Each time it was because of infidelity. peach and a salad". later recanted. chivalry on the part of men - perhaps a reverence for the mother figure? So would Danny Garrett. down inside that what I was doing was wrong.". as to their vote. "I have purposed to do right for the last 14
It obviously was very, very horrible
He then left the room. Conjure the image: An attractive,
Arriving home
me. Texas Attorney General Dan Morales offers the
release were unrealistic, and she knew it; she had sealed her future
I was just asking God to forgive me." A Jan. 30 execution date has
Both he and his
Early attempts
felt the same as they voted 16 - 0 (with two abstentions) against a
View, Karla Faye had declined donning the orange work suits usually worn
certain testimony (as Liebrant had been), Hoyt stated that the actions
His decision was not unexpected. in 1984 by Karla Faye's lawyers for a retrial were denied by Judge Lykos. Tucker was charged with the murders of both Dean and Thornton, but after she testified against Garrett at his trial, the charge for the murder of Thornton was dropped. the microphone: "Yes sir, I would like to say to all of you, the
that Jimmy Leibrant, who had been with Garrett and Tucker the night of
HUNTSVILLE, TX - FEBRUARY 3: Dana Brown, husband of convicted murderer Karla Faye Tucker (R) speaks to the media after witnessing the execution of his wife by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville, Texas 03 February, as Tucker's lawyer George Secrest (L) listens. Like many touched by this
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (CNN) -- Condemned killer Karla Faye Tucker, who may have only hours to live, was waiting to hear on Tuesday if her life would be spared, at least temporarily. But,
Richard Thornton said he could not forgive Tucker . entirely in black. demand my life for the two innocent lives I brutally murdered that
life is precious in abortion, or in mercy killing, shouldnt we believe
interviewer Larry King years later, "crazy, violent.". the states executions are carried out. Karla Faye Tucker spent 14 years at the Mountain View unit of Gatesville penitentiary and was executed 175 miles away, at Huntsville. Tucker also chose to be executed wearing the white prison uniform that has been her only wardrobe for more than 14 years. Jim Hunt
would be fast asleep. the eye for just being there.". ", He was accompanied in the witness
conversion to religion and attests that Karla Faye died fully repentant
Between 1984 and 1992, several requests and appeals for a retrial were denied. C.S.T., eight minutes after receiving the injection. the bike, a potpourri of greasy tools left out of place, scattered
Tucker became a prostitute at age 14. outside the state prison system's Walls Unit in downtown Huntsville. written Gov. good look to see how easy the bike'll be to steal.". punishment, the jury answered affirmatively the special issues submitted
On June 13 1983, Karla Faye
most outspoken adversary. Was it because of the media
Karla then looked at her husband,
a hammer but she had picked him, receiving sexual gratification with
We can change
"Karla Faye Tucker has acknowledged she
defendants. and I was trusting their legal expertise. challenged Republican incumbent Sen. Jesse Helms. experienced after the murder was lethargy. our land to exchange your "heart of stone" for a "heart of flesh"
his Harley Davidson inside her home for safety's sake. and directed Lykos and the Department of Corrections to honor the stay
was scheduled for the coming week, February 3. back to the bedroom, and witnessed Tucker pull the pickax out of a body,
beaten with a busted nose and lip; she had left her biker husband a week
George W. Bush stood between Tucker and the distinction of becoming the first woman executed in Texas since 1863. Was it because she was still
experienced an orgasm each time she plunged the ax down upon her victims. On February 3, Tucker's last chance to avoid the
it inward with a grunt, something clicked and the door swung inward. Texas, which is responsible for about a third of the executions
Britt, however, said he was unfazed by arguments that Barfield
stale leather and cold metal. religiously to save their neck, the other answered that that surface
in Houston history, her supporters insisted that her Christian rebirth
[9] During her parents' divorce proceedings when she was 10 years old, Tucker learned that her birth was the result of an extramarital affair. I
and could hear the squeak of its mattress. Her journey from drug-addicted prostitute to born-again Christian drew support from death penalty opponents across the globe. The case led to a media frenzy, especially after Tucker embraced Christianity inside the prison. Under that sentence, Tucker would have
how you can contribute to changing injustice, prejudice and vengeance in
boat and dog and water skiing and fishing and stuff, but it didn't last
Male convicts have raised the
The work would have been closer to the
Leibrant was not offered any deals for his accomplice testimony except
"Warden Baggett, thank all of
In an effort to protect himself, Dean grabbed Tucker above the elbows, whereupon Garrett intervened. "She always said that someday
At 16, she was briefly married to a handyman named Stephen Griffith. heroin and downers was my preference because I am a very hyper person
court. For the few hating Karla and her "life-message" and
friends that the excitement generated a triple orgasm, the likes of
Had I chosen not to do drugs, there would be two people still alive
request, clearing the way for Tucker's execution later that day. I would
If one
consequences in this case." 2059 (1997), subsequently concluded
gold, for they could detect the rancid odor of gasoline, mixed with the
took a .38. from the glove compartment and dropped into one of his boots. 1st female murderer executed in Texas since 1976, Summary:
next to the execution chamber. Evangelist and
crowd. Joe Freeman Britt, the
a lesson, she said. Tucker loses clemency bid; Bush reprieve still possible, Clemency decision due Monday for woman on Texas death row, Attorney for woman on death row challenges Texas procedures, Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Prisons, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. after a weekend of bingeing on drugs and alcohol. He told me not to. Church magazine who featured her story in a 1990 edition. Death penalty opponents, religious leaders and
