Execution Report: Dennis Bagwell

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A jury convicted Bagwell of capital murder in November 1996 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in March 1999. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In 1997, Bagwell was convicted of killing George Barry.

"They're fixin' to execute an innocent man," Bagwell said in an interview the day before his execution. He said that he never went to his mother's home and did not know who committed the murders. He said that Victoria Wolford was coerced into testifying against him.

Despite his claim of innocence, Bagwell said that he hoped that his execution would "hurry up and go through."

"If they offered me a life sentence, I wouldn't take it. I'm not walking through these hallways as an 80- or 90-year-old for something I didn't do," he said. "I'm ready to go. I'm tired of living in a cage like an animal."

At his execution, Bagwell expressed love to his friends. He was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 18 February 2005. Minor editing correction made on 29 September 2014.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press, Huntsville Item, San Antonio Express-News.