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Five killers were executed in May 2009.
They had murdered at least 11 people.
Two
killers were given a stay in May 2009. They have
murdered at least 2 people.
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 8, 2009 |
South Carolina |
Robert Montgomery
Thomas C. Harrison |
Thomas Ivey |
executed |
| Thomas Treshawn Ivey was
sentenced to death for the murder of Robert Montgomery. In early
January 1993, Thomas Ivey and Vincent Neuman escaped from a prison
in Clayton, Alabama. Neuman testified that on January 13th, he and
Ivey kidnapped Robert Montgomery in Columbia and drove him in his
truck to the town of North, South Carolina. There, Ivey shot and
killed Montgomery. Ivey and Neuman drove away in Montgomery's
vehicle. The next day, Ivey and Neuman stole another vehicle. In the
vehicle were the owner's identification and some blank checks. On
January 15th, Ivey, Neuman, and Patricia Perkins drove to Orangeburg
in order to forge the blank checks. All three entered a Belk's store
where Neuman wrote a check for the purchase of cologne and
aftershave. Ivey left the store, but Neuman and Perkins continued to
"shop." They tried to purchase certain items costing $279.30. When
they tried to pay for the merchandise with a forged check, the clerk
became suspicious and said she would have to have the check
approved. Neuman left the store. A store security guard called the
police who arrived within a few minutes. Ivey, who had been outside,
returned to the store to check on Perkins. A police officer and an
investigator found Ivey and Perkins in the mall and questioned them;
however, they told Ivey he was free to go when they realized that
Neuman, not Ivey, was the person trying to pass the check. At that
time, Orangeburg police officer Thomas Harrison arrived
and began questioning Ivey. There was evidence that Ivey's .357
Magnum, which was in his left coat pocket, fired. The bullet hit the
ground, ricocheted, and struck Officer Harrison. Ivey then pulled the gun out
of his pocket and directly shot Officer Harrison five more times. After the
shooting, Ivey tried to escape. A few officers chased Ivey out of
the mall, shooting at him as he zigzagged into the parking lot where
he was finally arrested. Ivey gave a statement to the police
admitting that he killed Officer Harrison. He stated that he had a gun in his
left coat pocket. While he was talking with Officer Harrison, the gun
accidently went off, and the shot hit the floor. "The officer
jumped back, and he was going for his gun, and I just panicked, and
I pulled it out and started shooting." Initially, Ivey said that he
shot Officer Harrison because he was "scared," but later indicated that "I
don't know why I shot the officer." A forensic pathologist testified
that the cause of death was two gunshot wounds to Officer's vital
organs. In addition to other wounds, a wound, which exhibited the
effects of a ricochet pattern, was found on Officer Harrison's right leg. A
South Carolina Law Enforcement Department crime scene technician
found a projectile or bullet had struck the floor near to where Ivey
and Officer Harrison were standing. Moreover, there was evidence that Ivey's
left coat pocket was blown out by a gunshot. Ivey was indicted for
murder and tried. A jury found Ivey guilty of the murder of Officer
Harrison.
The State sought the death penalty, relying on three aggravating
circumstances: (1) The defendant by his act of murder knowingly
created a great risk of death to more than one person in a public
place by means of a weapon or device which would normally be
hazardous to the lives of more than one person; (2) Thomas C.
Harrison, a local law enforcement officer, was murdered during or
because of the performance of his official duties; and (3) Two or
more persons, including Thomas C. Harrison, were murdered by the
defendant by one act or pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct. The
jury was also instructed on four statutory mitigating circumstances
and nine non-statutory mitigating circumstances.
Finding the existence of the first two aggravating circumstances
listed above, the jury recommended a sentence of death. The judge
sentenced Ivey to death. |
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 13, 2009 |
Florida |
Adella Marie
Simmons, 47 |
John Marek |
stayed |
 This tragic
incident began on June 16, 1983, when Adella Simmons and her female
companion were returning home from a vacation. Adella's companion
testified that when the car in which the two women were riding broke
down on the Florida Turnpike near Jupiter, John Richard Marek, who
was driving a pickup truck, pulled over; Marek was talkative and
friendly and that he unsuccessfully attempted to fix the car and
then offered to take one of the women, but not both, to a service
station. At approximately 11:30 p.m. Adella left with Marek and
Raymond Wigley, who was an occupant of the pickup truck. Wigley had
been present during a part of Marek's conversation with the two
women but remained silent. The companion testified that during the
five days she and Adella were together on their vacation, Adella did
not have sexual intercourse. At approximately 3:35 a.m. the
following morning, a police officer patrolling Dania Beach noticed
two men walking from the vicinity of a lifeguard shack towards a
Ford pickup truck. He testified that he spoke to the men, who
identified themselves as Marek and Wigley, for about forty minutes.