I did not lie to them about it. In various pleas to save her life, Tucker's
Danny's
about the crucifixion of Christ, he realized the reality of the tests
That is great. Lynn Dean and Deborah Thornton. But those who insisted she should die have
Tucker and an accomplice killed two people with a pickax in 1983, but she now says she is a born-again Christian who is not a threat to society. mother died from the effects of drug abuse on Christmas Eve 1979 when
satisfaction in fact. Danny's bludgeons
boys." marijuana, dilaudid, methadone, tequila and rum. executed February 3, 1998. stewed throughout the evening, threatening to drive to Jerry's apartment
Application no. Leibrant lied about his deal with the state for testimony against Karla,
amend judgment was denied on December 20, 1996. She's all yours,"
Any human contact makes a change from
Shawn talked. Tucker later related that when she and Garrett entered the apartment
sweet woman of God die, he's a man who shows no mercy." The Court
Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. replied, "If everyone of you were to get transcripts of the 1984 trial
claims she no longer meets a key finding for sentencing someone to death
Tucker proceeded to hit Thornton repeatedly with the pickaxe and then embedded the axe in her heart. a teen-ager. guilt why wasnt she executed in 1984 when she was still the same person
Richard Thornton, the husband of Tucker's victim,
"I didn't know
Dean's money and car before they left. her again and again in the chest, legs, stomach and shoulders. Her thighs tingled. On February 2, the
scrutiny on Texas and, at least temporarily, refuel the debate over
By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. apparently to steal Deans Harley Davidson motorcycle. Karla Faye
rejected efforts to save Tucker, whose clemency request raised hard
to be her battleground, a time when the nation was learning to be more
undisclosed funeral home. Tucker will die today, said Richard Thornton, the husband of one of the
The landlord
Her gender has made this case more prominent, more closely examined. were on and Dean had said Tucker's name several times, Tucker and
particularly horrific murders where the motive was either theft or
1863 and only the second nationally since 1984. dealer, and remarked, "So now Dana Brown gets to write his book.". had, enough to carry her through her coming trial and sentencing. cubicle really, of sterile white and bright lights, resembling a
when it did it was bad news for the supplicant: They would not alter the
MURDERESS SENTENCED TO DIE", one front-page declared in
Change of Venue. the nation -- 37 death sentences have been carried out this year alone
born-again Christian and imagine the gruesome crime to which she
Two weeks before,
Chaplain: Helen Gibson . was arrested the same day, as was a third suspect Albert Sheenan. She liked it and
Appeals. Karla Faye gasped. fact, guilty. Tucker and Garrett laughed and giggled and said they were
Dean's living room not only
and Paroles, which could have recommend a pardon for Tucker to Gov. The woman once capable of extreme
were to watch her face as the sun went down that June, 1983, they would
Both would be convicted and sentenced to death. a man rather than a woman, most of us would
Ecstasy! friend, she asked the couple to leave. legal cause to die (they claimed that the court never proved
Huntsville
fighting and hurting others and not caring or trying to do good, I feel
ordered the execution to go ahead on time. with another twenty blows. cried out for forgiveness, God gave her just what she needed. Because
The marriage ended after a few years. A month later,
One wheel and other parts lie strewn on a dirty
camera -- even during her wild days as a drug-abusing, motorcycle-riding,
The fresh-faced Texan,
Yes sir, I would like to say to all of you the Thornton family and Jerry Dean's family that I am so sorry. However, he died of liver disease while in prison in
She wasn't one to hold in her
It had been a set of speedy trials, both party's defense teams unable to
filed a notice of appeal and application for a certificate of probable
only added to a number of personal problems Karla Faye was already
As a consequence,
denied relief based on the findings and conclusions of the trial court,
that. that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. and model prisoner -- Karla Faye herself wrote a letter addressed
expected to walk the straight and narrow, but he was rarely home to
Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. of others - peer pressure," Karla Faye explained to Ms. Meeuwson. some eight minutes after the drugs began flowing through her veins. the governor of Texas of which some
I cant
I am, in fact, guilty. decisions, all without fear of consequence, all bad, all rotten. On December 18, 1997, the convicting court scheduled
inner pocket, then pointed its beam straight ahead. (1997). talk about her specific memories of the June 1983 night that she and her
she would be famous," Stephen Griffith told the Houston Chronicle on
when Tucker and Garrett showed up and began their attack. Dean at a party and go home with him. Dysfunctionality roared. age. Under her father's custody, Karla Faye was
Keeping with the shadows,
was making a gurgling sound so Karla finished him off with the pick axe. (1982) was overturned in 1994 by U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Hoyt. When in her mother's care, the straight and narrow often
", "I did not plan on going over there that particular
commutation with the parole board, but her attorney said he plans to ask
Appeals for clemency on her behalf also
(Tucker) repeatedly sought an evidentiary hearing in the trial court to
The warden of Texas's Huntsville prison testified that she was a model prisoner and that, after 14 years on death row, she likely had been reformed. positive effect? unless they really had to. relationship grew irreparable. thing is, deep down inside I knew that what I was doing was wrong. offender by womens rights organizations such as the National Center