"If there was a positive out of this, for the first time ever the 2 Hill was sworn to secrecy when he was contacted by the show, but during his last visit with Hughes before the execution, he says, "I had to confide in Billy what was going on. W / M / 24 - 47 Hughes was convicted of the crime in September 1976, but the Texas Court Of course, partying when you live for 24 years on death row can mean simply eating a special candy bar. not because it's right -- but because it's their destiny. It is Swiftian Woo! Hughes continued heading west until he attempted to use Martin's credit card at the Days Inn in Brookshire on April 4, 1976. penalty, which I agree with," he said, adding that initially some of the strip, operated a greeting card business, translated books into braille Date of Execution Hughes left Chattanooga for a small town to the northwest, where he burglarized a car and stole a 9 millimeter automatic in a holster, a .45 pistol in a holster, a .300 Magnum rifle with a scope, a .30 caliber carbine, .38 caliber shells, and an empty holster. Lamp of Hope It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of Billy Hughes. 01-24-00 "It appeared to be a parody of the death Also, the prison staff genuinely wanted to make the execution as "easy" as possible on everyone involved. criminal. Hughes had pneumonia and died of complications from the . All I ask is that I have one day, and all the memories of you and my family and all the things that have happened. "What if I receive a stay?" Soon thereafter, a massive manhunt began for Hughes, involving as many as five hundred law enforcement officers. car to question him about a stolen credit card. "It appeared to be a parody of the death 204th murderer executed in Texas since 1976 Both Rounds and Hughes were members of the Jehovah's Witnesses until Hughes was expelled from the group for incessant lying and bad-check writing. June 28, 2000 / 4:39 PM / CBS. BILLY HUGHES JR. - Executed on January 24, 2000 Hughes stopped in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland. I treasure every The Lamp of Hope Project was founded by Texas Death Row Prisoners. "I bet you have Monica Lewinsky sex!" They have been manipulated by the politicians who have set up this "death machine" that seems to be functioning on automatic pilot. Hughes left Chattanooga for a small town to the northwest, where he burglarized a car and stole a 9 millimeter automatic in a holster, a .45 pistol in a holster, a .300 Magnum rifle with a scope, a .30 caliber carbine, .38 caliber shells, and an empty holster. On the evening of April 4, 1976, two Texas state troopers pulled over the 1975 Ford LTD Billy George Hughes was driving on Interstate 10 near Sealy, Texas. If you don't agree with us, we'll kill you too. was punished to the full extent of the law after having one of the Justice for All stood at the left end of the police line, holding signs that said, "No Murder Equals No Execution." Internet Sources: Hughes only stayed in Pensacola for a day or two before leaving for Orlando. death penalty after the Hughes execution Monday. all the memories of you and my family and all the things that have - 20 December 2005) (his death) (1 child) But when six cheerleaders and a makeshift marching band came prancing around the corner belting out "When the Saints Come Marching In," it was clear that number 117 was not routine. While in Orlando, Hughes stole some checks that he used to buy jeans, a jacket, a belt, and a hat. "We do have a lot of feeling of compassion for the police officer's Additionally, Hughes had a 9 millimeter handgun loaded with thirteen or fourteen rounds on him when he was captured. Nah, nah, nah, nah Nah, nah, nah, nah Hey, hey, hey, Good-bye. say they happened, and the truth will come out someday. Hughes also claimed to have kidnapped two small children. Hughes returned to Nashville, Tennessee, where his car was broken into and two .45's were stolen. At this point, Trooper Frederick, who was driving, turned on the overhead lights, and Hughes pulled over to the shoulder of the exit ramp. He was previously married to Aida. Frederick, 26, had been a trooper for 5 years when he stopped Hughes' ProDeathPenalty.com The rhetoric between the two sides heated up again this week, as it does whenever the state passes a death penalty milestone or carries out a particularly controversial execution. "He went out lying," he said. In 1988, on retrial Hughes was again convicted and sentenced to death. "I'm pro Texas!" How did Hughes take the news that his death would be surrounded by satirical fanfare? Billy will be missed by us all. We kill 'em every night! escapade had misrepresented themselves and hyped aspects of the event, unsuccessful appeals that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting Rounds also corroborated Agent Owens's version of Hughes's extortion attempts, and she described Hughes as a methodical, deliberate person. But, I began to see that he was dying as his body went limp and his eyes kept closing even though they never fully shut. "It shouldn't have been this way," Atwood said, shaking his head. All of this is as obvious as the fallacy of "an eye for an eye" justification for capital punishment, which leaves the whole world His presence We were ushered out. Ronald Richardson, the supervisor of the firearms section in the DPS Scientific Crime Laboratory, tested the bullet that struck Trooper Frederick and established that it had been fired from the 9 millimeter handgun recovered from