He noted that Marek was the more dominant of the two; that Marek
joked with the officer and interrupted Wigley every time Wigley
attempted to speak; and that Marek drove the truck away from the
beach when the conversation was completed. Later that morning, the
nude body of the 47-year-old victim was discovered on the
observation deck of the lifeguard shack. According to medical
testimony, Adella had been strangled between approximately 3:00 and
3:30 a.m., and was probably conscious for one minute after the
ligature was applied to her neck. Her body was extensively bruised
and her finger and pubic hairs had been burned. The medical examiner
testified that he found sperm in Adella's cervix and believed she
had had sexual intercourse after 11:30 p.m. on June 16. Bruises
indicated that Adella had been kicked with a great deal of force.
According to the examiner, some of Adella's injuries indicated she
had been dragged up to the roof of the lifeguard shack and into the
observation tower. Police issued a "be-on-the-lookout" bulletin to
law enforcement agencies for Marek and Wigley. On the evening of
June 17, a Daytona Beach police officer, as a result of that
bulletin, stopped Wigley, who was driving a truck on Daytona Beach,
and found a small automatic pistol in the truck's glove compartment.
Approximately one-half hour later in the same vicinity, police took
Marek into custody. Adella's jewelry was later found in the truck. A
fingerprint expert testified that six prints lifted from the
lifeguard shack matched Marek's fingerprints, and one matched
Wigley's. Only Marek's print was found inside the observation deck,
where the body was discovered. The Marek testified in his own behalf
that he and Wigley had traveled together from Texas to Florida for a
vacation; that he had attempted to fix Adella's disabled vehicle and
had offered to take the women to a filling station; that he fell
asleep after Adella got into the truck and that when he awoke, she
was gone; that he went back to sleep and woke up at the beach, where
he found Wigley on the observation deck of the lifeguard shack; and
that it was dark in the shack and he did not see Adella's body.
Marek admitted that after he had been incarcerated and a detective
told him he had "made it to the big time," he responded: "S.O.B.
must have told all." Wigley testified that the victim was forced to
perform oral sex and was sexually assaulted repeatedly. Simmons was
then strangled with a bandana. Wigley was sentenced to life in
prison. |
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 14, 2009 |
Oklahoma |
Shane Alan Coffman, 8 |
Donald Gilson |
executed |
 Donald Lee
Gilson was sentenced to death for the first degree child abuse
murder of 8-year-old Shane Coffman. On February 9, 1996, the
skeletal remains of 8-year-old Shane Coffman were found in an
abandoned freezer located next to a mobile home formerly rented by
his mother, Bertha Jean Coffman. A subsequent search of the mobile
home revealed a photograph of Gilson. On February 11, 1996,
authorities from the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office met with
Gilson at his mobile home. Living in the mobile home with Gilson was
Bertha Jean Coffman and her four children, 12-year-old Isaac,
10-year-old Tia, 11-year-old Tranny and 7-year-old Crystal. The
children were immediately removed from the trailer and taken to
Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. Gilson and Bertha Jean Coffman
were detained by the deputies. Examinations of the children
conducted in the emergency room revealed Tranny and Crystal were
healthy with a few small scars on each. However, Isaac and Tia were
malnourished and emaciated. Tia’s feet were swollen and she had
difficulty walking. She had gangrenous tissue on her right foot. On
her right buttocks was a large open ulcer. Isaac was in the worst
condition, emaciated and needing assistance to walk. He was
malnourished and had several injuries, in various stages of healing,
and scars throughout his body. In their initial interview with
police, Gilson and Coffman both denied any knowledge as to the
manner in which Shane died. They stated he had run away from home
during the early part of November and they had found him dead in the
weeds near Coffman’s trailer. They decided that putting him in the
freezer would be the best thing to do. However, in subsequent
interviews both Gilson and Coffman recanted this story and admitted
to knowing more about the circumstances surrounding Shane’s death.
