Johnny Frank Garrett (December 24, 1963 – February 11, 1992) was a death row prisoner executed by the State of Texas. Includes scan of original inmate record cover page.

Murder of Benz

Garrett was accused of the murder of a Catholic nun that took place on October 31, 1981, when he was 17 years old. According to the prosecution, that morning, Garrett raped, strangled, and killed 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz in the St. Francis Convent. On November 9, 1981, Garrett, who lived across the street from the convent, was arrested.

Trial and execution

Garrett was tried and convicted of the crime. He was held at Ellis Unit, north of Huntsville, Texas, which at the time held men on the State of Texas's death row. He was originally scheduled to be executed on January 6, 1992, but after Pope John Paul II asked for clemency,

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

Ann Richards gave him a temporary reprieve. After Richards's reprieve, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles held a hearing on whether Garrett should receive a commutation to life in prison but the death sentence was retained by a 17 to 1 vote. He was examined by Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, who determined he had multiple personalities as a result of child abuse from his mother, grandmother, and grandfather. He was ultimately executed at age 28 at Huntsville Unit on February 11, 1992 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 ...

. His final meal request was ice cream. The TDCJ website has stated since at least 2012 that "this offender declined to make a last statement." However, there are last words of Garrett reported from the time of execution re-quoted frequently, and reported by '' APBnews'' as: "I'd like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me. The rest of the world can kiss my ass."The quotation with additional words – "everloving" and "because I'm innocent" – is presented without additional verification in
The Last Word
'' (2008 film) by Jesse Quackenbush;
Wrongfully Accused #2
' (2013 book) by William Webb; and in
Let the People in: The Life and Times of Ann Richards
' (2012 biography) by Jan Reid. Director Jesse Quackenbush, a man from Albany, New York who graduated from the

University of Houston Law School The University of Houston Law Center is the law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is accredited by the American ...

in 1987 and, that year, moved to Amarillo, made the documentary ''The Last Word'' which argues that Garrett was in fact innocent of the crime. He argued that Garrett was the victim of overzealous prosecutors and poor defense attorneys. It was adapted into the semi-fictional horror film '' Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett, Johnny 1963 births 1992 deaths 1981 murders in the United States 20th-century executions by Texas American people executed for murder People convicted of murder by Texas People executed by Texas by lethal injection People from Amarillo, Texas Juvenile offenders executed by the United States

Murder of Benz

Trial and execution

See also

References