Karla Faye Tucker
Karla Faye Tucker Brown (born November 18, 1959 in Houston , Texas , † February 3, 1998 in Huntsville , Texas) was an American criminal. She was sentenced to death for double murders and executed. Her case caused a stir around the world. She was the first woman to be executed in Texas since the Civil War and in the United States since 1984 .
prehistory
On June 13, 1983, heroin addict Karla Faye Tucker, her significant other Danny Garrett, and a friend named James Liebrandt decided to steal the motorcycle of an acquaintance, Jerry Lynn Dean. To do this, they broke into Jerry Dean's apartment one night. According to their own statements and various press releases, they were under the influence of drugs. After a brief scuffle, Garrett hit the back of Jerry Dean's head with a hammer and seriously injured him (unlike the pickaxe, however, the hammer was never found and it remained a matter of debate whether it was actually a hammer). After Garrett left the room, Tucker was left alone with the victim. Since she couldn't stand the gurgling sounds of the dying Dean, Karla Faye Tucker grabbed a pickaxe that was leaning against the wall in the victim's bedroom and hit the victim several times in the back. Only then did Tucker notice the present Deborah Ruth Thornton, who was hiding under the bed. After a fight, Tucker slew her too with the pickaxe. When interrogated by police, Tucker later stated that she left the scene after the pickaxe attack on Deborah Thornton, and that she said the victim was still alive. Tucker claimed that Garrett had ultimately murdered Thornton in her absence. But she was convicted of double murders anyway.
process
During Tucker's trial, a tape was released on which she allegedly confessed to having experienced sexual arousal while beating Dean, but Tucker vehemently denied this and denied the allegations; this would have been just "big fuss" to impress her friends. She was found guilty of two murders and subsequently sentenced to lethal injection . Garrett was also sentenced to death, but he died on death row in 1993 of complications from a liver condition.
In prison, Tucker became a professed Christian. She started reading the Bible and professed her belief in God and Jesus Christ . She apologized for her previous crimes. In addition, she was considered a helper and friend for the prison inmates.
The death sentence was signed by the then governor of Texas , later US President George W. Bush .
Tucker was executed by lethal injection at 6:45 p.m. on February 3, 1998 in the Huntsville Unit .
last words
" Yes Sir, I would like to say to all of you, the Thornton family and Jerry Dean's family that I am so sorry. I hope God will give you peace with this. Baby i love you Ron, give Peggy a hug for me. Everybody has been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I'm going to be face-to-face with Jesus now. Warden Baggett, thank all of you so much. You have been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for you. "
“Yes sir, I want to tell you all, the Thornton family and Jerry Dean's family, that I'm really sorry. I hope God will give you peace with it. I love you sweetheart. Ron, give Peggy a hug for me. Everyone was so good to me. I really love you all very much. I will now stand face to face with Jesus. Director Baggett, thank you very much. You were so good to me. I really love you all very much. I'll see you there when you get there. I will wait for you. "
Film documentaries
- " 24:00 hours until the execution ", documentary about Karla Faye Tucker. Asaph publishing house.
- " Karla Faye Tucker: Forever and Always ", feature film. Brunnen Verlag.
Web links
- Literature by and about Karla Faye Tucker in the catalog of the German National Library
- Delay denied: Karla Tucker executed . In: Rhein-Zeitung . 1998.
- The new Karla will soon no longer exist either . In: world . January 1998.
- Until after death . In: world . February 1998.
- Brigitte Eggemann: When God said: I love you. In: Christian Witness . September 16, 2003 (based on the book " Karla Faye Tucker - Heaven on Death Row " by Linda Strom).
- "Pardon is tacitly nullified" Amnesty International press release . January 30, 1998.
- Karla Napoleon: family values? Is "Retaliation Therapy" Effective? A question in view of the disagreement on the death penalty in the USA - using the example of Karla Faye Tucker (German translation on Gabi Uhl's website)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tucker, Karla Faye |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tucker Brown, Karla Faye (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | two-time American murderer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 18, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Houston , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 3, 1998 |
| Place of death | Huntsville , Texas |