said Tarver returned, gave him $80, and told him
"he had to kill" Kite. Richardson, who lived in nearby Glenville,
pleaded guilty to lesser charges of 1st-degree robbery and remains in
Alabama's Ventress Correctional Facility, serving a 25-year sentence. He is
eligible for parole in April 2001. Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell,
then a captain and chief investigator of the Kite murder, introduced the
physical evidence that contributed to Tarver's conviction. Mud from the
rain yielded footprints that Boswell tracked to the place where Richardson
would say the 2 men had parked prior to the murder. There, Boswell found tire
tracks leading away from the scene. He also found an empty beer can. After
receiving information on Tarver's possible involvement, he conducted tests
that matched the tire tracks near the crime scene with the tire treads on
Tarver's car parked at his home in nearby Pittsview. A fingerprint analysis of
the beer can found in the pasture revealed a print matching Tarver's. Boswell
also retrieved a pistol that a ballistics report linked to the murder.
Taking the stand in his own defense, Tarver, who was on parole for a previous
robbery conviction at the time of the shooting, said he was nowhere near
Kite's store the night of the murder and denied killing him. The jury was not
convinced. Finding him guilty, it recommended a life sentence without the
possibility of parole. Russell County Circuit Court Judge Wayne Johnson
overrode the recommendation, however, ordering Tarver put to death and setting
off a chain of appeals that has lasted 15 years. Tarver, now 52, has
maintained his innocence throughout. William Allen Motley, who operated
a small grocery store in Jernigan until a few years ago, said Hugh's murder
changed the way the community thought about country life. "I think it put
everybody around here on their P's and Q's," he said. "Especially
those who operated businesses. From that time on I made sure I was never alone
when I opened or closed my store." The U.S. Supreme Court late
Thursday granted a stay of execution to Tarver, based on his claim that death
by electrocution constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 10, 2000 |
Oklahoma |
Lula Mae Brooks, 80 |
Michael
Roberts |
executed |
| Michael Donald Roberts
was executed for the 1988 murder of Lula Mae Brooks, 80,
who drowned in her own blood after being stabbed in the head and neck and her
throat was slit. She was found dead on the living room floor of her
home. Roberts was condemned for the Jan. 16, 1988,
death of 80- year-old Lula Mae Brooks. The woman was killed during the
burglary of her home. Roberts lived three
houses down from Brooks and confessed to the killing in a statement to
Oklahoma City police. Roberts also admitted to 19 other burglaries.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson called Roberts a "walking crime
wave" who also confessed to a count of sexual assault.
"Roberts committed a cold- blooded murder on an 80-year- old
victim," Edmondson said. Roberts told police that he entered
Brooks' house after he saw the door open. He claimed he stabbed Brooks when
she charged at him with a knife. He said he slit her throat with another knife
when she came at him a second time. Roberts said he tossed Brooks on the
floor and she then asked him to "finish the job," authorities
said. Roberts recanted his confession during his trial and said he
confessed because detectives offered him a 15-year sentence to clear up the
killing and a string of robberies. Police denied the claim. Prosecutors
and police said Roberts killed Brooks to avoid arrest and prosecution because
Brooks could identify him. The U.S. Supreme Court, the 10th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals and Gov. Frank Keating all denied requests for a stay of
execution or to reconsider earlier appeal denials. The state Pardon and
Parole Board denied Roberts' clemency request. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 16, 2000 |
Arizona |
John Jamison |
Anthony
Chaney |
executed |
| Anthony Chaney and Deanna
Jo Saunders-Coleman were on the run from a string of burglaries in Texas and
Colorado. They burgled several homes in
other states before entering Arizona. At one home they found several guns
which they took. After leaving and driving some distance, Chaney decided to
re-burgle that home to make sure he did not miss any weapons. Chaney was
described as a "gun nut," who knew quite a bit about them. Robert Cline,
saw them and, because it was unusual to see people camping there, he decided
to investigate. As the deputy approached the campsite, he called in the
description of the vehicle and its plates. He drove up behind the pickup and
he exited his vehicle. He asked Chaney for identification, and Chaney said it
was in his truck and that he would retrieve it. Deputy Cline talked to Deanna
and suddenly Chaney was back with a gun pointed at the deputy's head. Deanna
took Deputy Cline's side arm. Chaney told Deanna to give him the AR-15 rifle
(the civilian version of the M-16). While Chaney was pointing the rifle at
Deputy Cline, he told him to kneel. Cline complied and, in fear of losing his
life, began talking to Chaney in hopes of avoiding death. He told Chaney about
his family and also that Chaney could handcuff him to a tree and thereby
escape. While this was going on, the dispatcher determined that the
pickup was stolen and tried to inform the deputy. When there was no answer,
the dispatcher called a second officer, John Jamison,
to investigate. Because the area is rural, there was some difficulty in
locating the first deputy's exact position. Chaney, who said he needed
"more control" of the situation, handcuffed Cline to the tree, told
Deanna to disable the two-way radio in Cline's vehicle, and took its keys.