Hughes when he was captured. On the evening of April 4, 1976, two Texas state troopers pulled over the 1975 Ford LTD Billy George Hughes was driving on Interstate 10 near Sealy, Texas. Donations can be made in her name, Nancy L. Hughes, to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. In prison, he has operated his own business, Happy Horse Enterprises. penalty opponent and an equally passionate defender of victims' rights He's a killing machine! sides on this issue came together on something," he said. When the clerk confronted Hughes in his room about the stolen card, she noticed a gun on his bed. His kindness continued to blunt my anger as I asked about how the medicine used in the execution is prescribed. Hughes filed a notice of appeal on February 11, 1998, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on October 5, 1999, also denied permission to appeal. Frederick - give him back his life, give back my father his life and my The confusion moved to a nearby parking lot where a scoreboard read: George 117, Jeb 2. Hughes admitted to the stolen car and credit card, as well as a string of other thefts and robebries, but claimed that the police opened fire on him and he just blindly fired a shot which killed Officer Frederick. during a traffic stop in April, 1976, by Hughes, a 25-year-old wanted He was an American actor during the 1960s and 70s. "All I ask is that I have one day, and The death penalty is arbitrary in how and to whom it is applied. Former Las Vegas Review-Journal photojournalist Bill Hughes, remembered as a masterful photographer with an eye for detail, has died. Hughes then went to Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville. Frederick's mother, Pat Teer of Houston, said the fact that Hughes still An abandoned car with matching description was found several miles away. family has to go through what we have been through. After the morning visit, Billy was transported from death row at the Ellis Unit to the Walls Unit in Huntsville where the execution would take place. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Hughes filed a notice of appeal on February 11, 1998, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on October 5, 1999, also denied permission to appeal. at that point." "Tonight, Billy George Hughes Jr. "We did perform a stunt there, with a pep band and cheerleaders," An abandoned car with matching description was found several miles away. Fire up, fire up; Fire up, and up; And up and up and up! As his mother described it, "He was blown all over the road." Two days later, a helicopter approached a field where a suspect was reportedly seen. Billy stayed for another 19 years until death set him free. They are executing an innocent man because things did not happen as they say they happened, and the truth will come out some day. But, most of all, "partying" was a lot of laughs. "I would gladly trade the last 24 years if it would bring back Mark It wasn't so long ago that the institution of slavery along with maiming, stoning, burning at the stake, drawing and quartering, public flogging and a plethora of other "punishments" were held sacrosanct as "the law." mother her health," he continued. Trooper Reichert got out of the patrol car almost immediately after Frederick did. The cheerleaders spelled out the letters as they called them: Gimme a "D" Gimme an "E" Gimme an "A" Gimme a "T" Gimme an "H" What's that spell? Woo! Citations: For example, this chaplain had been present in over 100 executions. On January 15, 1998, the federal district court denied Hughes's petition for writ of habeas corpus and vacated the previously issued stay of execution. "REFLECTIONS OF A WITNESS AT AN EXECUTION," by Charles Sullivan. Soon thereafter, a massive manhunt began for Hughes, involving as many as five hundred law enforcement officers. George, George, he's our man, If he can't kill 'em, no one can, Who's the best on the killing scene? While in Alabama, Hughes stole Harold Martin's credit card, a diamond ring from Sam Caldwell, and some checks from Caldwell. Meanwhile, a bare-chested, body-painted, football-helmeted man ran through the crowd with a "Death" pennant. You could actually see the realization come over the faces of those in the pro-death-penalty camp: Hey, wait a minute. I would gladly trade the last 24 years if it would bring back Mark Frederick--give him back his life, give back my father his life and my mother her health. "I can't but be outraged, stressed to think that as a state, we probably have more executions than any country in the world, with the obvious exception of the United States and China," lamented Jay Jacobson, director of the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, a steadfast opponent of the death penalty. were a family member of the officer I would have felt terrible, and I David Atwood, president of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and Dudley Sharp, vice president of Justice for All, both visibly pissed off, yelled at each other at almost exactly the same time, "Did you do this?" 608 Billy was already lying on his back on the table with his right arm outstretched and the needle in it. He offered cans of ginger ale, passed out foam fingers and praised George W. Bush. The court also denied permission to appeal. Two days later, a helicopter approached a field where a suspect was reportedly seen. Executed January 24, 2000 by Lethal Injection in Texas The story of highway patrolman Mark Frederick's murder has the casual air of so many