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One killer was executed in September 2001. He had
murdered at least 1 person.
Four killers were given a stay in September 2001.
They have murdered at least 4 people.
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
September 4, 2001 |
Oklahoma |
William Jeffrey Perry, 24 |
Alvie Hale Jr. |
stayed |
| The Oklahoma Court of Criminal
Appeals scheduled a Sept. 4th execution date for a man who kidnapped and
murdered a Tecumseh banker in 1983. Attorney General Drew Edmondson said Alvie
Hale Jr., 52, kidnapped William Jeffrey Perry, 24, from his home in Tecumseh
and made a series of phone calls to Perry's parents in which he demanded
$350,000 in ransom. Perry's parents ran the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of
Tecumseh. William's body was found one day later on land in Pottawatomie
County owned by Hale's father. He had been shot five times with a .38-caliber
revolver, which was found in the kitchen at the home of Hale's father. The
body was wrapped in the cover of a trampoline from Hale's home in Shawnee.
Edmondson requested an execution date after Hale's final appeal was rejected
by the U.S. Supreme Court. UPDATE: Death row prisoner Alvie James Hale Jr. will not die by
lethal injection Sept. 4 as scheduled. The U.S. 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals Friday granted Hale an indefinite stay of execution,
pending the outcome of a case filed in federal court by his attorneys. Hale, a
former Shawnee bakery owner, was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of
William Jeffrey Perry, 24, a Tecumseh banker. Perry was taken Oct. 10, 1983,
from his home. His bullet-ridden body was discovered less than two hours after
Hale was arrested in Oklahoma City. A $350,000 ransom payment was recovered
from Hale's vehicle. More than 18 years later, Perry's family members were
preparing to remind the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board who William Jeffrey
Perry was. Hale's clemency hearing was scheduled for Aug. 13. Perry's mother,
Joan Perry, said she was choosing photographs and gathering letters about her
son from family and friends to present to the board. "I guess that's what
I was looking for, a little peace," Perry said concerning Hale's
execution. "I don't like that word closure because my son's death will be
with me always. "I'm a confused mother right now," she added. Hale's
attorney, Gloyd L. McCoy, alleges Federal Bureau of Investigation officials
failed to turn over between 1,000 to 1,200 documents connected with the murder
investigation that may have aided in Hale's defense. He said the FBI has
already produced about half of those documents and the federal case is to
obtain the remaining 500- to 600-piece paper trail. "It's the same thing
that happened in the McVeigh case," McCoy said. McCoy said information in
documentation the FBI is not sharing with the defense may prove others were
involved in Perry's murder and kidnapping. Hale's stay of execution could
delay his death as long a two years, although McCoy said he is hopeful the
documents' contents will get his client removed from death row. The U.S.
Freedom of Information's Act case between Hale and the FBI will be in the
hands of the U.S. Supreme Court when it reconvenes in October. Oklahoma
Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Miller said it is unlikely anything exists
in the documentation that could reverse Hale's capital murder sentence. Miller
said the attorney general's office is not part of the lawsuit, although she
plans to petition the federal court for a special appearance and request they
vacate their order for Hale's stay of execution. Miller said she believes the
10th Circuit does not have proper jurisdiction to grant the order. "We're
going to do everything within our power to make sure his sentence is carried
out," Miller said. UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court
on 8/30/01 rejected the appeal of Oklahoma death row inmate Alvie James Hale. In
response, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted its stay of execution
at the request of state Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Hale, 52, is
scheduled to be executed Sept. 4 for the October 1983 shooting death of
Tecumseh bank employee William Jeffrey Perry, 24. On July 27, the Denver-based
appeals court granted the stay pending a Supreme Court decision on Hale's
request that the FBI be made to turn over investigative reports in the case.
