Michael Lee Lockhart (September 30, 1960 – December 9, 1997) was an American

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who received death sentences in three states (

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, and

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 ...

). He was executed on December 9, 1997, by the state of Texas.

Arrest and Convictions

Lockhart was caught in 1988 when Officer Paul Hulsey Jr. tried to arrest him for driving a stolen

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953. Throughout eight generations, indicated sequentially as C1 to C8, the Corvette is not ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

. Officers responding to the motel room where he was reported found Hulsey dead in the room. They put out an

all-points bulletin An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.Reiter, E. (1970). Police strive to provide protection machines lend valuable assist ...

for the vehicle, which was spotted. A

high speed chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive industry i ...

ensued before Lockhart crashed and was soon apprehended. Evidence of his other crimes were found in the vehicle. Lockhart was convicted of killing Officer Hulsey and was sentenced to death. Lockhart was later convicted in Indiana for the 1987 murder of 16-year-old Windy Gallagher in

Griffith, Indiana Griffith is a town in North and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,420 in 2020. The town's population is currently declining at a rate of 0.69% annuall ...

. Following the previous conviction, he pleaded guilty to the 1988 murder of 14-year-old Jennifer Colhouer in Land O' Lakes, Florida. He received death sentences in both states. Lockhart was also a suspect in the murder of Kathy Hobbs, a 16-year-old girl abducted from

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

in 1987. Her case was featured on ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Kar ...

'' in 1989 but remains officially unsolved. Prior to his cross country murder spree, Lockhart had a previous conviction for robbery in

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Execution

Lockhart was executed on December 9, 1997, in

. His

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States Contrary to the common belief t ...

consisted of a double-meat cheeseburger, French fries, and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

. Lockhart's last words were; "a lot of people view what is happening here as evil, but I want you to know that I found love and compassion here. The people who work here, I thank them for the kindness they have shown me and I deeply appreciate all that has been done for me by the people who work here. That's all, Warden. I'm ready." Nearly one hundred Beaumont police officers turned up to Lockhart's execution and they applauded, clapped, and cheered as witnesses emerged from the prison following the execution. Lockhart is buried at

Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery The Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the main prison cemetery in Texas, located in Huntsville and operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The cemetery is colloquially known as Peckerwood Hill. The name originates from "Peckerwoo ...

References

! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in Texas , - ! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in the United States {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart, Michael Lee 1960 births 1997 deaths 20th-century executions by Texas American people executed for murdering police officers American murderers of children American rapists Executed American serial killers Executed people from Ohio People convicted of murder by Florida People convicted of murder by Indiana People convicted of murder by Texas Prisoners sentenced to death by Florida Prisoners sentenced to death by Indiana People from Wood County, Ohio People executed by Texas by lethal injection Serial killers from Florida Serial killers from Indiana Serial killers from Texas Violence against women in Florida Violence against women in Indiana

Arrest and Convictions

Execution

See also

References