Karla Faye Tucker
Born	November 18, 1959 Houston, Texas  United States
Died	February 3, 1998 Huntsville, Texas  United States
Charge(s)	Murder
Penalty	Death sentence
Status	Executed
Spouse	Dana Lane Brown

Karla Faye Tucker (November 18, 1959–February 3, 1998) was convicted of murder in 1984 and sentenced to death. The case entered the U.S. and international news because she had become a born-again Christian while in prison and George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, had to decide on her request for clemency, which he ultimately denied. Tucker became the first woman to be executed in Texas since the American Civil War. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Huntsville is a city and also a newly designated micropolitan area located in the U.S. state of Texas within Walker County. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Early years, and murder

Karla Tucker was born and raised in Houston, Texas. When she was 13, she began traveling with the Allman Brothers Band. In her early 20's she started to hang out with bikers and on June 13, 1983, having spent the day doing drugs with her boyfriend she entered the home of another biker with Danny Garrett and James Leibrant to steal a motorcycle. During the robbery, two people were killed, Jerry Dean was hit numerous times with an axe until he died, as was Deborah Thornton. At one point, a witness entered the bedroom to find Tucker attempting to pull the axe out of Dean by using her foot on him as leverage. After she pulled the axe from his body, she lifted it above her head, smiled at the witness, and swung it into Dean again. Tucker and Garrett then used the axe on Deborah. When Deborah begged for the end to her pain, Garrett embedded the axe in her throat. Tucker later expressed satisfaction about her actions when news of the case was broadcast on TV and boasted to others of her actions. Garrett and Tucker were convicted of committing murder with a pickaxe. Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... The Allman Brothers Band is a pioneering and innovative Southern rock group from Macon, Georgia originally popular in the 1970s, described by Rolling Stones George Kimball in 1971 as the best . ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

Sexual arousal during killings

During Tucker's trial, a tape recorded by Garrett's brother while wearing a wire was played on which she claimed that she had multiple orgasms during the killings. She retorted that this was just big talk to impress her friends. On this point, Florence King (National Review, March 9, 1998) commented that An orgasm is the conclusion of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, and is experienced by both males and females. ... Florence King Miss Florence Virginia King (b. ... National Review (NR) is a biweekly magazine of political opinion, founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

"The murder occurred in 1983 when the multiple-orgasm craze was going full-tilt, when it was impossible to turn on the TV without hearing feminists talking about the female's "superior capacity", or read Cosmopolitan without finding an article on the mighty G-spot. I would bet anything that enough of this pop carnality filtered through to Karla Faye to inspire the trendy lie that sealed her doom." June 1936 issue Cosmopolitan is a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as Cosmo, which has been published for more than a century. ... ...

Imprisonment and death

Garrett and Tucker were sentenced to death in 1984. In 1993, Garrett died in prison of liver disease. While on death row, Tucker became a born-again Christian and married by proxy the prison chaplain, Dana Lane Brown, whom she was allowed to see during the marriage ceremony only through an acrylic glass barrier. On February 3, 1998, Karla Faye Tucker was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m. Her last words were: Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... The liver is an organ in vertebrates including humans. ... For information about the Record company see Death Row Records For information about the computer game see Deathrow (game) Death Row is a term which refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. ... A proxy marriage is a marriage in which either the bride or the groom is not physically present for the wedding. ... Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or poly (methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Lethal injection involves injecting a person with fatal doses of drugs to cause death. ...

"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 am 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."

According to Find A Grave, she was buried at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston. [1] Find A Grave (or findagrave. ...

Karla Tucker and George W. Bush

Under Texas law, each death penalty case has one chance for a 30 day stay of execution by a governor without the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The board must recommend the second reprieve in order for it to be granted. All 18 members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles are appointed by the governor (Clark, 2000). Before Tucker was executed, there were pleas for clemency from Waly Bacre Ndiaye, the United Nations commissioner on summary and arbitrary executions, the World Council of Churches, Pope John Paul II, and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, among other world figures. Unusual pleas came from conservative American political figures such as Newt Gingrich and Pat Robertson, interceding on her behalf. Tucker did not ask for a pardon, only commutation of her death sentence to life in prison. Huntsville Prison's warden testified that she was a model prisoner and that, after 14 years on death row, she likely had been reformed. Despite these pleas, Bush signed her death warrant. In 1999, during the 2000 Republican Presidential primary race, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Bush for Talk Magazine (September 1999, p. 106). Excerpt from this interview is quoted below: The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born   [] (May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as...   (born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician. ... This article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... Newton Leroy Gingrich (born June 17, 1943), Ph. ... Marion Gordon Pat Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is a televangelist from the United States. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In Law, a commutation of sentence occurs when an executive head of government reduces a sentence for a criminal action. ... Life imprisonment is a term used for a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ... Death Warrant is a 1990 action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. ... This article discusses the primary elections to nominate candidates for the 2000 U.S. presidential election. ... Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is a political news pundit who formerly co-hosted Crossfire and currently hosts Tucker, a national television news show, which is broadcast weekdays at 4 p. ...