From interviews with Gilson, Coffman, the Coffman children and other
3 witnesses, the following picture emerged. The four Coffman
children mentioned above, along with the murder victim in this case,
and another brother, 13-year-old Jeremy, lived with their mother
Bertha Jean Coffman, in a mobile home. During the fall of 1994, the
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department received complaints of sexual
abuse committed upon one of the Coffman children by Coffman’s then
boyfriend (not Gilson). The investigating detective visited
Coffman’s mobile home and found the conditions deplorable and
unsanitary. The children were removed from Coffman’s home until
conditions improved. It was about this time that Bertha Jean Coffman
met Gilson. They were both working as janitors at Little Axe
Schools. Gilson fixed up Coffman’s trailer so she could get her
children back. The children were subsequently returned to their
mother. Thereafter, Gilson began spending more and more time with
Coffman and was given the authority to discipline the children. In
June of 1995, the oldest child, Jeremy, ran away [as a result of his
mistreatment by Gilson]. The next month, Coffman and her children
walked to Gilson’s trailer for a visit and never returned to their
home. Whatever possessions they had were left at Coffman’s trailer.
Gilson’s trailer had only 2 bedrooms; Gilson and Coffman slept in
one room and the other room contained Gilson’s leather working
material. As a result, all five children were forced to sleep on
blankets in the living room. They were not permitted to go outside,
but had to remain inside the trailer at all times. The children were
taken out of school and claimed to be homeschooled by Coffman,
although no evidence of homeschooling was ever found. The children
were also not permitted to go to church. Gilson and Coffman both
disciplined the children. This discipline took several forms,
including standing at the wall, sometimes for hours at a time, and
beatings with a bamboo stick, a belt, boards, wooden rulers, metal
ruler, and a bullwhip. The children were also made to sit in the
bathtub, often for hours at a time. Food was withheld, particularly
from Isaac and Tia, as punishment. The abuse inflicted upon Shane
Coffman resulted in his death on August 17, 1995. At trial, Tranny
testified that he last saw his brother Shane sitting in the bathtub.
Tranny said Shane had gotten in trouble for going to the bathroom on
the living room carpet. He said that before Shane was put into the
bathtub, Gilson beat him with a board. Tranny said Shane received
several beatings with the board, all over his body. After the
beating, Gilson put Shane into the bathtub. After a couple of hours,
Shane was let out of the bathtub. He then got into trouble again.
Tranny said Gilson and Coffman then took Shane outside the trailer.
Tranny did not know what happened to Shane while he was outside, but
he said he could hear Shane screaming. Gilson and Coffman carried
Shane back inside the trailer. Tranny said Shane’s arms were
swollen, he was breathing “weird”, and he had a soft spot on his
head. Pursuant to Gilson’s “house rules”, the other children were
not permitted to talk to Shane. Gilson then carried Shane to the
bathroom and placed him in the bathtub. Tranny said he and the other
children heard a few more screams and banging noises. He said both
Gilson and Coffman were with Shane when they heard the screams. The
children then decided to try and go to sleep. He said they were
awakened some time later by Gilson and Coffman and told that Shane
had run away, and that Gilson and Coffman were going to look for
him. Isaac testified Gilson first sent Shane to stand at the wall
for wetting the bed. While he was standing at the wall, Gilson hit
him with a board. Gilson and Coffman eventually took Shane to the
bathroom and put him in the bathtub. Isaac said Gilson made all the
other children go to the bathroom and tell Shane what a bad boy he
was. He said that both Gilson and Coffman remained in the bathroom
with Shane while the children watched television. He said they could
hear Shane crying. Isaac further stated that later that night,
Gilson and Coffman told them Shane had run away. In a statement made
to police shortly after his arrest, Gilson stated that on August 17,
1995, he had put Shane in the bathtub as punishment. Gilson said he
was trying to teach Shane a lesson, so he spanked him and put him in
the bathtub where he was to remain until he stopped the disruptive
behavior. He said the water in the bathtub was initially warm to
help the pain from the spanking, but then he changed it to a cold
bath. Gilson said Shane was crying as Coffman talked to him about
his behavior. He said he then laid down on the couch to watch
television with the rest of the kids where he eventually fell
asleep. Coffman was in and out of the bathroom talking to Shane
before she went to the bedroom to lay down. A while later, Coffman
came into the living room in tears and told Gilson to come to the
bathroom. He said Coffman had taken Shane out of the bathtub and
laid him on the floor. Shane’s lips were blue and he was not
breathing. Gilson said he performed CPR for approximately an hour to
an hour and half. When his efforts were unsuccessful, Gilson took
the comforter off of his bed, wrapped Shane up and placed him back
in the bathtub. Gilson said he and Coffman discussed what to do
next. He said Coffman was worried that the Department of Human
Services (DHS) would take her kids away if the authorities found out
Shane had died. So they left Shane in the bathtub, waiting until the
other children had gone to sleep to remove him from the house.
