Texas Execution Information Center

Execution Report: James Collier

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A jury convicted Collier of capital murder in April 1996 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence in December 1997. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In a death row interview, Collier said that he decided to defend himself when his lawyer told him that the best he could hope for was a life sentence. "I didn't know nothing about law, except I watched 'Perry Mason' with the kids. That was my whole schooling as far as courtroom tactics," he said. Collier described himself as mentally ill, a "child in a man's body." "Back when I was young, I got into a lot of trouble because I had all those disorders," he said. "Most of my trouble was caused by other people, not something I did." Of his prior convictions, he said, "The DA made it look like I was some kind of notorious criminal, but most of that stuff wasn't nothing but minor stuff."

In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant Collier a stay of execution. The dissenters were Justice John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

For his final meal, Collier requested a T-bone steak, 30 jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, a baked potato, french fries, a chocolate malt, a gallon of vanilla ice cream and three cans of Big Red. He was served fried fish, chicken fried steak, a baked potato, and ice cream.

There were no witnesses to Collier's execution, other than reporters, the warden, and the chaplain. "The only thing I want to say is that I appreciate the hospitality you guys have shown me and the respect," Collier said in his last statement. "The last meal was really good. That's about it." The lethal dose was begun. Collier was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m.

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By David Carson. Posted on 12 December 2002.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's office, Associated Press, Huntsville Item.

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