Johnny Frank Garrett (December 24, 1963 – February 11, 1992) was a death row prisoner executed by the State of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Includes scan of original inmate record cover page.

Murder of Tadea Benz

Johnny Frank Garrett was accused of murdering a Catholic nun who lived across the street from him. The date of the murder was on the morning of October 31, 1981, Garret was 17 years old at the time, equal to age of majority for criminal responsibility in Texas. According to the prosecution, that morning, Garrett raped, strangled, and killed 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz in the St. Francis Convent. On November 9, 1981, Garrett, who lived across the street from the convent, was arrested and charged with murder.

Trial and execution

Garrett was tried and convicted of the crime. He was held at

Ellis Unit O. B. Ellis Unit (E1, previously Ellis I Unit) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated area, unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville, Texas, Huntsville. The unit, with about of space,‌ now h ...

, north of

Huntsville, Texas Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. Its population was 45,941 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville United States micropolitan area, micropolitan area ...

, which at the time held men on the State of Texas's death row. He was originally scheduled to be executed on January 6, 1992, but after

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

asked for clemency,

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, ...

gave him a temporary reprieve. After Richards's reprieve, the

Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) is a state agency that makes parole and clemency decisions for inmates in Texas prisons. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The BPP was created by constitutional amendment in 1935. It determines wh ...

held a hearing on whether Garrett should receive a commutation to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

but the death sentence was retained by a 17 to 1 vote. He was examined by Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, who determined he had multiple personalities as a result of child abuse from his mother, grandmother, and grandfather. He was ultimately executed at age 28 at

Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...

on February 11, 1992, by

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

. His final meal request was ice cream. The TDCJ website has stated since at least 2012 that "this offender declined to make a last statement." However, there are last words of Garrett reported from the time of execution re-quoted frequently, and reported by '' APBnews'' as: "I'd like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me. The rest of the world can kiss my ever-loving ass."The quotation with additional words – "everloving" and "because I'm innocent" – is presented without additional verification in
The Last Word
'' (2008 film) by Jesse Quackenbush;
Wrongfully Accused #2
' (2013 book) by William Webb; and in
Let the People in: The Life and Times of Ann Richards
' (2012 biography) by Jan Reid. Director Jesse Quackenbush, a man from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

who graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1987 and, that year, moved to Amarillo, made the documentary ''The Last Word'' which argues that Garrett was in fact innocent of the crime. He argued that Garrett was the victim of overzealous prosecutors and poor defense attorneys. It was adapted into the semi-fictional horror film '' Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett, Johnny 1963 births 1992 deaths 1981 murders in the United States 20th-century executions by Texas American people executed for murder Executed people from Texas Juvenile offenders executed by the United States Male juvenile murderers Juvenile murderers Minors convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Texas People from Amarillo, Texas People executed by Texas by lethal injection

Murder of Tadea Benz

Trial and execution

See also

References