Charles Brooks, Jr.

Charles Brooks, Jr.

Charles Brooks, Jr. (September 1, 1942 – December 7, 1982) was a convicted murderer who was the first person executed by the state of Texas since it resumed capital punishment.[1] Brooks was also the first person in United States to be executed using lethal injection.

Contents

Biography

Brooks was raised in a well-off Fort Worth, Texas family and attended I.M. Terrell High School, where he played football. He had been to prison before, serving time at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth for illegal possession of firearms.

On December 14, 1976, Brooks went to a used car lot and asked to test drive a car. The mechanic, David Gregory, accompanied him in the car. After Brooks picked up his accomplice Woody Loudres, they put the mechanic in the trunk of the car and Brooks and Loudres drove to a motel. There the mechanic was bound to a chair with coat hangers, gagged with tape and then shot once in the head. Neither Brooks nor Loudres would say who fired the shot. In exchange for his testimony at trial, Loudres received a 40 year sentence; Brooks received the death sentence.

The Supreme Court of the United States rejected by 6-3 a petition to grant a stay of execution. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended by 2-1 that the execution should proceed.

After a last meal consisting of a T-bone steak, french fries, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, biscuits, peach cobbler and iced tea, Brooks was rolled into the death chamber at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas. There he made his final statement. Brooks had converted to Islam while in prison and as such said a prayer to Allah: "Yes, I do. I love you. Ash Hadu an la ilah illa Allah, Ash Hadu an la ilah illa Allah, Ash Hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah, Ash Hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Inna li-Allah wa-inna ilayhi rajiun. Verily unto Allah do we belong, Verily unto him do we return. Be strong." [2]

Brooks was executed on December 7, 1982, despite serious doubts about his personal involvement in the murder of David Gregory. Even the prosecutor pleaded that his death sentence be commuted, because no one knew whether he or his co-defendant actually committed the murder. (Charles W. Colson, "That Execution Wasn't Painless," Washington Post, December 11, 1982)

See also

References

Retrieved 4 April 2011.

External links

Preceded by
Frank Coppola
People executed in U.S. Succeeded by
John Louis Evans

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charles Brooks — may refer to: Charles Brooks (cartoonist), editorial cartoonist Charles Brooks (trade unionist) (1915–1977), Canadian activist Charles Timothy Brooks (1813–1883), American poet and Unitarian minister Charles W. Brooks (1897–1957), United States… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks — Charles Brooks, Jr. Charles Brooks, Jr. (1er avril 1942 7 décembre 1982) était un meurtrier américain. Condamné à mort au Texas, il est la première personne dans l histoire de l humanité à subir cette peine sous la forme d une injection létale.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Charles Brooks — Jr. (1. September 1942 in Texas; † 7. Dezember 1982 in Huntsville, Texas) war ein US amerikanischer Mörder. Er wurde bekannt, da er der erste Mensch in den Vereinigten Staaten war, der zum Tode durch die Giftspritze hingerichtet wurde. Am 14.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks, Jr. — Charles Brooks, Jr. (1er avril 1942 7 décembre 1982) était un meurtrier américain. Condamné à mort au Texas, il est la première personne dans l histoire de l humanité à subir cette peine sous la forme d une injection létale. Portail des États… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Charles Brooks Smith — (February 24, 1844 – December 7, 1899) was a U.S. Representative from West Virginia. Born in Elizabeth, Virginia (now West Virginia), Smith attended a private school at Parkersburg. Enlisted on March 1, 1864, in Company I of the First West… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks Smith — (* 24. Februar 1844 in Elizabeth, Wirt County, Virginia; † 7. Dezember 1899 in Parkersburg, West Virginia) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1890 und 1891 vertrat er den vierten Wahlbezirk des Bundesstaates West Virginia im US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks House — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks (cartoonist) — This article is about the editorial cartoonist. For other uses, see Charles Brooks (disambiguation). Charles G. Brooks (born 1920, died 2011) was a former editorial cartoonist for The Birmingham News in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Contents 1 Early… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks (cricketer) — Personal information Full name Charles Edward William Brooks Born 17 February 1927(1927 02 17) Epsom, Surrey, England Died 18 May 2002(2002 05 18) (aged 75) Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England Batting style Right handed Bowling s …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Brooks (trade unionist) — Charles E. Brooks (1915–1977) was a Canadian labour union activist, the first president of the United Auto Workers Local 444, who was assassinated by an upset employee of Chrysler Motors. Brooks was born in Windsor, Ontario. Growing up during the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”