In the weeks before the execution, Bush says, a number of protesters came to Austin to demand clemency for Karla Faye Tucker. "Did you meet with any of them?" I ask. Bush whips around and stares at me. "No, I didn't meet with any of them", he snaps, as though I've just asked the dumbest, most offensive question ever posed. "I didn't meet with Larry King either when he came down for it. I watched his interview with Tucker, though. He asked her real difficult questions like, 'What would you say to Governor Bush?'" "What was her answer?" I wonder. "'Please,'" Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, "'don't kill me.'" I must look shocked — ridiculing the pleas of a condemned prisoner who has since been executed seems odd and cruel — because he immediately stops smirking.

Bush denied that he had intended to make light of the issue. Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Travis County Government  - Mayor Will Wynn Area  - City  296. ... Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933) is an award-winning American writer, journalist and broadcaster. ...

International reactions

Tucker gained international attention both for being the first woman executed in Texas since the Civil War and the first in the United States since 1984. Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro noted in a public speech that spectators outside a Texas prison had cheered when Tucker was executed. "And we are on the threshold of 2,000 years of Christ!" he exclaimed. In England, Richard Harries of the Diocese of Oxford reported that a Gospel singer's rendition of Amazing Grace was shouted down by cries of Kill the bitch! from the crowd that gathered outside of prison. From Nicaragua, Bianca Jagger campaigned on behalf of Tucker and Sean Sellers, who was executed the same year as Tucker for a crime he committed at age 16, using their example to point out the anomaly of the U.S. Justice system as compared to other post-industrial countries that abolished the death penalty and executions of prisoners for crimes committed when they were legally considered children. Baron Oscar Luigi Scàlfaro [skalfaro] (born in Novara, September 9, 1918) is an Italian politician and magistrate, member of the Christian Democracy, President of the Italian Republic from 1992 to 1999 and senator for life. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christ is the English... The Rt Revd Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, giving a speech in 2004. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... A piper plays Amazing Grace on Memorial Day. ... Hafsat Abiola, Willem Dafoe and Bianca Jagger at the Dropping Knowledge projects Table of Free Voices in Berlin, September 2006 Bianca Jagger (born Bianca Perez Morena de Macias on May 2, 1945, in Managua, Nicaragua) is a social and political activist made famous by having married Mick Jagger of... Sean Sellers (born May 18, 1969, died February 4, 1999) was the last person in the United States executed for a crime committed under the age of 17. ...

Sound tracks

• Indigo Girls (1999). Faye Tucker (Ray) on the album [Come On Now Social] [Epic Records]
• Mary Gauthier (2001). Karla Faye (Mary Gauthier/Crit Harmon) on the album Drag Queens & Limousines [Munich Records BV]
• David Knopfler (2002). Karla Faye (David Knopfler) on the album Wishbones [Paris Records/Edel GmbH/Koch Entertainment]
• Audrey Auld Mezera (2005). Karla Faye (Mary Gauthier/Crit Harmon) on the album Texas [Reckless Records]

Indigo Girls are an American folk rock duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. ... Mary Gauthier (born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American folk singer/songwriter. ... David Knopfler (born December 27, 1952 in Glasgow) is a Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter. ...

Theatrical plays, films, and television

• MacNeil, R. (2005) Karla. Produced by Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford, CT.
• KARLA (2005) by Steve Earle opened October 23, 2005 at 45 Below Theatre in NYC.
• Crossed Over (2002), Film starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Diane Keaton.
• Karla Faye Tucker: Forevermore (2004), Film directed by Helen Gibson.
• A Question of Mercy: The Karla Faye Tucker Story (1998), TV Documentary directed by Rob Feldman.
• Dead Woman Walking: The Karla Faye Tucker Story (1999), American Justice TV Episode Bill Kurtis/Towers Productions, Inc.

When used by itself in a sentence, the term Hartford can refer to one of several places in the United States. ... Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, well known for his rock and country music, as well as for his political views. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films. ... Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Helen Gibson Helen Gibson (August 27, 1892 - October 10, 1977) was an American rodeo rider and film actress. ... Bill Kurtis (born September 21, 1940) is a television journalist and producer best known as the host of numerous A&E crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case Files. ... Founded in 1989, Towers Productions, Inc. ...

References

• Carlson, T. (1999). Devil May Care, Talk Magazine, September 1999, p. 106.
• Clark, T. (2000). Texas procedures on death penalty reprieves. CNN Law Center. June 22, 2000.
• King, L. (1998). Karla Faye Tucker: Live from Death Row. CNN Transcript # 98011400V22.
• Strom, L. (2000). Karla Faye Tucker set free: life and faith on death row. New York, NY. Random House: Shaw Books.

is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Crime Library - Karla Faye Tucker: Texas' Controversial Murderess
• "Death in Texas" by Sister Helen Prejean
• Commentary by Florence King
• Karla Faye Tucker Memorial at Find A Grave
• Karla Faye Tucker at the Notable Names Database
• Deborah Ruth Thornton by victim Debbie Thornton's husband Richard A Thornton
• Karla Tucker and George W. Bush
• Bill Kurtis' "American Justice" Television Documentary