Gilson said they carried Shane outside and placed him in the back of
a truck. He said they discussed “just dumping him somewhere” or
“bury him out in the middle of the boonies.” But they decided
neither of those options were right and “even though he wasn’t alive
he would still be part of the family being on her property, . . .
thought about putting him in the freezer, it wouldn’t hurt him and
then concreting it over. And making a flower bed out of it.” So
Gilson and Coffman took Shane’s body to the freezer located next to
Coffman’s trailer and put him inside. Gilson said he and Coffman
told the other children Shane had run away. Bertha Jean Coffman
testified at trial to disciplining her children by making them stand
at the time-out wall, and spanking them, only on their bottoms, with
a cloth belt or a wooden paddle. She also testified that Gilson
disciplined her children by spanking them with the wooden paddle,
but at various places on their bodies. Coffman stated Gilson had a
quick temper and did not want the children tearing up his trailer.
In her statement to police on August 17, 1995, Coffman said she and
Gilson found Shane sexually assaulting his younger brother. As
punishment, they made him stand at the time-out wall, then Coffman
paddled him. When Shane refused to stand at the wall, Coffman
spanked him again. When Shane still would not do as Coffman
directed, she screamed at him. Shane then fainted. When Coffman
could not get a response from Shane, she put a piece of ice on his
chest. When he still did not respond, Coffman picked him up and took
him to the bathroom where she placed him in a tub of cool water. She
said Shane eventually came to and wanted to get out of the tub. She
said he slipped and hit his head on the faucet. Coffman stated she
pushed on Shane’s shoulders to keep him in the bathtub. They
struggled, and the shower doors were knocked off their railing.
Coffman called for Gilson to come and fix the doors. Gilson left the
living room where he had been watching television with the other
children and put the doors back on their railings. Gilson left the
bathroom. Coffman and Shane struggled again. Gilson returned to the
bathroom to see what the noise was about. He saw the doors had
fallen off again so he took them and set them on the floor. Coffman
said she remained in the bathroom with Shane while Gilson went back
to the living room. After a while, Gilson stepped into the bathroom
and told Coffman to leave Shane alone for a while. So Coffman left
the bathroom to get Shane dry clothes and prepare lunch. When she
saw that Gilson had already prepared lunch, Coffman laid down on her
bed. She was awakened by a noise in the bathroom and saw Gilson
coming out of the bathroom. When asked how Shane was, Gilson
responded he was fine and that he was blowing bubbles. Coffman sat
down to have a cup of coffee, then decided to check on Shane. She
found him quiet but not breathing. She called for Gilson and they
pulled Shane out of the bathtub and gave him CPR. She said they
waited until the other children were asleep before taking the body
to the freezer. Coffman also stated that once Shane died, Isaac and
Tia began receiving the brunt of the discipline from Gilson. Shane’s
skeletal remains were not found until approximately 6 months after
his death. Therefore, the medical examiner, Dr. Balding, was not
able to make a determination as to the cause of death. The medical
examiner did testify to injuries to certain bones which were evident
upon his examination of the remains. The injuries included a
fracture to the right jawbone. The injury was determined to be
“acute” as it showed no signs of healing, and therefore was probably
less than a week old at the time of death. Another fracture was also
found on the left side of the skull. Dr. Balding testified the two
fractures were the result of two different blunt force blows. A
tooth was missing from the right jaw. Fractures were also found in
the collarbone, shoulder blades, numerous ribs, both legs, and
several vertebrae in the spine. All the fractures were ruled acute,
and not the result of normal childhood play. Gilson and Bertha Jean
Coffman were jointly charged with first degree murder by child abuse
in the death of Shane Coffman, and one count of injury to a minor
child for the abuse suffered by each of the remaining children. They
were also jointly charged with conspiracy to unlawfully remove a
dead body and unlawful removal of a dead body. On August 20, 1997,
approximately 8 months prior to Gilson’s trial, Coffman entered
Alford pleas to all counts. Gilson was subsequently tried and
convicted on all charges except he was found not guilty of
committing injury to a minor child as to Jeremy, Tranny and Crystal.
