Lamont Reese

Lamont Reese, 28, was executed by lethal injection on 20 June 2006 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of three men.

On 1 March 1999, Reese, then 21, went to a convenience store in Fort Worth with his girlfriend, Kareema Kimbrough, and several of his friends. Several young men, who were reportedly gang members, were standing outside the store, drinking and shooting dice. Kimbrough went outside and exchanged words with the men, and then they got into an argument with Reese and his friends, because they were flirting with Kimbrough. Reese's group left and gathered up some firearms, then Kimbrough drove them back to the store, bringing her 2-year-old son with her. Reese shot and killed Anthony Roney, 26, Alonzo Stewart, 25, and Riki Jackson, 17. Two other unidentified people, ages 24 and 13, were also injured.

A jury convicted Reese of capital murder in November 2000 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in November 2002. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Kareema S.S. Kimbrough was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. She remains in custody as of this writing. Jason Leadley, Brian Johnson, and Steven Kindred pleaded guilty to murder and received sentences ranging from 35 to 50 years in prison. At this writing, no information was available on their status.

When the time came for his execution, Reese refused to walk into the death chamber, and was carried in by guards. "I want everyone to know that I did not walk to this, because this is straight-up murder," he said after he was strapped to the gurney. "I am not going to play a part in my own murder. No one should have to do that."

Reese also addressed the victims' relatives who were in attendance. "I do not know all of your names, and I don't know how you feel about me," Reese said, "and whether you believe it or not, I did not kill them."

Despite his proclamation of innocence, Reese said that he was glad he was being executed now, rather than spending ten or twenty years on death row.

Reese's lengthy last statement was cut short after the warden signaled for the lethal dose to be started. Starting to feel the effects of the drugs, Reese said, "This is some nasty," then he gasped and lost consciousness.

Reese's mother, Brenda Reese, watched the execution from a viewing room. At the moment Reese gasped, she screamed, "They killed my baby!" and sobbed loudly, and pounded on the reinforced glass window that separated her from her son. She also kicked two holes in a wall and was eventually removed from the chamber.

Reese was pronounced dead at 6:27 p.m.