Hale's attorney, Gloyd McCoy, said the FBI's reports may show that someone
other than Hale is responsible for the crime. Edmondson said the stay should
be lifted because Hale's request for FBI documents is a civil action. He said
a civil action should not be used to hold up this type of criminal case. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
September 11, 2001 |
Texas |
Wilton B. Humphreys, 65 |
Jeffrey
Tucker |
stayed |
| Jeffrey Tucker was sentenced to death
for the July 1988 robbery and murder of 65-year-old Wilton B. Humphreys of
Granbury, Texas. Tucker answered a newspaper ad that Wilton had placed
in order to sell a pickup truck and trailer. Tucker test-drove the
truck, then told Wilton that he would buy the truck and trailer for
$18,000. Wilton accompanied Tucker to the bank in order to deposit the
money, but when they arrived at the bank, Tucker pulled a gun on Wilton and
told him he was stealing the truck and trailer. Tucker drove out of town
and shot Wilton when he refused to get out of the truck. Tucker was
arrested in New Mexico three days later after robbing a gas station of $800. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
September 12, 2001 |
Ohio |
Monte
B. Tewksbury, 40 |
John Byrd, Jr. |
stayed |
| On
April 17, 1983, John Byrd robbed, beat and stabbed Monte Tewksbury with a
six-inch hunting knife, severing his diaphragm, puncturing his liver and
causing him to bleed to death.
Monte was “moonlighting” in a convenience store and John Byrd took
his wallet, credit cards and wedding ring, a little over $137 from the store,
ripped the phone out so Monte couldn’t call for help, and left him to die
while John went on to commit other robberies. Monte
was working alone as the night clerk at the King Kwik convenience store at
9870 Pippin Road in Hamilton County, Ohio. Monte was married and was the
father of three children. At
approximately 11:00 p.m., two robbers entered the store in masks; one of them
carried a bowie knife with a five-inch blade. The robbers removed all of
$133.97 from the cash register. In addition, they took Monte's Pulsar watch,
wedding ring, and his wallet which contained cash, credit cards, and an
automobile registration slip. Then, as Monte stood with his hands raised and
his back to the robbers, Byrd plunged his bowie knife to the hilt in Monte's
side, resulting in a puncture wound to the liver that caused massive internal
bleeding. The two robbers ripped the inside telephone out of the wall and
fled. At approximately 11:10 p.m., a man who was driving northbound on Pippin
Road observed two men run from the King Kwik and enter a large red van parked
at the corner of Pippin and Berthbrook and drive off. Although
severely injured, Monte managed to exit the store and get to the outside
telephone. He called his wife, Sharon Tewksbury, told her he had been robbed
and hurt, and that she should call the police and an ambulance. At that time a
customer arrived at the King Kwik. The customer found Monte standing outside
the building and leaning against the wall next to the telephone. Monte was
bleeding from his side. The customer helped Monte into the store, went back to
the telephone which was still off the hook, and spoke briefly to Sharon.
Conley also advised Sharon to call an ambulance, and he himself called the
police. Monte told the customer "I'm going to die," and that he had
been robbed and cut with a knife. Monte described the robbers as two white men
wearing stocking masks. Sharon arrived at the scene and held her dying husband
in her arms as he repeated his statements. Police and medical help then came,
and Monte was transported to a hospital. While en route, Monte made several
statements to the effect that he did not understand why he had been stabbed,
because he had been cooperative and had given the robbers everything they
requested. Monte also made a statement to the effect of "Thank God I
didn't see it coming," which supports the conclusion that his back was to
his assailants when he was stabbed. Almost immediately after he was taken to
the emergency room, Monte's heart stopped. Despite heroic efforts to save his
life, Monte died at 1:15 a.m., April 18, 1983, from exsanguination resulting
from his stab wound. That night, a short time after the King Kwik robbery, a
clerk at a nearby U-Totem store was standing at the cash register. A customer
was playing a video game near the front door when two robbers entered the
store wearing masks. The clerk realized what was occurring and fled to a room
in the rear of the store. One of the robbers chased after him with a knife.