Chaney and Deanna drove off. When he felt it was safe, Deputy Cline took out a
spare key and unhandcuffed himself and ran to the radio. John Jamison
was progressing slowly up the dirt road, checking areas along the way.
Suddenly he saw Chaney's vehicle. He called in and asked, "Black Ford
pickup?" Chaney stopped his vehicle, jumped out with the AR-15 in hand
and fired it while advancing on Deputy Jamison's
vehicle. Deputy Cline was talking with the dispatcher describing the
assailants when he heard the gunfire; he grabbed his shotgun and ran towards
the gunfire. John Jamison
threw himself to the seat to avoid the bullets as Chaney began firing. Over
thirty bullets were fired. Glass and other debris were flying around the
vehicle and over two hundred objects struck the deputy. One of the bullets
nearly severed his left arm. Finally, when Chaney was within nine feet of the
car and to its rear, Chaney fired again, leaving powder burns on the victim's
body. Chaney returned to the truck, and he told Deanna: "Murder
One" and "reload." As they were leaving, Deanna saw Deputy
try to drive
his car, but he could not. John Jamison,
who was a doctor and only a part-time deputy, was conscious for about thirty
minutes after the attack. When the medics arrived he told them: "I'm
dying, I'm dying" and "I can't breathe." Chaney saw two
boys in another pickup later in the same general area. He decided to take
their pickup because the police had a description of his. Deanna went to the
passenger window of the boys' pickup and began talking with them. Chaney came
up to the driver's side, pointed his gun at the driver and told the boys to
get out. They were told to kneel next to the truck. After transferring their
booty, Chaney told the boys to run. They did but dodged behind trees when they
could because both feared a bullet in the back. Before telling the boys to
run, Chaney told them that he had handcuffed one deputy to a tree and had shot
another. Chaney headed to Flagstaff to put gas in the pickup he had just
stolen. Within minutes the police were in contact with the boys and sent out a
description of the new vehicle. In Flagstaff the police spotted the vehicle
but hoped to allow Chaney to leave Flagstaff before attempting an arrest.
There were many police cars in the area and Chaney remarked that he was in
their midst and they did not realize it. Soon the police realized that
surprise was gone and they moved in. After arrest, Chaney asked how the deputy
was doing, to which the arresting officer said "shut up." Saunders-Coleman pled guilty to second-degree murder and received a 21-year
prison sentence. She testified against Chaney. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 23, 2000 |
Texas |
Carl Leevy |
Cornelius
Goss |
executed |
| Cornelius Goss was
sentenced to death in the May 1987 beating death of Carl Leevy in
Dallas. Evidence showed that Goss broke into Leevy's home through a
bedroom window and beat Leevy to death with a board. Goss then stole a
$10 gold piece, lady's bracelet, camera, necklace, Rolex watch and two men's
rings. Goss's fingerprints were found inside the home and he later
confessed to police. Goss had a previous conviction for burglary of a
building, receiving a 7 year sentence from which he was parole after serving
only 6 months. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
| February 23, 2000 |
Ohio |
Mary Jennifer Love, 6 |
Ralph
Lynch |
stayed |
| Jurors recommended that
Ralph L. Lynch receive the death penalty, saying they did not agree with
defense arguments that his childhood of sexual abuse mitigated the strangling
of his 6-year-old neighbor, Mary Jennifer Love. A jury of 7 men and 5
women recommended that Mr. Lynch be sentenced to death on each of the 3 counts
of aggravated murder during the sentencing phase of his capital murder
trial. Carol and Mark Williams, parents of the young girl killed by
Lynch in his apartment on June 24, 1998, said justice was served with the
death sentence. The couple clutched hands as the verdict was read.
"I heard exactly what I've been waiting 14 months to hear," said a
teary-eyed Mrs. Williams. She left the courtroom holding a photo button of her
daughter. In the photo, the young girl wears colorful beads on her braids.
"I'm extremely happy." Mrs. Williams said she plans to attend Lynch's execution and will be carrying a picture of the girl. "I
want him to see her face when he goes," she said. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 23, 2000 |
Florida |
George
Pfeil, 55 |
Terry Sims |
executed |
| Terry
Melvin Sims killed a Seminole County reserve deputy sheriff more than 20 years
ago. Sims was condemned to die for the slaying of Deputy George Pfeil,
55, at the Longwood Village Pharmacy on Dec. 29, 1977. Pfeil was in
uniform and on his way home when he entered the pharmacy on State Road 434 to
pick up a prescription. Inside, Sims and Curtis Baldree were robbing the store
while accomplices B.B. Halsell and Clarence Eugene Robinson waited in a
getaway car. Pfeil exchanged gunfire with Sims and was shot twice. He
died a short time later. Sims, who was shot in the hip, was not arrested until
June 1978, after an attempted armed robbery in California. Baldree and
Halsell testified against Sims during his 1979 trial and said he bragged that
he "killed a cop with one shot." Sims was convicted of 1st-degree
murder and robbery. Baldree and Halsell were both killed after being released
from 2-year prison terms. Robinson, who was indicted in absentia for
murder in the pharmacy shooting, remained at large until June 1983 when he
surrendered after being charged with shooting two FBI agents in Volusia
County. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
| February 24, 2000 |
Texas |
Kimberly Brewer
Jennifer Brewer, 6
Ollie Brewer, 3 |
Toronto
Patterson |
stayed |
| The Texas Court of
Criminal Appeals upheld the death penalty in a case in which a 17-year-old
Dallas man killed his cousin's 3-year-old daughter for three chrome and gold
wheels. The court voted 9-0 to reject the appeal of Toronto Markkey
Patterson, who had argued there wasn't evidence to convict him for Ollie
Brewer's June 6, 1995 death. According to court records, Kimberly Brewer
was found dead from gunshot wounds in her den, and her daughters - 6-year-old
Jennifer and Ollie - had been slain in the room which they shared. The
only things missing from the house were 3 chrome and gold car wheels from Ms.
