Michael Lee Lockhart (September 30, 1960 – December 9, 1997) was an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who received death sentences in three states (

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and

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 ...

). He was executed on December 9, 1997, by the state of Texas.

Arrest and Convictions

Lockhart was caught when Officer Paul Hulsey Jr. tried to arrest him for driving a stolen

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

. Officers responding to the motel room where he was reported found Hulsey dead in the room. They put out an

all-points bulletin An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.Reiter, E. (1970). Police strive to provide protection machines lend valuable assista ...

for the vehicle, which was spotted. A

high speed chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle in pursuit, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive ...

ensued before Lockhart crashed and was soon apprehended. Evidence of his other crimes were found in the vehicle. Lockhart was convicted of killing Officer Hulsey and was sentenced to death. He was later convicted in Indiana for the murder of 16-year-old Windy Gallagher in

Griffith, Indiana Griffith is a town in the Calumet and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,331 in 2021. History The Griffith State Bank, E.J. and E. Griffith Interlock ...

. Following the previous conviction, he pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Jennifer Colhouer in

Land O' Lakes, Florida Land o' Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. Land o' Lakes is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida MSA. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 31,145. The CDP grew rapidly du ...

. He received death sentences in both states. Lockhart was a suspect in the murder of Kathy Hobbs, a 16-year-old girl abducted from

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in 1987. Before its resolution, her case was featured on ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl ...

'' in 1989.

Execution

Lockhart was executed on December 9, 1997, in

. His last meal consisted of a double-meat cheeseburger, French fries, and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

. Lockhart's last words were; "a lot of people view what is happening here as evil, but I want you to know that I found love and compassion here. The people who work here, I thank them for the kindness they have shown me and I deeply appreciate all that has been done for me by the people who work here. That’s all, Warden. I’m ready." He is buried at

Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery The Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the main prison cemetery of the U.S. state of Texas, located in Huntsville and operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The colloquial name for the cemetery is Peckerwood Hill. The name originat ...

References

1960 births 1997 deaths 20th-century executions by Texas American people executed for murdering police officers American murderers of children American rapists Executed American serial killers Executed people from Ohio People convicted of murder by Florida People convicted of murder by Indiana People convicted of murder by Texas Prisoners sentenced to death by Florida Prisoners sentenced to death by Indiana People from Wood County, Ohio People executed by Texas by lethal injection Serial killers from Florida Serial killers from Indiana Serial killers from Texas {{US-crime-bio-stub

Arrest and Convictions

Execution

See also

References