accounts of horrible crime. outside the Huntsville "Walls" Unit for the Monday night execution of Summary of Incident On the evening of April 4, 1976, Billy George Hughes checked into the Days Inn Motel in Brookshire (west of Houston), Texas, using a stolen credit card. I asked him what he wanted to do--Billy answered with one word, "Party!" Don't give up, don't give in. execution, complete with cheerleaders and a marching band. If there had been a baby, you can bet he would have kissed it. His conviction was reversed in 1981 and he has since been serving a life sentence. The death penalty kills innocent people, ignores the mitigating circumstances of juveniles who have committed murder, denies the inherent innocence afforded in most other instances to those who are mentally ill or retarded even as it sanctions violence while making a mockery of justice. I want the guys to know out there not to give up, Billy continued his control. Texas," said a statement jointly released by groups for and against the "We do have a lot of feeling of compassion for the police officer's When the warden asked if he had any final words, he replied "Yes, I do" in a clear and strong voice. were inappropriate. I am not the same person I was 24 years ago. The purpose of the celebration "was to mock executions and to embarrass He was the son of former stuntman and producer Billy E. Hughes Sr. His uncle is stuntman Robert (Whitey) Hughes. Killing power! The fact that Hughes -- who is preparing yet another round of appeals -- continues to live angers many of those who feel strongly that the death penalty is just and that extraordinary delays rob the punishment of its deterrent effect. In fact, composure and "extra mile" consideration seemed to permeate the day as the prison staff went about the ritual of the execution. Billy Eugene Hughes, Jr. (1948 -11-28)November 28, 1948 Los Angeles, California, United States Died December 20, 2005(2005-12-20)(aged 57) Alma, Arkansas, US Other names Billy Hughes, Jr., Billy E. Hughes, Billy E. Hughes, Jr. He is most remembered for The Law and Mr. Jones. Victim(s)(Race/Sex/Age at Murder) It appears he died in his sleep. What provoked Dianne Clements of Justice For All in Houston, a victims' be a revolting display. Needless to say, the anti-death-penalty camp was a little sadder than normal to see a "reformed" man die. But Hughes, who was wanted for credit card theft when Frederick pulled him over, claimed he had merely returned fire when the officers shot at him as he reached for his wallet, and he managed to avoid his death sentence for 24 years by launching numerous appeals. was subsequently murdered," she said. But, the prison staff and Billy, I think, knew this execution was going to happen that evening. Hughes next headed for Jacksonville, Florida, where he sawed off the barrel of the shotgun as short as possible and concealed it in his trunk. was 'true to his manipulative character.' Pardons are for wimps! With nearly a . Mark family," he said. is enough, and since it's the law, then it shouldn't be questioned . and then "Texas, Texas, you're so great, You kill more than any state!". In the seventies and eighties, I walked the halls of the State Capitol and talked "face-to-face" with conservative as well as liberal legislators on prison reform and the death penalty. Patsy Teer, the mother of the man he killed, wants to end it. The cheerleaders were rocking out with all the intensity of a step club, but the witnesses had just emerged from the watching area, and both those for and against the death penalty turned to show their support. he asked, pushing the limits of playing dumb. and overturned the conviction in 1987. 01-26-00 - TEXAS: The staff replied in kind, "Billy if you get a stay, we'll let you drive back!" 608th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976 Remembering Death Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or Miami-Dade County Clerk's Offices, which may be run by the state or at the local level. That performance was set up by a production company working with satirist the officers shot at him, leading him to fire one shot which struck and Birthday: November 28, 1948. 204th murderer executed in Texas since 1976, Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Executed Offenders (Billy Hughes). asked Atwood. Trooper Mark Frederick was later declared dead in the ambulance en route to the Sealy Medical Center. Billy Hughes #556 was executed January 24th in Huntsville. AUSTIN - Friday, January 21, 2000 - Texas Attorney General John Cornyn offers the following information on Billy George Hughes who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m., Monday, January 24th: On the evening of April 4, 1976, Billy George Hughes checked into the Days Inn Motel in Brookshire (west of Houston), Texas, using a stolen credit card. He again was sentenced to die in June 1988, along the way filing many Prior to his first trial, Hughes told examining psychiatrists that he had consumed large quantities of beer on the day of the offense which led to "spotty amnesia" around the time of the offense. I would especially like to remember Billy Hughes, Jr. in this issue. Atwood had more mixed feelings. His nsensitivity towards Karla Faye Tucker's petition for clemency "Is this what George Bush wants?" See all obituaries for Billy Hughes. A massive manhunt involving as many as 500 murder victim, his family, and for the family of Billy George Hughes, the A correctional officer wanted to know his request for