Brewer's brother's BMW, which was parked in the garage. Patterson had
visited his cousin, Ms. Brewer, and had returned to his girlfriend's house in
a panic saying he just stole 3 wheels, documents showed. Patterson, in a
written confession, stated that he killed all 3, adding that he walked into
the children's room and fired twice with his eyes closed. The courts
ruled that the evidence - including the facts that Ms. Brewer and Kimberly
were killed in relaxed positions as though by someone they trusted and that
Patterson was known to like fancy wheels - was sufficient. He was tried
only on charges of killing the 3-year-old. Because the girl was under 6,
Patterson was found guilty of a capital offense. There are still appeals
pending and this execution is not likely to take place on this date. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
| February 24, 2000 |
Florida |
George
Wilson |
Anthony
Bryan |
executed |
| On
May 27, 1983, Anthony B. Bryan robbed a bank in Grand Bay, Alabama with a
sawed-off shotgun. He was not caught after the crime and spent the next three
months as a fugitive from the law. In June 1983, Bryan met Sharon Cooper in
Jacksonville, Florida and the two hitchhiked to Mississippi. After obtaining a
truck in Mississippi, they drove back to Florida, stopping en route to
retrieve the sawed-off shotgun that Bryan had used in the bank robbery. In
Florida, Bryan obtained a cabin cruiser in order to travel back to
Mississippi. The boat became damaged and Bryan and Cooper stopped in
Pascagoula, Mississippi to make repairs. Bryan borrowed tools from George
Wilson and unsuccessfully tried to repair the boat. Needing transportation and
money, Bryan robbed George at gunpoint and tied him up for the night. Bryan
then took George's keys and robbed the seafood wholesaler where George worked
as a night watchman. After returning from the seafood wholesaler,
Bryan placed George in the back of his car. Bryan and Cooper then drove him to
Santa Rosa County where the three stayed in a motel. Leaving the motel, Bryan
drove George to a secluded spot in the woods. He marched George, with his
hands tied, at gunpoint to a spot beside a creek. Fearing for his life, George
pleaded that he not be crippled. Bryan knocked George over the head with the
shotgun and as he fell into the creek, Bryan shot him in the face with the
sawed-off shotgun. Bryan then pushed his car into a nearby river. In
August 1983, Bryan and Cooper were arrested in Madison County, Florida for
driving a stolen car. Following her release, Cooper went to offices of the FBI
to report that Bryan had robbed, kidnapped, and murdered George Wilson. After
being arrested by authorities, Bryan escaped from the Santa Rosa County jail
in July 1984. He was re-arrested in Colorado in October 1985. At trial for the
murder of George Wilson, Cooper was the state's chief witness. A jury
convicted Bryan of first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, kidnapping
with a firearm, and felony murder. At the sentencing, Bryan called
seven witnesses to testify on his behalf; including his mother, grandmother,
ex-wife, a co-worker, and people who knew Bryan when he was a fugitive between
July 1984 and October 1985. Bryan also introduced written reports prepared by
four separate mental health experts as well as the deposition of a
psychiatrist. The jury returned an advisory sentence of death. On May 16,
1986, Judge Wells accepted the jury's recommendation, finding numerous
aggravating factors and two mitigating factors, and sentenced Bryan to death. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
February 24, 2000 |
Texas |
Jimmy Don Beets
Doyle Wayne Barker |
Betty
Lou Beets |
executed |
| Betty Lou Beets, a cashier and waitress, was convicted of the August 1983 shooting death of her fifth husband at the couple's home near Gun Barrel City in East Texas in what authorities said was a scheme to collect
over $100,000 in insurance benefits and a $1200 per month pension. His body was found buried under a wishing well in their front yard. Jimmy Don Beets was a Dallas firefighter who disappeared on Aug. 6, 1983. His fishing boat was found drifting on Lake Athens. She
is called a Black Widow because she was also charged but never tried for the
1981 murder of a previous husband, Doyle Wayne Barker, who was found buried behind a tool
shed on the same day Jimmy Don's body was found.
Beets had also shot and wounded her second husband. |
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