The robber tried unsuccessfully to force open the door to the room. Meanwhile,
the other robber pushed the customer back when he attempted to leave; however,
he was able to dodge him and get out. The robbers were unable to open the cash
register, so they took it with them. A resident of an apartment located near
the U-Totem was disturbed by the noise from a loud muffler. He looked outside
and observed two people getting into a large red van parked in the U-Totem
lot. The van had a defective tail light. Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on April 18,
1983, two police officers from Forest Park in Hamilton County were seated in a
marked police cruiser eating their lunch. The officers were in a K-Mart
parking lot, which was located in an area containing principally commercial
establishments, some of which had recently been burglarized. The officers had
been advised approximately forty-five minutes earlier by their supervisor
about the incident at the King Kwik. As the officers watched, a red cargo van
drove by at a slow rate of speed. The van pulled into the K-Mart lot, and its
headlights were turned off. A few minutes later, the van's headlights came
back on, and the van left the lot. However, the van returned within five
minutes, again at low speed, from the direction opposite to that in which it
had gone moments before. The police officers became suspicious, followed the
van, and, upon inquiry of the police dispatcher, learned the identity of its
owner. The van pulled into a parking lot adjacent to a closed United Dairy
Farmers store. The officers pulled behind the van after summoning back-up
assistance. One of the passengers, later identified as John Eastle Brewer,
exited the van and approached the police car. Brewer identified himself as
"David Urey" and told the police he had no identification. Brewer
provided inconsistent stories about why he was in the area. One of the
officers asked Brewer to remain in the cruiser while he approached the van.
The van's driver, William Danny Woodall, and another passenger, Byrd provided
the officer with identification, which was called in to the dispatcher.
Although there were no current warrants for either Byrd or Woodall, the
dispatcher reported that both had prior felony convictions. The officer shined
a flashlight inside the van and saw coins on the floor. There were stocking
masks and a knife located in a tray on the dashboard. A Shell credit card in
Sharon's name was lying on the floor under the passenger seat. There was also
what appeared to be fresh blood on the interior side of the driver's seat. A
drawer from a cash register was in the back of the van. UPDATE: The
Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down Ohio's request to allow the state to
move ahead with the execution of a killer who has chosen the electric chair
over lethal injection. |
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
September 18, 2001 |
Texas |
Joseph Sanchez, 39 |
James
Knox |
executed |
| James Knox was sentenced to death for
the 1982 murder of Joseph Sanchez who was killed during a robbery of his drug
store in Galveston, Texas. A man who worked with Joseph told authorities
that Knox walked up to the store counter with a gun and demanded drugs.
Joseph was shot through the heart when he told Knox that he had no
drugs. Knox then demanded drugs from the other man who gave him four
bottles of Demerol and some cash. Knox had a prior conviction for robbery in
Alabama for which he served two years of a twelve year sentence.
UPDATE: A paroled robber from Alabama was executed Tuesday night for gunning
down a pharmacist who refused to surrender drugs during a holdup at his store
nearly 19 years ago. Asked if he had a final statement, James Roy Knox
replied, "No, I'm ready. I'm ready." Knox nodded and smiled to five
friends he selected as witnesses. He was pronounced dead at 6:28 p.m. Knox was
condemned for the 1982 shooting death of Joe Sanchez, 39. He was arrested two
years after the slaying and was tried twice for capital murder after his
initial conviction was thrown out on appeal because of an improper jury
instruction from a judge. Knox was on parole after serving two years of a
12-year term for robbing a drug store in Alabama when he walked into Joe's
Pharmacy in Galveston. Pulling a pistol, he demanded money and drugs from
Sanchez and a co-worker. When Sanchez protested, he was shot in the heart. The
gunman fled with about $15 and four bottles of Demerol, a pain suppressant.
Witnesses at Knox's trials said he bragged about committing other robberies
and shootings and of participating in a lynching. Prosecutors said there was
evidence he was a white supremacist. "Evil man, evil man," Jim
James, one of the prosecutors at Knox's first trial in 1985, said this week.
"Never any sign of remorse. He just looked like he thought it was all a
joke."
|
| Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
September 21, 2001 |
North Carolina |
Glennie Clark |
Robert Bacon |
stayed |
| Robert Bacon was convicted and
sentenced to death for the February 1, 1987 murder of Glennie Clark, the
estranged husband of Bacon's lover, Bonnie Sue Clark.