The jury, in connection with the two injury to a minor child
convictions, concluded Gilson’s sentence should be life
imprisonment. At the conclusion of the second-stage proceedings,
which were conducted as a result of Gilson’s murder conviction, the
jury found the existence of both aggravating factors alleged by the
State and recommended a death sentence. Gilson was formally
sentenced by the state trial court at a later hearing. |
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 14, 2009 |
Alabama |
Ella Foy Riley |
Willie
McNair |
executed |
 On the
night of May 21, 1990, Willie McNair and another man went to the
home of Ella Foy Riley, an elderly widow who lived alone and
occasionally hired McNair to do yard work. When Ella came to the
door, McNair asked her if he could borrow twenty dollars. Riley told
him she had no money to lend him. McNair then asked if he could have
a glass of water. Ella invited him in, and when she turned around
McNair grabbed her by the neck and stabbed her in the throat. When
the blade of the knife broke off in Ella’s neck, McNair’s companion
retrieved another knife from the kitchen and McNair stabbed Ella in
the neck again. The wounds severed Ella’s carotid artery and jugular
vein. Evidence indicated that McNair also strangled Ella Rile, who
struggled for several minutes as she bled to death. After killing
Ella, McNair took her purse from the kitchen counter and fled the
scene with his companion. The pair drove several miles down a rural
road, rummaged through Ella’s purse, then dumped it. When an officer
came to his house the next morning, McNair admitted killing Ella and
was arrested. He subsequently directed officers to the place where
he had dumped Ella Riley’s purse and gave detailed descriptions of
the murder to investigators. McNair was convicted of capital murder
in the course of a robbery on April 18, 1991. He was sentenced to
death following a 10-2 jury vote in favor of that penalty. The
Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals confirmed the conviction, but it
remanded the case for a new sentencing hearing because the
sentencing judge had improperly considered as an aggravating factor
a prior conviction that resulted from a no contest plea. The second
jury recommended a sentence of life without parole by a vote of 8-4.
The court rejected this recommendation and again sentenced McNair to
death. McNair’s case was twice remanded for correction of the
sentencing order before finally being affirmed on direct appeal. The
United States Supreme Court denied McNair’s petition for certiorari. |
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 19, 2009 |
Texas |
Wynona Lynn Harris,
23 |
Michael Riley |
executed |
| On February 1,
1986, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Michael Lynn Riley fatally stabbed
23-year-old Winona Lynn Harris in the convenience store where she
worked. On February 1, 1986, Riley, a Dallas County native, went to
convenience store in Quitman. Armed with a butcher knife, Riley
approached Wynona as she was counting money by the cash register and
stabbed her to death. Police found her stabbed and cut thirty-one
times; some of the stab wounds were delivered with enough force to
sever the underlying ribs. Later that day, Riley went to the
Sheriff’s office and explained that he had been told by an unknown
person to come in and talk to the deputy about the murder. In
response to initial questions, Riley said that he had not been to
the store that day, and left. After later evidence emerged placing
Riley at the store that morning, the Sheriff went to Riley’s house
and brought him back to the office for further questioning. Riley
led police to the evidence of the crime: bloodstained coveralls with
$970 in the pocket that was hidden under some brush in a field close
to Riley’s house. Riley waived his Miranda rights and confessed to
the murder. The state of Texas twice tried, and twice convicted
Riley for capital murder, nine years apart. The first conviction was
subsequently overturned on appeal because of an error in jury
selection. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1991 overturned
Riley's conviction, saying that a potential juror had been
improperly dismissed. Riley has at least six arrests contained in his record
resulting in short stays in the Wood County Jail for burglary of a
motor vehicle, public intoxication, aggravated assault with serious
bodily injury, and theft by check. He was also placed on two years
probation in Wood County in 1976 for burglary with intent to commit
theft. In 1977, Riley violated his parole and received a two-year
state prison sentence from Wood County for burglary with intent to
commit theft. He was discharged from prison in 1978. In 1980, Riley
was sentenced to nine years in state prison for burglary of a
building. He was released on parole to Wood County in 1983. In Wood
County in 1985, Riley was placed on five years probation for writing
a bad check and a ten years probation for forgery. Wynona Harris's
family feels that the execution is long overdue.
"I
don't know what to think right now," said Kitty Harris, Wynona's
sister. "I never dreamed it would continue for this long. Her
children were babies when it happened, and now they have babies of
their own. That's how long we sat here with no closure on this." Ms.
