Robert Morrow

Robert Brice Morrow, 47, was executed by lethal injection on 4 November 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the abduction and murder of a 21-year-old woman.

On 3 April 1996, Lisa Allison left her parents' home in Liberty to take her father's car to a car wash. She did not return. A fisherman found her body was found the next morning, floating in the Trinity River. Her throat had been cut, and she had been severely beaten. The autopsy indicated that she died from a combination of several skull fractures and a severed jugular vein.

Allison's car was also found. Hair and blood samples taken from the car matched Morrow, who lived about two miles from where the car was found. Allison's blood was also found in the car.

Morrow was arrested on 29 July. At his trial, a friend of his, Dane Schisler, testified that he dropped Morrow off across the street from the car wash shortly before Allison disappeared. Brad Keaton, another acquaintance, testified that he saw Morrow walking down the road that night. Keaton testified that Morrow had scratches on his arms and a considerable amount of blood on his clothing. Morrow told Keaton that he had been in a car wreck.

Bryan McNeill testified that he was cleaning his truck at the car wash on 3 April, and he saw Lisa Allison there. After he finished vacuuming, he pulled his truck to a pump at the gas station next to the car wash. He then saw a car across the street let out a man on the side of the road, and the man proceeded to walk toward the car wash. A short time later, McNeill heard a short scream come from the car wash. He saw the man laying on top of Lisa Allison in the passenger side of her car. He then watched as the man got up and Allison slid behind the steering wheel. The man sat down in the passenger seat, and the two drove off in the direction of the Trinity River. McNeill testified Allison did not appear to be struggling, so he reasoned that she and the man were girlfriend and boyfriend, and the short scream he heard was unimportant. McNeill testified that he did not get a good look at the man's face, nor did he see his hands at any time, but McNeill's physical description of the man did match Morrow.

A co-worker of Morrow's testified that Morrow had told him prior to the murder that it would be easy to abduct a woman from a service station and take her money and jewelry. Morrow added that he would also have sex with her, and then "take care of her."

Morrow testified that he had nothing to do with the crime.

Morrow had a previous conviction for forgery and was sentenced to five years' probation. After violating the terms of his probation, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He served 20 months of that sentence from 1981 to 1983 before being released. Morrow also had served time in Louisiana and South Carolina for burglary, grand larceny, and carrying a weapon illegally. He also had misdemeanor convictions for marijuana possession, marijuana delivery, and failure to identify a fugitive.

A jury convicted Morrow of capital murder in November 1997 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in June 2000. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Four days before his scheduled execution, Morrow told a reporter that Allison went willingly with him from the car wash to smoke crack cocaine. As they were driving down an isolated road near the Trinity River, Allison's car got a flat tire. She became upset with him for not changing the tire quickly enough, he said, and she stabbed him in the leg with a screwdriver. "I'm high on cocaine, and it blew my fuse," Morrow said. "So, I knotted up and slapped her and beat the (expletive) out of her." She then ran from him, so he chased her and dragged her back to the car, throwing her in the trunk so he could change the tire. "When I opened the trunk again, she came at my like a raving ... maniac. So, I had to whop her upside the head with a jack handle."

Lisa Allison's father was a Liberty city councilman, and she had relatives in local law enforcement, including a cousin who was a deputy sheriff. "I knew who her family was," Morrow said. "I was a convicted felon that had been to the pen three times. I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. I did what I had to do." He then cut Allison's throat. "I wish it didn't happen, but I can't change it," he said. "When you do drugs, there's no telling what can happen. I did that night, and it got out of hand."

Morrow said that he should not be executed for Allison's murder because he did not kidnap her. By law, only murder cases that include an aggravating factor, such as kidnapping, are eligible for the death penalty.

Liberty County District Attorney Mike Little called Morrow's account "totally preposterous." He said that tests found no trace of any drugs in the victim's system at the time of her death. He said that Morrow was attempting to manipulate the system by smearing the family's memory of Lisa.

Morrow told a Houston Chronicle reporter that he had arranged for his ashes to be sent to family members in Ireland, but "I want you to tell the Allison family that I have arranged for a friend to get my ashes and scatter them over their daughter's grave," he said with a loud laugh.

Morrow said that he was ready to die. "I'd have to be retarded or stupid to want to live on death row," he said. "They're doing me a big favor. I'm getting set free."

Morrow's execution was delayed briefly as prison workers had difficulty finding suitable veins to use for the lethal injection.

At his execution, Morrow addressed Lisa's parents by name and said, "I would like to tell you that I am responsible and I am sorry for what I did and the pain I caused." He also expressed love to his friends. He then said, "Set me free, warden. Father, accept me." As the lethal injection began flowing, Morrow turned again to the Allisons and said, "I do hope my death brings you all some closure." He then blurted out, "I feel it," and gasped slightly three times. He was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m.