|
|
| Convicted Killer in Gay-Bashing Case Executed |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/14/2003 |
|
An apologetic Henry Dunn Jr. was executed for participating in the fatal shooting of a man who was abducted and targeted for robbery because he was gay. Strapped to a gurney February 6, he expressed love for his family and asked for forgiveness from his victim's relatives. 'I hope you can find it in your heart to find forgiveness and strength, to move on and find peace,' Dunn said, looking at Nicolas West's sister, brother and brother-in-law. Dunn was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m., six minutes after the injection began. In a written statement released following his death, he said the death penalty in Texas is broken. He said unqualified attorneys were appointed for him under state law. Dunn, 28, was the eighth Texas inmate executed this year and second this week. Three more are scheduled for lethal injection later this month. The former fast-food restaurant worker acknowledged being present when the 23-year-old West was gunned down near Tyler more than nine years ago. But he said a companion, also sent to death row, was primarily to blame for the hate crime. 'I don't hate homosexuals,' Dunn, who was 19 at the time of the killing, said last week. 'That's their right to be that way if they want to.' Donald Aldrich, 38, also is on death row for the West slaying. A third man, David Ray McMillan, who was 17 when the crime occurred on November 30, 1993, received a life prison term. On the afternoon of February 6, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case and halt the execution. West, a medical clerk, was abducted from a Tyler park known as a homosexual meeting spot. Taken to a remote area of Smith County, he was stripped, ordered to his knees and shot as many as 15 times. 'It was a deliberate, preplanned, cold-blooded kidnapping and murder,' Smith County District Attorney Jack Skeen said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Waco lawyer that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.