Execution Report: DaRoyce Mosley

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A jury convicted DaRoyce Mosley of the capital murder of Patricia Colter in October 1995 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and verdict in May 1998. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Ray Donald Mosley, who had a prior history of theft, trespassing, and interfering with police apprehension, and was on parole at the time of the murders, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Marcus Smith was given a two-year sentence.

In an interview from death row the week before his execution, Mosley claimed that he ran from the lounge when the shooting started. "I turned around and ran out, and here I am. It's a messed-up situation all around."

"It'd be easier if I did it," Mosley said, referring to his upcoming execution. "If I killed four people, I'd deserve it and I'd prepare for it. But that's not the case with me." He said that he turned down a plea deal for three life sentences. "I figured I'd be found not guilty. If anything, it'd be armed robbery. It didn't work out."

Mosley's execution was delayed for about five hours while the U.S. Supreme Court considered his final appeal. In his last statement, he expressed encouragement to his family and to his fellow death row inmates. The lethal injection was then started. Mosley remarked, "I can taste it." He was pronounced dead at 10:57 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 29 August 2007.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's office, Associated Press, court documents.