HUNTSVILLE, TX -- Barring last minute orders from Governor Rick Perry or the high court, three men will die in the Texas execution chamber this week.
Scheduled to die tonight is Gerald Cornelius Eldridge, 45, in the 1993 shooting deaths of his former girlfriend, Cynthia Bogany and her nine-year old daughter Chirissa in Houston.
Eldridge shot Chirissa between the eyes at point-blank range and then shot Bogany twice in the head. He also wounded his own son, Terrell, and another individual.
Wednesday the state plans to executute 30-year old Danielle Simpson for the murder of 84-year old Geraldine Davidson, a former Palestine, Texas school teacher and church organist abducted from her home during a burglary, driven around in the trunk of her car, beaten, and wrapped with duct tape. Cinder blocks where then tied to her ankles and she was dumped into the Neches River.
On Thursday, Robert Lee Thompson, 35, will go to the death chamber for the 1996 robbery and murder of a Houston convenience store clerk.
Thompson and Sammy Butler robbed the store armed with pistols. Thompson shot the first clerk in the stomach when he did not move quickly enough. Then he shot at, but missed, the second clerk as he ran to the back of the store.
Turning his attention back to the first clerk who was lying on the floor, he shot him three more times all the while demanding he get up and give him the money. The clerk still managed to get the money for him then Thompson put the pistol to his neck and pulled the trigger. Upon discovering he was out of bullets he hit the clerk in the head with the pistol.
As they were driving away, Butler fired from the car window and killed the second clerk who emerged from the back room and came back to the front of the store.
The first clerk survived to testify at Thompson's trial.
Thompson's indictment charged he caused the victim's death during the robbery by shooting him with a firearm. At the time of his trial in March 1998, Thompson had three Capital Murder and several Aggravated Robbery charges pending against him, including the one at hand, stemming from similar robberies.
Comments
It's interesting that this report about Robert Thompson didn't mention that Sammy Butler was found innocent of capital murder. The jury found that Butler did not intend to kill the 2nd store clerk Mansoor Bhai Mohammed. Butler was instead found guilty of murder.
Thus, the principal offender (Butler) is found not guilty of capital murder, and the accomplice (Thompson) is found guilty and sentenced to death. As cruel and savage and heinous as Thompson was, it's not right that he get sentenced to death when the triggerman (the most principal offender) is found innocent of capital murder.
sometimes things get over looked unfortunatley butler got away with murder but at least the other didnt. Thank the great state of Texas for the swift action on his behalf keep the death chamber active dont let the table get to cold. 360 on death row do 1 inmate a day,CLEAN HOUSE!,and I live in New York
why are they still breathing the same air I am?
Thank God for Texas!!! They care for the victim not the murder!!!
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