Harris said the family is glad a date has been set, but is wary that
Riley may not get executed if he is proven to be mentally retarded.
She said Riley's nonchalant nature about the murder at the trials
showed that he had no regrets. "I hope this is the end of 20 years
of emotional unrest," she said. "It's time to come to an end." Ms.
Harris said that even though Riley had not committed violent crimes
before, she strongly believed he would murder again. "Yes, this was
his first time of violent behavior and taking another human being's
life, but by no means do I think it would've been his last," she
said. Ms. Harris said she is supporting the death penalty for Riley
because her sister's murder tore her family to shreds. She said she
doesn't think Riley deserves a place in society, or that tax dollars
should go to keep him alive. "His mom gets handwritten letters and
my mom gets to stare at a headstone," she said. Ms. Harris said
despite her feelings about Riley, she still has empathy for his
family, and she said she has raised her sister's children to not
hate him or his family. "I sat in court and saw his mom
brokenhearted," she said. "I just wanted to hug her ... I didn't
want my children ever growing up thinking 'I hate this person.'"
Some of the family members will likely witness the execution, Ms.
Harris said. "It's been very, very difficult," she said. "There have
been times when you have to talk yourself into keeping on believing
in the justice system." UPDATE:
Prior to his execution, Riley spoke to Wynona Harris's relatives
including her two daughters and husband, saying, "To the Harris
family. I have been trying to tell you for years that I am sorry. I know I hurt your
family bad. I am sorry. Wynona should not of even have happened. I
am sorry. I truly am sorry for the hurt and pain I caused you. I hope you can
forgive me. One day I hope you can move
on and, if not, I understand." The daughters of Wynona Harris were
young children when their mother was killed. Brandy Oaks said she
accepted Riley's apology and was pleased to hear it. She was 4 when
her mother, Wynona Harris, was killed. "This is a difficult day and
there are no winners on either side," she said. "Her spirit will
live on in our hearts and in our lives. I think being here was
something I needed. It's the last chapter in the book. I can close
it. It's over for me, emotionally, I guess." |
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 20, 2009 |
Missouri |
Richard Drummond, 47
Joseph Babcock, 47 Charlene Babcock, 38 Wendell Howell
Paul J.
Hines, 31
unnamed female victim |
Dennis Skillicorn |
executed |
 In late August
1994, Dennis J. Skillicorn, Allen Nicklasson, and Tim DeGraffenreid
headed east from Kansas City to obtain illegal drugs. On August 23,
1994, during their return trip to Kansas City, the 1983 Chevrolet
Caprice in which they were traveling broke down twenty-two miles
east of the Kingdom City exit on I-70. An offer of assistance by a
state trooper was refused. The next day they traveled only 17 miles
to the JJ overpass approximately 5 miles east of Kingdom City. They
burglarized the nearby home, stole some guns and money, and used the
stolen money to pay for a tow to Kingdom City. A garage in Kingdom
City was unable to repair the extensive mechanical problems. The
trio then drove the car back east toward the site of their earlier
robbery. They stalled again on the south outer road east of Kingdom
City. Between 4 and 5 p.m., Richard Drummond, a technical support
supervisor for AT&T, saw the stranded motorists, stopped, and
offered to take them to use a phone. He was driving a white 1994
Dodge Intrepid, a company car. Skillicorn and Nicklasson were both
armed. They loaded the booty from the Smith burglary into the trunk
of Drummond’s car. While Nicklasson held a gun to Drummond’s head,
Skillicorn asked Drummond, a married father of three, some questions
in order to calm him down, including whether Drummond’s "old lady"
was going to miss him. As Drummond drove east, Skillicorn "got to
thinking...if we let this guy off, he’s got this car phone." So they
disabled the car phone. Skillicorn stated that he later determined
they would have to "lose" Drummond in the woods. At some point
during this time, Nicklasson and Skillicorn discussed what they
should do with Drummond. Skillicorn, in his sworn statement, claimed
that Nicklasson said "he was going to, you know, do something to
this guy. I tell him - you know, now, we’re trying to talk on the
pretenses that-that, uh, this guy in the front seat don’t hear us
too. Right? Right. ‘Cause, uh, I didn’t want him panicking." They
directed Drummond to exit I-70 at the Highway T exit just east of
Higginsville. They proceeded four miles on to County Road 202 to a
secluded area where they ordered Drummond to stop his vehicle. As
Nicklasson prepared to take Drummond through a field toward a wooded
area, Skillicorn demanded Drummond’s wallet. Knowing Nicklasson had
no rope or other means by which to restrain Richard Drummond and
that Nicklasson carried a loaded .22 caliber pistol, Skillicorn
watched as Nicklasson lead Richard toward a wooded area. There,
Nicklasson told Richard to say a prayer and shot him twice in the
head. Skillicorn acknowledged hearing two shots from the woods and
that Nicklasson returned having "already done what he had to do."