Bonnie Sue and Glennie Clark were married in 1982 and had two children.
Because Glennie became an alcoholic and physically abusive, Bonnie Sue moved
out of the house in 1986 and took up residence with Bacon, who was a coworker,
and another friend. Despite their separation, Glennie continued to harass
Bonnie Sue by telephone, and "`the worse things got' between her and her
husband, the closer she drew emotionally and romantically to Bacon."
Bonnie Sue confided in Bacon about her difficulties with Glennie and "at
some point . . . told [Bacon] that she wished her husband was dead and did he
know of anyone who would kill him." Bacon "finally agreed to kill
him," and Bonnie Sue and Bacon planned the murder for January 31, 1987.
Bonnie Sue was the beneficiary of Glennie's life insurance policies totaling
$130,000, and Bacon reportedly told acquaintances that he expected to receive
a large inheritance. Under the plan, Bonnie Sue was to accompany Glennie to a
movie theater, where Bacon would kill him, but Bacon "`chickened out'
when it came time to execute the plan." The following night, February 1,
1987, again pursuant to plan, Bonnie Sue and Bacon drove to Glennie's house to
pick him up. Glennie reacted angrily when he saw Bacon in the back seat of
Bonnie Sue's car, and a heated discussion ensued about Bonnie Sue's
relationship with Bacon. At some point, Glennie called Bacon a
"nigger," prompting Bacon to grab a knife that he had earlier placed
on the floor of the car and fatally stab Glennie 16 times. Bonnie Sue then
drove to a movie theater parking lot, where Bacon's car was parked. Bacon and
Bonnie Sue decided to fake a robbery to cover up the murder, and pursuant to
this ploy, Bacon knocked Bonnie Sue unconscious and went home in his car.
Shortly after 11:00 p.m. on the same day, the police found Bonnie Sue slumped
over the steering wheel of her car next to Glennie's dead body. Bonnie Sue
told Jacksonville Police Officer J. J. Phillips that she and Glennie had been
sitting in the car when the car doors were suddenly opened and she heard her
husband exclaim, "Oh God, don't," before she was knocked
unconscious. Bonnie Sue repeated this story to members of the rescue squad and
to Sergeant Donna Waters who transported her to a hospital. She also told
investigating officers that her two children were at home with a babysitter
and gave them her home address. Several hours later, at 1:15 a.m. on February
2, 1987, Sergeant Dennis Dinota picked Bonnie Sue up at the hospital and drove
her to the Jacksonville police station where she again repeated the story she
had told Officer Phillips and Sergeant Waters, and at approximately 2:00 a.m.,
she began writing out a statement describing how she had been attacked in the
movie theater parking lot by two unknown individuals. In the meantime,
Jacksonville Deputy Chief Delma Collins went to the home shared by Bacon and
Bonnie Sue to check on Bonnie Sue's children. Officer Collins arrived at 1:20
a.m. and was met at the door by Bacon, who invited Collins and other officers
in the house and allowed them to "look around." After the officers
discovered bloody clothing and shoes, Bacon confessed that he had killed
Glennie Clark and directed the officers to other incriminating evidence. Bacon
recounted that he "had been in the automobile with Bonnie Sue Clark and
the victim, Glennie Leroy Clark; the victim called him a `nigger' and pulled a
knife on him; he grabbed the knife from the victim and stabbed him; and, all
of this took place while Bonnie Sue Clark was in the vehicle." Bacon
denied, however, that Bonnie Sue was involved in the crime. Back at the police
station, Bonnie Sue completed writing out her statement for Sergeant Dinota at
2:45 a.m. After Deputy Chief Collins informed Sergeant Dinota of the
information he had learned about Bacon's involvement in the crime, the
officers confronted Bonnie Sue with the information and, at 3:05 a.m.,
informed her of her Miranda rights. Later, Bacon admitted that parts of the
story he had originally told to officers were false and admitted that he and
Bonnie Sue had planned the crime. Bacon was tried and convicted of
first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death.
