Execution Report: Robert Henry

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A jury convicted Henry of capital murder in November 1994 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals confirmed his conviction and sentence in October 1996. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In a death-row interview, Henry denied any involvement in the murders. He said that the DNA evidence linking him to the murders was contrived by prosecutors working in tandem with his own lawyer. He also said that he never confessed to the murders, and that the confession that the Corpus Christi police had was manufactured. Henry also refuted Paul Johnson's testimony. "I kind of got suckered through the whole system," he told a reporter. "I've maintained through the whole appeals process that all I need is another shot. If I could have a second trial, I could have torn the case up."

Grant Jones, the lawyer who defended Henry at his trial, denied conspiring against him.

Henry said that his work, reviewing accident reports, often took him to the police department, where he said he heard conversations about the slayings. "I started having nightmares," Henry said. "I had a nervous breakdown."

Henry, who had previously been scheduled for execution in April 2002, viewed his upcoming execution as "kind of a relief." He said that he believed in reincarnation and that his spirit would take on another body. However, "I want to stay around," he added. "I've got family and friends. Even if you are in here, you can still see them," Henry said. "Once you're gone, that is pretty much it."

Henry declined to make a last statement at his execution. As the lethal injection was being administered, he smiled and nodded at friends and relatives, then mouthed "bye-bye. I love you. Here I go." He then blew them a kiss and immediately snorted and gasped as the drugs took effect. He was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m.

Henry's execution was the first in Texas in ten weeks, and only the second in four months -- an unusually light schedule in a state where two or three executions per month is more typical. However, five more are currently scheduled for the first two weeks of December.

By David Carson. Posted on 24 November 2003.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.