Execution Report: Sammie Felder Jr.

Sammie Felder Jr., 54, was executed by lethal injection on 15 December 1999 in Huntsville, Texas, for the murder and robbery of a 42-year-old paraplegic man.

In February 1975, Felder, then 30, was working at an apartment complex for disabled people. One night, he snuck into the apartment of a paraplegic resident, James Hanks, 42. Felder was attempting to steal a wallet containing about $300, which Hanks kept under his bed, when Hanks woke up. When Hanks recognized Felder and called him by name, Felder grabbed a pair of stainless steel surgical scissors that was lying next to the bed. He stabbed Hanks numerous times in the head and throat. He also tried to smother him with a pillow because he was crying out, "please don't hurt me." He continued stabbing Hanks until he thought he was dead. He then took the wallet and left. As he was driving away, he threw the scissors out the window. He then took a plane to Denver, where he had once lived for a few months.

Later that night, Hanks was found bleeding and unconscious in his apartment by other staff. The supervisor, Bronchee Watson, knew that Hanks kept his wallet under his bed. Watson looked, and noticed that the wallet was missing. He also noticed that the surgical scissors that were normally on a tray of medical supplies in the room were missing. Hanks was placed on life support and lived for several days, never regaining consciousness.

Felder became a suspect in the crime when he failed to report to work, and never made arrangements to collect his final paycheck.

In Colorado, Felder told a friend, Edith Cobb -- who was a civilian employee of the Denver Police Department -- that he had killed a man in Houston, and he related the story to her. Cobb testified that she did not believe him at first. But Felder kept talking about the crime over the next several days, telling her that he called his sister in Houston and learned that the police were looking for him. Cobb then told the Denver police what Felder had told her. At that time, Felder fled to Idaho. In April, about a month after the murder, Felder was stopped for a traffic violation in Idaho. He was arrested for producing false identification, and was subsequently returned to Houston on the murder warrant.

Felder had an extensive prior prison record. In May 1963, he began serving a 2-year sentence for burglary of an automobile. He was discharged in December 1964. He served 2½ years of another 5-year sentence for burglary from January 1966 to July 1968. In April 1969, he began serving another 10-year sentence for burglary. He was paroled in May 1974 and discharged in January 1975, approximately one month before Hanks's murder.

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