Execution Report: Elkie Taylor

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

Darryl W. Birdow, who also had a criminal history, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. He remains in custody as of this writing.

Taylor declined to be interviewed while on death row.

"You ain't got to worry about nothing," Taylor said in his last statement to his friends and an aunt who attended his execution. "I hope to see all of y'all one day." Taylor then turned to face the relatives of the two victims, who watched from a different room. "It's bad to see a man get murdered for something he didn't do. But I am taking it like a man, like a warrior." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 7 November 2008.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's Office, Associated Press, public records.