his last meal. Bush's hand isn't "on the needle every time an execution occurs." Also, and I'm not sure I can write this thought clearly. Although we never even saw each other, there were two groups of witnesses: those asked by Billy and those asked by the immediate relatives of the victim. was punished to the full extent of the law after having one of the Beyond that, it was business as usual at the Walls Unit. There also were several people dressed as cheerleaders leading chants He had hanged himself in his log cabin home in Davidson County, Tennessee. True enough, as Mr. Buckley huffed, Gov. I then asked about the role of the physician in the execution. Hughes then returned to Fair Hope and retrieved some clothing from a cleaners and attempted to fake his death at a local beach by leaving his shirt and pager. Later, I found out that this was the signal to the execution team located behind the one-way, glassed-in room across from us. Thank you, Warden." The next day, Hughes bought a suit, a pair of boots, a cane, a shotgun, and some shells with another stolen check. The implications are obvious. The troopers followed Hughes's car on Interstate 10 until it exited the highway. Approximately two-and-a-half days after the shooting, Texas Ranger Ray Scholton, who was in charge of the investigation, received a report that a possible suspect had been sighted six miles south of Sealy. God be with you. Texas," said a statement jointly released by groups for and against the Additionally, Hughes had a 9 millimeter handgun loaded with thirteen or fourteen rounds on him when he was captured. Of course, partying when you live for 24 years on death row can mean simply eating a special candy bar. They have been manipulated by the politicians who have set up this "death machine" that seems to be functioning on automatic pilot. A native born in Daytona Beach on February 11, 1975 to William and Kathy Hughes. They believe the sentence is ineffective and immoral, that Texas, with its death row population in excess of 400 , is running a death mill. It startled me to read his venomous condemnation of Billy or any other prisoner's attempts to remain as human and humanized as possible from deep inside prison, from behind the locked doors and concrete walls and razor wire barriers which hide the reality of doing time from the rest of the world. On April 13, 1994, that court affirmed his conviction in a published opinion. then, "No!" They wanted answers: "Are you pro or against the death penalty?" They have the routine down pat: There were seven executions in just over two weeks last month; there have been 119 since George W. took office. The Bushes and the Buckleys and folks like them ignore the obvious. Hughes's ex-wife, Beth Rounds, related that Hughes was a violent husband who hit, slapped, punched, and choked her. Florida oranges, Texas cactus We kill convicts just for practice! unsuccessful appeals that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting Retired Agent Gene Owens of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a series of extortion attempts and bomb threats of three banks in Mobile, Alabama, from October 1973 until early 1975. Killing power! Kill 'em to the left. would claim his innocence was hard to take. ". I would especially like to remember Billy Hughes, Jr. in this issue. Executed January 24, 2000 by Lethal Injection in Texas 10th murderer executed in U.S. in 2000 608th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976 5th murderer executed in Texas in 2000 204th murderer executed in Texas since 1976 Since 1976 Date of Execution State Method Murderer (Race/Sex/Age at Murder-Execution) Date of Birth There were "wisecracks" and jokes, even gallows humor. Billy continued his control. The Lamp of Hope Project was founded by Texas Death Row Prisoners. executions, which by their nature are dismal, depressing and decidedly anti-photo-op for aspiring politicians large and small. If there had been a baby, you can bet he would have kissed it. The suspect, Hughes, at first pointed a pistol at the helicopter, but then threw the gun down and surrendered. I left death row in 1981. Billy Hughes (actor) Wikipedia In the seventies and eighties, I walked the halls of the State Capitol and talked "face-to-face" with conservative as well as liberal legislators on prison reform and the death penalty. "This was very disrespectful to the family. The victims' rights group Justice for All was already more boisterous than normal on this particular night at death row because of the man who was being executed. Though living every day under the shadow of execution for the murder of a state trooper, the 43-year-old Hughes has, in a sense, led a full life. blind. Frederick was 26, and a husband and father when he was shot to death Nah, nah, nah, nah Nah, nah, nah, nah Hey, hey, hey, Good-bye. William F. "Toby" Hughes Jr. (USAF Retired) of Cibolo, Texas, passed away on Monday, January 18, 2021, at Lavaca Medical Center . Hughes, who maintained his innocence until the end, was executed for the Hughes will not take another life. He was an actor, known for Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958), Smoke in the Wind (1975) and The Detectives (1959). At this stage, with the delays in carrying out capital sentences, the deterrent question is moot.". Rick Lemmon, a man who has lost both his twin brother and only son to murder, shouted back through a megaphone: "We have never killed anybody for practices.Y'all don't forget the victim here."
