Terry Lee Hankins (October 10, 1974 – June 2, 2009) 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 killed five family members in

Mansfield, Texas Mansfield is a suburban city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The city is located mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties. Its location is approximately 30 miles from Dalla ...

between October 2000 and August 2001. After fully admitting responsibility, he was convicted of two of the murders and was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. Hankins 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) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

on June 2, 2009, becoming the 200th inmate executed in Texas under the governorship of

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

Early life

Terry Lee Hankins was born on October 10, 1974. When he was young, his parents divorced and he was sent to live with his father Ernie. Hankins was introduced to two stepmothers, both of whom he later claimed sexually abused him. At age 18, he married Tammy Bryce, and he moved in with her three children.

Murders

On October 1, 2000, Hankins struck 20-year-old half-sister Pearl Sevenstar over the head multiple times with a car jack, killing her. Afterwards he wrapped her body in a plastic sheet, and stuffed it into the front seat of a car at his father's automotive shop. A week later, on October 8, Hankins got into an argument with his father Ernie, during which Ernie brandished a .45-caliber pistol. Terry confronted his father and grabbed hold of the gun and shot his father in the head. He later hid the body in an Arlington

mobile home A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabrication, prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or ...

, and subsequently took over his father's company and changed its name; he was able to convince neighbors and workers that his father was caring for sick relatives. To cover up his father's disappearance, he began to regularly pay his father's house bills, and would regularly check in and out of his property. In July 2001, Terry was arrested and charged with

aggravated assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result ...

for beating his roommate Ruthie Bradley. After a short time in jail, he was released the following month. On August 26, Hankins entered his wife's trailer with a gun. Upon locating his sleeping wife, he shot her once in the head. The next day, he fatally shot his sleeping stepchildren Kevin Galley, 12; and Ashley Mason, 11.

Arrest and trial

Hankins was considered the prime suspect in the murders of Tammy and her children, and a warrant was put out for his arrest. Now wanted, Hankins fled to his girlfriend's apartment in Arlington. However, police eventually tracked him down, and after a five-hour standoff he surrendered without incident. Soon after his arrest, he confessed to the murders as well as to killing his father and stepsister. He told investigators where to look and their bodies were soon recovered. The confession came as a surprise to detectives since neither Hankins' father nor stepsister had ever been reported missing. Initially, he was charged with killing his step children, but not the other three. Despite his confession, he pleaded not guilty, claiming the warrant that lead to his arrest was obtained through illegal means since the evidence that was presented was largely just speculation. Hankins was found guilty of two counts of

capital murder Capital murder refers to a category of murder in some parts of the US for which the perpetrator is eligible for the death penalty. In its original sense, capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, Northern Irela ...

, and in May 2002 he was sentenced to death.

Execution

In January 2009, with his execution date fast approaching, his lawyers attempted to get the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to review the case, but the request was denied. On June 2, 2009, Hankins was executed via

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 Ins ...

. His last words were "I am sorry for what I've done and for all the pain and suffering my actions have caused. Jesus is Lord. All Glory to God." He was the 200th executed inmate in Texas under Texas governor

, and the 439th execution since

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

was reinstated in the United States in 1977. Hankins was 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

External links