Execution Report: Charles Thacker

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A jury convicted Thacker of capital murder in May 1994 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in September 1996. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In 1995, a jury found that the apartment complex was negligent in providing basic levels of protection to its residents and awarded the victim's parents, Charles and Mary Crawford, $8.1 million in damages.

Thacker told his side of the story on an anti-death-penalty web site. He claimed that he was uninvolved in the attack on Crawford. He wrote that he was in the yard behind the apartments that night because "I was up to no good with two other guys looking for stuff to steal and sell." He wrote that at the time he was arrested, he was wearing different clothing than the eyewitnesses reported the suspect was wearing. He also wrote that he had no cuts or bruises to indicate he had been in a fight.

In his account, Thacker also implied that Crawford died from Billy Hall's attempt to perform CPR, "not knowing what he was doing."

Thacker also wrote that the judge in his trial, Mary Bacon, was biased against him. "Ms Bacon and her daughter were robbed and her daughter was raped many years ago and the man was never caught," he wrote. "Ms. Bacon throws the book at any male accused of a crime against a female in her court room, and she will break and violate the law to get what she wants."

Thacker's lawyer, Robin Norris, filed several unsuccessful appeals attempting to stop the execution, although he acknowledged that his client had a "fairly long history as a sexual predator." One of Norris's failed last-hour appeals claimed that the lethal injection procedure is unconstitutionally cruel.

At his execution, Thacker expressed love to two volunteer ministers who were in attendance, and asked them to tell his family he loved them. He also said, "I am sorry for the things I have done. I know God will forgive me." After he expressed love to his family again, he asked his witnesses to tell Norris, "they couldn't find a vein on my arm." The lethal injection was then started. "I'll get to see Mom," he said to his ministers. He then said "I can already feel it a little bit," took a few long breaths, and lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 10 November 2005.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, Huntsville Item, KRIS TV News, www.todesstrafe-usa.de.