Kimberly McCarthy
Kimberly LaGayle McCarthy (May 11, 1961 – June 26, 2013) was an American death row inmate and suspected serial killer who was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of her neighbor, 71-year-old retired college professor Dorothy Booth, in her Lancaster, Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth area) home during a robbery. She was a suspect in the murders of two other elderly Texas women, for which she was never tried.[1]
Kimberly McCarthy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kimberly LaGayle McCarthy May 11, 1961 Greenville, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 26, 2013 (aged 52) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Occupation(s) | Occupational therapist, home health aide |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | Aaron Michaels (1993–1996; divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (November 24, 1998 & November 1, 2002) |
Date apprehended | July 21, 1997 |
After her final federal appeal was denied in July 2012, McCarthy's execution date was set for January 29, 2013.[2] Two reprieves pushed her execution date to June 26, 2013.[3] McCarthy continued to proclaim her innocence, saying she was framed for the murder.[4]
On June 26, 2013, McCarthy was executed by the state of Texas by lethal injection, becoming the 500th person to be executed by the state of Texas by that method.
Early life edit
McCarthy was born on May 11, 1961,[5] in Greenville, Texas.[6] She worked as an occupational therapist in a nursing home. She was briefly married to Aaron Michaels, with whom she had one son. During her adult life, she developed an addiction to crack cocaine. In 1990, she was convicted of forgery,[1][7] and also had convictions for prostitution and theft of services.[8]
Crime edit
On July 21, 1997, McCarthy reportedly called her neighbor, former El Centro College psychology professor Dorothy Booth (May 14, 1926 – July 21, 1997), saying that she was on her way over to borrow some sugar.[1] Prosecutors later alleged that McCarthy's true intent was to rob Booth.[6] After McCarthy arrived at Booth's home, she stabbed Booth five times with a butcher knife, beat her with a candelabrum, and cut off her finger to steal her diamond wedding ring. McCarthy then stole Booth's purse and Mercedes-Benz and pawned the diamond ring in order to buy crack cocaine.[1]
The day after Booth's murder, McCarthy was charged with murder. Evidence showed that McCarthy used Booth's credit cards at a liquor store and was in possession of Booth's driver's license. Booth's DNA was also found on the murder weapon, which police recovered from McCarthy's home.[4]
In 1998, McCarthy was convicted by a Dallas County, Texas jury of murdering Booth. During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors presented blood DNA evidence alleging that McCarthy also murdered two other elderly women in Dallas County in December 1988,[8] 81-year-old Maggie Harding and 85-year-old Jettie Lucas, in order to purchase cocaine.[1] McCarthy was never charged with those murders. On November 24, 1998, McCarthy was sentenced to die by lethal injection for killing Booth.
McCarthy successfully appealed her conviction in 2002,[4] but was later re-tried and re-sentenced to death on November 1, 2002.[9]
Execution dates edit
McCarthy's final federal appeal was denied in July 2012. Her attorneys filed a petition for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, and it was denied in January 2013. Her execution date was initially set for January 29, 2013. Only hours before her lethal injection was scheduled to occur, she was granted a stay of execution.[10] Her execution was next set for April 3, 2013. In late March, the Dallas County district attorney announced that the date had been moved to June 26, 2013.
Death edit
McCarthy was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, on June 26, 2013.[8] Her execution marked the 500th convicted killer to be executed by lethal injection in Texas (which averages one execution about every four weeks) since the death penalty resumed in the United States in 1976.[11] She was the first woman executed in the United States in almost three years.[12]
She was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. CDT, 20 minutes after Texas prison officials began administering a single lethal dose of pentobarbital.[13] Her last words were: "This is not a loss. This is a win. You know where I'm going. I'm going home to be with Jesus. Keep the faith. I love you all."[14]
She is buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Kimberly Lagayle McCarthy Execution Set for January 29, 2013 in Texas". Archived from the original on 2013-07-05.
- ^ "KIMBERLY MCCARTHY, FORMERLY TIED TO NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY, FACES EXECUTION TODAY IN TEXAS".
- ^ "Lancaster Woman's Execution To Be Delayed".
- ^ a b c . Archived from the original on 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ^ "Case Summaries for Current Female Death Row Inmates".
- ^ a b "Former Local Resident Facing Death Penalty".
- ^ . Tdcj.state.tx.us. 1997-07-21. Archived from the original on 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ^ a b c . Oag.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on 2013-09-10. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ^ "Offender Information Details". Archived from the original on 2013-05-05.
- ^ "Rare Female Execution Halted; Kimberly McCarthy Gets Reprieve Hours Before Scheduled Death".
- ^ . News.msn.com. 2009-06-07. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ^ "Texas carries out 500th execution with Kimberly McCarthy", Associated Press at CBS News. June 26, 2013; retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ Tom Dart in Huntsville, Texas (June 27, 2013). "Kimberly McCarthy: Texas executes 500th inmate". London, UK: Guardian. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ^ "Kimberly McCarthy: Texas executes 500th Inmate". The Guardian. June 27, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2017.