Suzanne Margaret "Sue" Basso ( Burns; May 15, 1954 – February 5, 2014) was an American woman who was one of six co-defendants convicted in the August 1998 torture and murder of Louis "Buddy" Musso, a mentally disabled man who was killed for his

life insurance Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...

money. She was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

in October 1999. Basso was executed by

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

on February 5, 2014. Prior to her execution, Basso had been held at the

Mountain View Unit Mountain View Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison housing female offenders in Gatesville, Texas. The unit, with about of land, is located north of central Gatesville on Farm to Market Road 215. The prison is located in a 45- ...

in Gatesville,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where all of the state's female

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ( ...

inmates are

incarcerated A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

. At the time of the crime, Basso lived in

Jacinto City, Texas Jacinto City is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, east of the intersection of Interstate 10 and the East Loop of Interstate 610. Jacinto City is part of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and is bordered by the c ...

, a

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

suburb.

Victim

Buddy Musso had been married previously and had a son with his wife, who died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

in 1980. In 1997, Musso was living in an

assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is si ...

house in

Cliffside Park Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,594,New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, near

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, and worked as a bagger at a ShopRite store. At age 58, he met Suzanne Basso, who was 43 at the time, at a church bazaar near his house. They started a

long-distance relationship A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR) is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another. Partners in LDRs face geographic separation and lack of face-to-face ...

and he planned to move to Texas with Basso. He moved to the

Houston area Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

on June 14, 1998.

Basso's life

Suzanne Basso was born on May 15, 1954, to a family from

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Yo ...

. She was one of eight children born to Florence (née Garrow) and John Richard Burns. Her mother was the elder sister of

spree killer A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations wit ...

Robert Garrow Robert Francis Garrow Sr. (March 4, 1936 – September 11, 1978) was an American serial rapist and later spree killer who was active in New York in the early 1970s. After committing several rapes, Garrow went on an 18-day killing spree and stabbe ...

. Suzanne was the youngest of three girls in the family.Krajicek , David.
A Deviant Life
." ''Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso''.

Crime Library Crime Library was a website documenting major crimes, criminals, trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books. It was founded in 1998 and was most recently owned by truTV, a cable TV network that is part of Time Warner's Turner Broadcas ...

. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. Suzanne was physically and sexually abused as a child. One story among the family is that when Suzanne's mother caught her with a pack of cigarettes, instead of making her smoke one, she made her eat them. She married a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

named James Peek in the early 1970s. Her name became "Sue Peek" as a result of her marriage. Sue Peek's daughter was born in 1973, and her son was born in 1974. James Peek was arrested in 1982 for

molesting Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

his daughter and was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child. In the early 1990s, James and Sue Peek and the children moved into a residence in

. The family changed their surname to O'Malley and adopted an

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

identity. While in Houston she sometimes worked as a security guard in an apartment complex.Krajicek, David.
A New Squeeze
." ''Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso''.

. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. In 1993, Sue Peek became romantically involved with a New Jersey man named Carmine Basso, who owned a company called Latin Security and Investigations Corp. She never divorced James Peek, so was unable to marry Basso, who moved into her residence. Peek stayed in the house for a period before moving to another residence in Houston. Despite being unable to marry Basso, she changed her surname to Basso and began referring to Basso as her husband. Basso died in 1997.

Murder

Musso's murder took place 16 days after his arrival at the Basso residence.Krajicek, David.
Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso
." ''Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso''.

. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. The perpetrators included Basso; her son James O'Malley; Bernice Ahrens Miller and her children, Craig and Hope Ahrens; and Hope's fiancé, Terence Singleton. The perpetrators forced Musso to do chores for themKrajicek, David.
Bozo Confesses
." ''Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso''.

. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. and he had injuries before his murder took place. According to O'Malley, Musso was killed at Miller's apartment, where he was beaten and burned with cigarettes as he sat on a child's play mat. The group also used a

wire brush A wire brush is a tool consisting of a brush whose bristles are made of wire, most often steel wire. The steel used is generally a medium- to high-carbon variety and very hard and springy. Other wire brushes feature bristles made from brass ...

on him, then put him in a bathtub that was filled with kitchen cleaner and bleach. They put clothes on Musso's body before leaving it in

Galena Park, Texas Galena Park is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 10,740 at the 2020 census. History Issac Batterson and his family settled in the area in 1833; it was a ...

. A jogger found the body and called police. The Galena Park Police Department ruled that Musso's death was due to "multiple blunt impact trauma."

Trial, sentencing, and death

Mary Lou Keel Mary Lou Keel (born January 5, 1961) has been a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals since 2016. Between 1995 and 2016 she presided over the 232nd District Court in Harris County, Texas. She had previously served as assistant district atto ...

, a Texas district judge, established that most of the suspects would get individual trials. The prosecutors were Colleen Barnett and Denise Nassar. The trial of O'Malley was scheduled to begin on April 13, 1999. Craig Ahrens' trial was scheduled to begin later that month. Miller and Singleton were to be tried together during a trial beginning in May. The trial for Hope Ahrens was scheduled for June. The final trial, that of Basso, was scheduled for July.Krajicek, David.
Fingerpointing at Trial
." ''Suzanne Basso and the Murder of Louis 'Buddy' Musso''.

. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. O'Malley was convicted of capital murder and received a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. Miller was convicted of murder and received 80 years in prison. Craig Ahrens was convicted of murder and received 60 years in prison. Singleton was convicted of capital murder and received a life sentence. The trial of Hope Ahrens resulted in a

hung jury A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. Hung jury usually results in the case being tried again. ...

, but she took a

plea deal A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

in exchange for testifying against Basso. She received a 20-year sentence and has since been released from prison. Suzanne Basso was convicted and

. Basso was held at the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

(TDCJ)

in Gatesville while on

.Death Row Facts
." ''

''. Retrieved on May 6, 2010. Since Texas no longer serves

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 In the United States, most states g ...

requests on death row, Basso ate regular prison fare of baked chicken, fish, boiled eggs, carrots, green beans, and sliced bread. She was executed on February 5, 2014, at the

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 ...

of the TDCJ. When asked if she had a last statement, she replied to the prison warden, "No, sir." She was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. CST, 11 minutes after a lethal dose of the drug

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (previously known as pentobarbitone in Britain and Australia) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment o ...

was administered. , the other perpetrators are incarcerated at these prisons: * James O'Malley:

Hodge Unit Jerry H. Hodge Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a state prison for men in Rusk, Texas; it is on Farm to Market Road 2972, west of Texas State Highway 69 North. It opened in March 1995.Hobby Unit The William P. Hobby Unit (HB) is a prison for women in unincorporated Falls County, Texas, United States. Named after William P. Hobby William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was known as the publisher/owner of the '' Beaum ...

* Craig Ahrens:

Ferguson Unit Jim Ferguson Unit (FE) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison for men located in unincorporated Madison County, Texas. The prison is located on Farm to Market Road 247, near Midway and northwest of Huntsville.

* Hope Ahrens:

Lockhart Unit The Gregory S. Coleman Unit, formerly known as the Lockhart Unit, is a state prison for women located in Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas, operated (as of September 2015) by Management and Training Corporation under contract with the Texas De ...

* Terence Singleton: Ferguson Unit

Statistics

As a result of the 1976

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

decision in '' Gregg v. Georgia'', capital punishment was reinstated in the United States. With her execution, Basso became: * the 14th woman executed in the U.S. since 1976 * the seventh murderer executed in the U.S. in 2014 * the 1,366th murderer executed in the U.S. since 1976 * the second murderer executed in Texas in 2014 * the 510th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Victim

Basso's life

Murder

Trial, sentencing, and death

Statistics

See also

References

Further reading