Drummond’s remains were found eight days later. Following this
murder, Skillicorn and Nicklasson dropped DeGraffenreid off in Blue
Springs, Missouri, and then fled the state. They committed a string
of house burglaries along the way, and attempted to steal a woman's
purse at a grocery store in California. The jury heard audiotape of
Skillicorn's confession to the FBI in San Diego, in which he
recounted the following crimes. Three days after Richard Drummond's
murder, the car they stole from him became stuck in the sand near
Kingman, Arizona. The two men approached the house of Joseph
Babcock, 47, and Charlene Babcock, 38. As in the case of RIchard
Drummond's murder, Mr. and Mrs. Babcock offered assistance to
Skillicorn and Nicklasson and they were murdered. After Joseph
Babcock attempted unsuccessfully to pull Richard Drummond's company
car out of the sand, Nicklasson shot and killed him. Skillicorn and
Nicklasson then returned to the Babcock home in Joseph Babcock's
truck, where Nicklasson killed Charlene Babcock in a similar
fashion. Nicklasson and Skillicorn then absconded across California,
stealing a purse from a woman in a supermarket and committing armed
robbery along the way. Later, while in Mexico, Skillicorn pulled his
handgun on a woman operating a diner where the two men were eating.
Unfortunately, the woman did not understand Skillicorn's demands for
money. Nicklasson then shot and killed the woman. Eventually
returning to the United States, both were arrested in San Diego
after the police picked them up on successive days as hitchhikers.
Following his arrest in San Diego, Nicklasson gave a confession to
the FBI. Nicklasson admitted that he marched Drummond into the woods
at gunpoint. Nicklasson alleged in this statement that he had a rope
in his pocket to tie Drummond up, but he "snapped" and instead
decided to shoot him, somewhat on an impulsive whim. Nicklasson also
described the Arizona murders and numerous robberies the two
committed while on the lam, and how he had killed his own abusive
father at age nine. Skillicorn also was involved in the murder of
Paul J. Hines outside a truck stop in Elko, Nevada. Skillicorn also
discussed with police the murder of the woman in Mexico, but this
case has not resulted in charges. Additionally, in 1980, Skillicorn
had been convicted of second degree murder in the death of Wendell
Howell. He served 13 years for that killing and was on parole.
|
|
Date of scheduled execution |
State |
Victim name |
Inmate name |
Status |
|
May 24, 2009 |
Florida |
Mary Hammond, 84 |
David Johnston |
stayed |
| On November 5,
1983, at approximately 3:30 a.m., David Eugene Johnston called the
police department in Orlando, Florida, identified himself as Martin
White, and advised a police officer that someone had killed his
grandmother. Johnston also informed the police of the location where
the murder had occurred. The police subsequently went to the address
supplied by Johnston and found the dead body of eighty-four year old
Mary Hammond. The body revealed evidence of multiple stab wounds and
manual strangulation. The police arrested Johnston for Hammond's
murder after noticing that his clothes were blood-stained, his face
was scratched, and his statements to the police were inconsistent.
Other evidence presented at trial also linked Johnston to Hammond's
murder: (a) Johnston worked at a demolition site nearby Hammond's
home, and the police discovered several of Hammond's household
belongings in a pillowcase of a front-end loader parked at the
demolition area; (b) a watch that Johnston wore shortly before the
murder was found covered with blood in Hammond's home and a pin that
Johnston wore on the morning of the murder was found entangled in
Hammond's hair; and (c) the police discovered a print matching
Johnston's shoe outside the kitchen window of Hammond's house. A
jury convicted Johnston of Hammond's murder and recommended a death
sentence. The trial court imposed a sentence of death after finding
as aggravating factors that Johnston previously had been convicted
of a violent felony; that this offense had been committed in the
course of committing a burglary; and that the murder was especially
heinous, atrocious, or cruel. |
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