Michael Wayne Richard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Wayne Richard (24 August 1959 – 25 September 2007) was a rapist and murderer whose execution gained notoriety because of procedural problems.
On 18 August 1986, in Hockley, Texas, while on parole for motor vehicle theft, Richard entered the home of Marguerite Dixon, stole two television sets, raped Dixon, fatally shot her, and then stole her van.
In the wake of the Supreme Court of the United States expressing interest in the question of the constitutionality of lethal injections, the Texas Defender Service attempted to file an appeal for a delay in the execution of Richard, on the very day that for which the execution was scheduled. The execution was scheduled for 6 PM; the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, with which the appeal had to be filed was scheduled to close at 5 PM, and refused to remain open beyond then to allow a later filing. Because of a computer failure, the Defender Service did not reach the Court of Criminal Appeals until about 5:20 PM.
[edit] References
- Office of the Clark County [Texas] Prosecutor; “Michael Wayne Richard”.
- Blumenthal, Ralph, and Linda Greenhouse; “Texas Planning New Execution Despite Ruling”, New York Times, 28 September 2007.
- Lindell, Chuck; “5 p.m. closing time at Texas court a factor in execution”, Austin American-Statesman, 29 September 2007.