The state Supreme Court upheld Bacon's conviction on appeal, but ordered a new
sentencing hearing. The second jury also sentenced Bacon to death.
UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday
by condemned inmate Robert Bacon Jr. as his supporters met outside the
governor's office to urge clemency. Bacon, 41, is
scheduled to die at 2 a.m. Friday in Central Prison in Raleigh for the 1987
stabbing death of his lover's husband in Onslow County. The woman, Bonnie
Clark, was sentenced to life in prison for murder. He is the inmate who
unsuccessfully challenged the governor's clemency power in May. Gov. Mike
Easley, who held a clemency hearing for Bacon on May 15, hasn't issued a
decision. Bacon contended in federal court filings that Easley was biased
because he defended capital punishment while serving as attorney general. The
Supreme Court rejected the petition to stop the execution without comment.
Bacon still has appeals pending in U.S. District Court in Raleigh and Onslow
County Superior Court. "The events of last week illustrate the
preciousness of life," said Bacon's attorney, Gretchen Engel of the
Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham, referring to terrorist attacks
in New York and Washington on Tuesday. "We as American people believe in
equal protection under the law. Robert Bacon didn't get equal protection under
the law." Death penalty opponent Chris Fitzsimon said the appropriate
sentence for Bacon is life in prison and that Easley can use his clemency
power to order that sentence. The appeal filed in Onslow County last week
contained a juror's statement that the all-white jury talked about blacks
dating white women. Bacon is black and his lover is white. Bacon's lawyers
asked the county court to delay the execution because the Organization of
American State's human rights commission reviews the his case. "North
Carolina is preparing to kill Robert Bacon, not just because he participated
in a murder but because he is black," Fitzsimon said. "No one
contends Robert Bacon should not be severely punished." Former Onslow
County juror Pamela Bloom Smith said she thought Bacon got a death sentence
because he was a black man dating a white woman. Besides the appeals, a group
of legislators has asked Easley to delay any decision in Bacon's case for 30
days while the governor deals with state safety issues raised by the terrorist
attacks. UPDATE: An execution
scheduled this week in an Onslow County murder will be delayed 2 weeks to be
sure that the inmate has full access to the courts, the governor said Tuesday.
Robert Bacon Jr., 41, was to be executed
at 2 a.m. Friday in Central Prison for the 1987 stabbing death of his lover's
husband. Correction Secretary Theodis Beck rescheduled the execution for Oct.
5. Gov. Mike Easley said disruptions caused by the terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington were behind the delay. A group of legislators had asked
that the execution be postponed 30 days. "The postponement is to ensure
that the defendant and his attorneys have full access to the courts,"
Easley spokeswoman Cari Hepp said. The delay came a day after the U.S. Supreme
Court rejected Bacon's appeal. "Gov. Easley did the right thing; indeed,
in light of last week's tragedies, it would have been an affront to our
society to go forward with this execution as if nothing had happened,"
defense lawyer Gretchen Engel said. "Robert Bacon did not receive equal
justice under the law. Especially now, it is vital that we uphold the
principles that make this country great." Just after the Supreme Court
rejected Bacon's appeal Monday, a group of his supporters held a small rally
outside Easley's office window. They urged the governor to grant clemency and
change the death sentence to life in prison. Supporters said it was unfair
that Bacon, a black man, got a death sentence while his white accomplice,
Bonnie Clark, got a life sentence for murdering her husband. Bacon's execution
was originally scheduled for May, but it was delayed by the state Supreme
Court while it considered a defense challenge to the Easley's ability to
fairly consider clemency requests. The state high court later said Easley has
an absolute power to consider clemency, despite defense arguments that he is
biased because he had been attorney general and argued for executions. Easley
held a clemency hearing for Bacon on May 15, but hasn't announced a decision.
Bacon still has appeals pending in U.S. District Court in Raleigh and Onslow
County Superior Court. The appeal in Onslow County includes a juror's
statement that the all-white jury talked about blacks dating white
women. |
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