Execution Report: Excell White

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A jury convicted White of capital murder of Mr. Broyles in August 1974 and sentenced him to death. An appeals court overturned the verdict in 1987 because he was not warned that information he gave to state psychiatrists could be used against him. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for a second time later that year.

James Owen Livingston, who was inside the store when White shot the victims, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in April 1983. Gary Dale Livingston, who stayed outside as a lookout, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years. He was discharged from his sentence in July 1984. He committed suicide two years later.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court declared every state death penalty law unconstitutional. White was the fifth prisoner sentenced to death in Texas under new laws passed in 1973. One of his four predecessors on Death Row committed suicide, and the other three had their sentences commuted, so at the time of his execution, White was the longest-serving Death Row inmate in Texas He had been on Death Row for 24½ years.

When prison officials were placing him into a holding cell to await execution, he said, "Well, you finally got me."

When asked if he wanted to make a last statement, he replied, "Send me to my Maker, warden." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m.

Billy St. John, 38, the brother of one of White's victims, attended White's execution.

"It was great," St. John said. "I enjoyed watching the man die. I really did." He did comment, however that "It was really too easy" in that the condemned prisoner did not appear to suffer.

At 61, White was also the oldest person to be executed in Texas at that time. At the time of writing this report, the oldest person executed was 67 and the longest time served before execution was 31 years. The longest-serving prisoner currently on Death Row arrived a few months after White and has now been there for 36 years. The oldest Death Row prisoner is 75 years old.

By David Carson. Posted on 26 May 2016.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Front Page Detective.