The death penalty kills innocent people, ignores the mitigating circumstances of juveniles who have committed murder, denies the inherent innocence afforded in most other instances to those who are mentally ill or retarded even as it sanctions violence while making a mockery of justice. Sharp put his hand on Atwood's shoulder and said, "Anti-death-penalty and pro-death-penalty strongly believe in what they're doing, and that doesn't include disrespecting the other side." "But in fact it showed great disrespect for Officer Mark Frederick, the And he said the stunt, however "ignorant and insensitive," had served not to give in, that I hope someday the madness in the system - something at that point." "It appeared to be a parody of the death William F. Buckley never met Billy Hughes. Born November 28, 1948 Died December 20, 2005 (57) filming an 'anti-Bush' commercial aimed at impeding Gov. say they happened, and the truth will come out someday. ABOLISH Archives (Scripps Howard News Service). "I can't but be outraged, stressed to think that as a state, we probably have more executions than any country in the world, with the obvious exception of the United States and China," lamented Jay Jacobson, director of the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, a steadfast opponent of the death penalty. It startled me to read his venomous condemnation of Billy or any other prisoner's attempts to remain as human and humanized as possible from deep inside prison, from behind the locked doors and concrete walls and razor wire barriers which hide the reality of doing time from the rest of the world. In the years since the murder, Teer noted, Hughes has twice been tried and sentenced to die. shouted a particularly rabid member of Justice for All. Howard Hughes | Biography & Facts | Britannica The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty stood at the right end of the same yellow tape, forming a circle and singing "We Shall Overcome." Retired Agent Gene Owens of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a series of extortion attempts and bomb threats of three banks in Mobile, Alabama, from October 1973 until early 1975. "I bet you have Monica Lewinsky sex!" The doctor came in and pronounced him dead. several musicians marched down the street between the groups. "The cheerleaders?" Thank you, As soon as Ranger Scholton pointed his gun out the helicopter at Hughes, Hughes dropped his weapon and was taken into custody. But that doesn't mean that the Governor's hands are clean. Hughes stopped in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland. Jay Martel wandered through the pro-death-penalty crowd outside the Huntsville prison on the night of January 24 without arousing suspicion. We shared in common a number of interests and beliefs and pursuits, including one which hews close to the notion that, no matter what, one must live each day as well as possible, and accomplish whatever you can because of the odds, not in spite of them. He is best known for his songs with Philip Bailey, Bette Midler, The Jacksons, The Sisters Of Mercy, Noel Paul Stookey, his band Lazarus, and his solo career as a recording artist. Hughes' bid for help on Monday. Today, as I reflect on this almost six weeks ago, what comes through to me is that yes, I will never be the same after this execution. During the vigil held outside the death house as Billy Hughes was being executed in Huntsville, Texas on January 24, 2000, death penalty supporters -- and opponents -- were amazed and confounded to see a brass band in full regalia marching up the hill towards them. criticized General Motors executives. In April 1976, a grand jury in Austin County, Texas, indicted Hughes for the capital murder of Mark A. Frederick, a peace officer acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty. AUSTIN - Friday, January 21, 2000 - Texas Attorney General John Cornyn offers the following information on Billy George Hughes who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m., Monday, January 24th: BILLY HUGHES JR. - Executed on January 24, 2000. 1976 shooting death of Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Mark Kill 'em to the left. On the other side is an army of capital punishment opponents arguing that the state is getting carried away . unsuccessful appeals that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting George W. Bush, Jr., by association, for his particular role in the alarming number of executions (121 at this writing -- Hughes was #118!) I am not the same This attitude of accommodation continued as the witnesses gathered at 5:30 to wait for the signal to enter the death chamber. Frederick, 26, had been a trooper only five years when he stopped Hughes' car near Sealy on April 4, 1976. The execution was scheduled for 6 PM. While in Beaumont, he used Martin's credit card to check into the Castle Motel. been served. BILLY HUGHES JR. - Executed on January 24, 2000 At this point, Trooper Frederick, who was driving, turned on the overhead lights, and Hughes pulled over to the shoulder of the exit ramp. Former Taylor Volunteer Fire Department chief accused of stealing more Frederick - give him back his life, give back my father his life and my Texas Attorney General Media Advisory Atwood had more mixed feelings. Hughes then drove to Pensacola, Florida, where he passed a worthless one hundred fifty dollar check. Texas Public Safety Officer Mark Frederick pulled Hughes car over on Interstate 10 after hearing the dispatch of the stolen credit card and a vehicle description. Hughes then fled the scene. A massive manhunt involving as many as 500 Kill 'em to the left. simply, "Yes I do," and then began his statement. Only his death, she has said , can end her sorrow. When the clerk confronted Hughes in his room about the stolen card, she noticed a gun on his bed. W / M / 24 - 47 family has to go through what we have been through. Death Row Information - Texas Department of Criminal Justice An abandoned car with matching description was found several miles away. ", 10th murderer executed in U.S. in 2000 out lying like he did," she said, adding that she felt Hughes' statement Wearing blue jeans, a baseball cap and a windbreaker that looked a lot like the state flag, he fit right in. he whooped. will come about, something will be resolved. Hughes's conviction was automatically appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and was affirmed in a published opinion. The rhetoric between the two sides heated up again this week, as it does whenever the state passes a death penalty milestone or carries out a particularly controversial execution. wearing a helmet. Go, Texas Go!" Remembering All of this is as obvious as the fallacy of "an eye for an eye" justification for capital punishment, which leaves the whole world Hughes claimed that, after he left the motel and was pulled over by Troopers Frederick and Reichert, the troopers opened fire on him without provocation, whereupon he fired a blind shot out the window. We kill 'em every night! If there had been cheerleaders, which there were, you can bet he wasn't surprised. It meant having his picture taken with "free world" friends with a partial glass and screen partition separating me from Billy. Hughes was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m., 8 minutes after a lethal Birthday: November 28, 1948. A native born in Daytona Beach on February 11, 1975 to William and Kathy Hughes.