Edward Ellis #749; March 3, 1992

I just want everyone to know that the prosecutor and Bill Scott are sorry sons of bitches.
To his family he added that he loved them all.

Offender Information

Additional information can be found in this Houston Chronicle article

David Clark #874; February 28, 1992

None. But as he lay there he did praise the Lord and seemed to be praying.

Offender Information

Additional information available here

Johnny Garrett #729; February 11, 1992

I'd like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me. And the rest of the world can kiss my everloving ass, because I'm innocent.

Offender Information

Additional information about this case and the controversy surrounding it, can be found here and here, and a case summary can be found on Wikipedia

Joe Cordova #730; January 22, 1992

Cordova made no final statement.

Information about his crime and execution can be found in this Houston Chronicle article

G.W. Green #576; November 12, 1991

Let’s do it, man. Lock and load. Ain’t life a [expletive deleted]?

Offender Information

See also Joseph Starvaggi

Lawrence Russell Brewer #999327; September 21, 2011

No, I have no final statement.

Offender Information

For those who don't remember the horrific murder of James Byrd, information on the crime can be found summarized in its Wikipedia page. Brewer, the day before his execution, told a local TV station, "“As far as any regrets, no, I have no regrets,” Brewer says. “No, I’d do it all over again, to tell you the truth.”

James Russell #579; September 19, 1991

His final statement lasted 3 minutes. He thanked everybody that fought against his sentence. He spoke to his family and said he would carry their love with him.

Offender Information

Additional Information available in this Houston Chronicle article

Jerry Bird #512; June 17, 1991

I don’t think so. That’s all. Go ahead. Start things rolling. (Mouthed "Hi, Mom" to his mother.)

No official documents from the Texas DoCJ, but information about Bird's crime and execution can be found in this Houston Chronicle article. In addition, if you haven't already done so, please check out the the Crime and Capital Punishment Forum, as they collate additional interesting information, including inmates' last meals.

Ignacio Cuevas #526; May 23, 1991

I’m going to a beautiful place. O.K., Warden, roll ‘em.

Offender Information

Steven Woods, #999427; September 13 , 2011

You're not about to witness an execution, you are about to witness a murder. I am strapped down for something Marcus Rhodes did. I never killed nobody, never. I love you, Mom. I love you, Tali. This is wrong. This whole thing is wrong. I can't believe you are going to let Marcus Rhodes walk around free. Justice has let me down. Somebody completely screwed this up. I love you too, Mom. Well Warden, if you are going to murder someone, go ahead and do it. Pull the trigger. It's coming. I can feel it coming. Goodbye.

Offender Information

Lawrence Lee Buxton #743; February 26, 1991

I’m ready, Warden

Offender Information

Additional information available here

Mikel James Derrick #701; July 18, 1990

I just ask everybody I ever hurt or done anything wrong to, to just forgive me for whatever wrongs I done to them.

Offender Information

More information available here

James Smith #763; June 26, 1990

He repeated his assertion he had not killed Rohus. "I myself did not kill anyone, but I go to my death without begging for my life. I will not humiliate myself. I will let no man break me.' When the general populace wakes up to the realities of executions," he said, "they will realize that the price to pay is a dear one.' Then he smiled, winked and said, "Hare Krishna.' Smith labeled death penalty foes as "vultures waiting until the last minute to peck around the body" and said they had wasted his time by getting his execution stayed in 1988.

Offender Information

A wealth of information is also available on the CNCP website. And in this NYT article, we find that Smith requested dirt for his final meal, for the performance of a voodoo ritual. He settled for yogurt.

Johnny Anderson #732; May 17, 1990

I would like to point out that I have written a statement and the Warden will give you a copy. I still proclaim I am innocent, and that’s all I have to say.

Offender Information

Additional information, regarding Anderson's appeals based on his mental retardation, can be found in this Houston Chronicle article It also includes a quote from Anderson's written statement. The entire statement is published in this book.

Jerome Butler #852; April 21, 1990

I wish everybody a good life. Everything is O.K.

Offender Information

Additional information from the Houston Chronicle

Carlos DeLuna #744; December 7, 1989

I want to say I hold no grudges. I hate no one. I love my family. Tell everyone on death row to keep the faith and don’t give up. Everything will be all right.

Offender Information


For additional information, please see this Associated Press article.


UPDATE: According to a recently released, and much discussed, study performed by scholars at Columbia Law School, DeLuna may have been the victim of mistaken identity, in which case the state of Texas executed an innocent man. Please see "Los Tocayos Carlos"

James Emery Paster #752; September 20, 1989

I hope Mrs. Howard can find peace in this.

Offender Information

For additional information about Paster's brutal life, see this Houston Chronicle article, which seems to misquote his last statement as "I hope Mrs. Howard can find pleasure in this." It is unclear to whom he may be referring, the victim's ex-wife or mother, as the ex-wife had hired Paster for the murder.

Stephen McCoy #769; May 24, 1989

This offender declined to make a last statement.

Offender Information

Additional information about McCoy's crime and execution can be found here. In addition, I'd like to introduce readers to another resource with a wealth of information that has been helpful to me in researching executed offenders from decades ago, the Crime and Capital Punishment Forum. Information compiled by the CCPF about executed inmates can be found here.