Texas Breaks Record For Executions

H U N T S V I L L E, Texas, Dec. 5, 2000 -- Texas prison officials have conducted arecord 38th execution this year, the most by any state in U.S.history, putting a condemned killerto death for the rape-slaying of a 7-year-oldWest Texas girl.

In a last statement tonight, Garry Dean Miller turned to his victim’s mother Marjorie Howlett and said, “Maggie I am sorry. I always wanted to tell you, but I just didn’t know how. I have been praying fory’all. I hope that y’all find the peace that y’all have beenwanting,” he said as Howlett sobbed quietly.

Then he prayed, asking God for peace and thanking the Lord forhis family, for “my brothers on the row” and for his spiritualfamily.

“Be merciful to me a sinner,” he added after asking for mercyfor those who were “actively involved with the taking of mylife.”

Then he looked at Warden Jim Willett and said, “All rightwarden, I am ready to go home.”

He took a deep breath then gasped slightly and stoppedbreathing. He was pronounced dead 12 minutes later, at 7:23 p.m.EST.

More Texas Executions Expected

Miller’s execution topped the previous record of 37 set three yearsago.

He isn’t likely to hold the record long. Two moreexecutions were set for the next two nights: on Wednesday, Daniel Joe Hittle, 50, is set to die for the 1989shooting death of a Garland police officer, one of at least sevenpeople believed slain by the Minnesota man.The following night, Claude Howard Jones, 60, is scheduled for lethal injection for the 1989 robbery and shooting death of a San JacintoCounty liquor store owner.

Their punishments would close out the state’s record executiontally at 40, five more than last year. At least seven condemnedkillers already have execution dates set for 2001, three of them inJanuary.

According to the Washington-based Death Penalty InformationCenter, the Texas total is the highest in a state since 1862 when39 Native Americans were hanged on a single day in Minnesota. Thoseexecutions, however, were carried out by the military and not thestate, the records indicate.

‘No Mercy For This guy’Miller, 33, a former bartender and laborer, was convicted andsentenced to die for the death of April Marie Wilson, who wasraped, choked and fatally bludgeoned on the tailgate of a pickuptruck, then had her body dragged by hangers through clumps ofprickly pear cactus before it was left in some brush in a cottonfield in Jones County, northwest of Abilene.

“I’ve got no mercy for this guy,” Jones County DistrictAttorney Gary Brown said. “Too bad they can’t draw and quarterhim. Too bad they can’t put him up here on the sand and skin himfor a couple of days and let him be tortured like she was and cutthat sucker up and stuff it down his throat and let him choke on itto death.

“That’s my attitude. It might not be a Christian one, butthere’s no reason for this stuff, for what he did to her.”

Miller was believed to have been drinking heavily when hereturned to his girlfriend’s house in Merkel, about 15 miles westof Abilene, in the early morning hours of Nov. 11, 1988. AprilWilson was the girlfriend’s cousin, was staying at her house andwas asleep on a couch when Miller arrived.

In a confession to authorities, Miller said he woke the girland asked if she wanted to go for a ride. In the Jones Countycotton field, he raped her on the pickup tailgate, then choked herand hit her with an object he picked up from the ground.

When Miller’s girlfriend awoke the next morning and April wasgone, police were notified and a search began with Miller among theparticipants. Quail hunters aware of the missing girl called policeafter they found blood-spattered items that included children’sclothing, a blanket and a Raggedy Ann doll. Her body then wasdiscovered. Miller was tied to her death and blood evidence fromthe tailgate was used against him.

No Pleas For MercyMiller, who declined repeated requests for interviews withreporters, ordered his attorneys to not pursue appeals once theU.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case.

No clemency request was made to Gov. George W. Bush, who hadauthority to grant a one-time 30-day reprieve. Only once in hisnearly six years in office has Bush used the power to stop anexecution and that inmate subsequently was put to death. Since thestate resumed carrying out capital punishment in 1982, 236condemned murderers preceded Miller to the death house, 147 of themduring Bush’s tenure.

At one time Miller had worked with young people at a MethodistChurch-run camp near Merkel. He also had taken community collegecourses in law enforcement.

“Apparently he had ambition,” said Jack Willingham, thenow-retired district attorney who prosecuted Miller. “He missed itby a little.”

Willingham described Miller as a “nice appearing young man”who had no previous criminal record and who cooperated withauthorities.

“I would think there could be a lot more to him,” he said. “Idon’t know why he kidnapped this little girl... She was theprettiest little thing, just a pretty little girl.”

Willingham said while testifying at his trial, Miller “startedpuckering up, tearing up, putting on some emotion.

“I walked up and shook my finger at him and told him to drythat up … I said it’s time for the needle.”