Karla Faye Tucker

Born in Houston in 1959, Karla Faye Tucker went on to become a murderer, and the first woman to be executed in Texas since the Civil War. On 13th June 1983, Karla and her boyfriend, Danny Garret, along with a friend, James Leibrant, decided to steal a motorcycle belonging to Jerry Dean. Danny Garret killed Dean with a hammer. Karla then grabbed a pickaxe and hit him another few times.

Karla Tucker then spotted someone hiding under some covers by a wall. It was Deborah Thornton. Tucker grabbed the axe and hit her, injuring her. Tucker later claimed that she left the room and returned to see Garret killing Thornton. During the trial, a tape was played recording by Garrett’s brother, in which Karla Tucker was saying how she had got sexual thrills while pick-axing Dean.

Karla was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death. Garret also received the death penalty, however whilst on death row he died of a liver disease in 1993. Before her execution, Karla claimed she had come to understand the Bible, and she apologized for her crimes. In 1995, she also married Dana Lane Brown whilst on death row. Karla Tucker was executed by lethal injection in Texas, and was pronounced dead at 6:45pm.