TEXAS LAST MEAL
FRANK MOORE
January 21, 2009

...no witnesses ever came forward at trial to corroborate Moore's self-defense claims....

Last Meal: Moore had no final meal request.

The skinny: Fifteen years to the day of the crime, Moore, 49, was executed for two murders, including a 15-year-old San Antonio boy. Moore says he acted in self-defense

More skinny: Moore became involved in an altercation with the two victims at a San Antonio club called Wheels of Joy on Jan. 21, 1994.

After the initial confrontation, the two left the establishment but returned in a vehicle and stopped next to Moore in the club's parking lot.

At that point, Moore used a .30-caliber rifle to shoot and kill the men before fleeing the scene.

One received wounds to the chest while the other was shot in the head, and both died at the scene of the shooting.

Before his arrest, Moore reportedly threatened to kill family members of witnesses if they cooperated with the police investigation of the murders.

2007 Interview with CourtTVnews.com in 2007: "They came with intentions to kill me," Moore said in the interview. "It was a do-or-die situation."

But no witnesses ever came forward at trial to corroborate Moore's self-defense claims. Prosecutors contended that Moore, a long-time gang member with a lengthy rap sheet dating back to his teens, shot the two in cold blood to assert his authority after a shoving match broke out in the bar.

It was not until 2006 that a private investigator, who once worked against Moore and his fellow gangsters, came forward with information that Moore said corroborated his self-defense claims.

Warren Huel, a retired Navy Seal who was in charge of the private security firm that oversaw the projects, was the first peace officer on the scene, arriving about 45 minutes before the San Antonio Police Department, according to an affidavit.

During that time, Huel said he spoke with witnesses who reported that Boyd and Clark shot at Moore first from inside the car after trying to run him over, according to the affidavit.

Witnesses also told Huel that they had seen the victims' relatives remove their weapons from the car before police arrived, Huel stated in the affidavit.

When Huel attempted to share the information with San Antonio Police, he says the officers told him to forget everything he had seen and learned, he said in an affidavit.

"I was told that did not matter, as they already had Frank Moore, the murder weapon and an eyewitness," Huel stated in his affidavit. "I was told Moore was a dope dealer and had to go to jail."

Since then, three others have come forward claiming they witnessed the shootings, providing similar details, said Moore's lawyer, David Sergi.

"Unfortunately, people from the street didn't come forward to testify at the time of the trial," he said. "The problem is, the law doesn't allow for a change of circumstances."

The Texas State Attorney's Office argued that Moore's claims should be dismissed because the evidence had always been available, and was not the "newly discovered" evidence the law requires.

A lower court sided with the state, prompting Moore to appeal to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Monday, the court declined to hear his claims, making the U.S. Supreme Court Moore's last chance for a reprieve. The justices remained silent on the matter.

PRIORS: Prior to the two murders, Moore had previously been convicted for negligent homicide, attempted murder and drug possession. He was also a member of a gang known to commit robberies, aggravated assaults, murders and drug activities.

Two trials: A Bexar County jury convicted Moore and sentenced him to death, but his conviction was reversed in 1998 after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found error in the trial court's refusal to give the jury the option of convicting Moore of a lesser offense. Even so, Moore was convicted and sentenced to death at his second trial in 1999.

Last words and such: During his brief last statement, Moore addressed his wife and three friends who attended the execution on his behalf.

He did not address any of the victims' witnesses present.

“I would like to say that capital self-defense is not capital murder,” Moore said at approximately 6:12 p.m. “To my wife and family, thank you for your support. I appreciate you and thank you.”

Factoids: Moore was the...

3rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1139th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
2nd murderer executed in Texas in 2009
425th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

BULLET LAST MEALS...Complete skinny to come over the next few days...

TEXAS LAST MEAL
FRANK MOORE
Jan. 21, 2009

Moore had no final meal request.


OKLAHOMA LAST MEAL
DARWIN BROWN
Jan. 22, 2009

Brown had a final meal request of barbecue ribs, chopped beef, hot links, baked beans, plain potato chips, coconut doughnuts and chocolate milk.


TEXAS LAST MEAL
REGINALD PERKINS
Jan. 22, 2009

Brown had a final meal request twenty four hot bbq chicken wings, two cheeseburgers with everything, four slices of pizza with jalapenos, three slices of buttered toast, one sweet potato pie, sherbert rainbow ice cream and twelve Dr. Pepper/Big Red.

ALABAMA LAST MEAL
JAMES HARVEY CALLAHAN
January 15, 2009

...the victim was three months away from a Computer Science degree at the time of her killing....

Last Meal: Callahan had a last meal request of two corn dogs with ketchup and mustard and a Coke.

The skinny: Callahan, 62, was executed for the 1982 kidnapping, rape and murder of a 26-year-old Jacksonville State University student.

Callahan had been on death row for nearly 26 years.

More skinny: On February 3, 1982, around 11:00 p.m., the victim met her fiancé, at the club where he was performing with his band in Jacksonville, Alabama. The victim, 26, went across the street to do laundry. She was supposed to return to the club, but when the band finished playing at 1:30 a.m., she had still not returned.

The fiancé became worried and went to the laundry to look for her. He found her car, her school books, her laundry, and her jacket, but he did not find her. He called the police. The officers searched the area and discovered a roll of gray duct tape and a pair of men’s blue jeans in the vicinity of her car but found no other evidence of her whereabouts.

She had been abducted by Callahan.

According to trial records, Callahan locked her in his trailer home and raped her. She died from suffocation. Her body, thrown from a bridge, was found weeks later in a creek, her hands bound together with duct tape.

Callahan claimed the woman ran into the creek.

The victim was three months away from a Computer Science degree at the time of her killing.

The Supremes: Earlier in the afternoon, Callahan's plea to the Supreme Court was rejected, clearing the way for his execution.

Almost a year ago, the high court granted a reprieve only an hour before his scheduled execution. This time the justices rejected the motion about two hours before the lethal injection.

Leading up to: Prison officials said Callahan met Thursday with family members, friends and a spiritual adviser and received communion at 4:30 p.m.

Callahan prepared a will bequeathing to his son $36.42 from his prison account, a black and white Radio Shack TV, two watches, a Walkman, some headphones, a leather belt, two pairs of boots, one pair of Nike tennis shoes, food items and legal papers.

Last words and such: Shortly after 6 p.m. Chaplain Chris Summers knelt alongside Callahan who was strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber. Summers took Callahan's left hand in his own and said a short prayer.

In his final moments, Callahan waved his left hand toward his son who was seated in a witness room. He asked his son to take care of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"I love you. That's all I have to say," Callahan said, looking directly at his son. Callahan never looked toward the victim's family members who were seated in a separate viewing room, but told his son, "I have a lot of remorse that I can't be here for you."

Factoids: Callahan was the...

2nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1138th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Alabama in 2009
39th murderer executed in Alabama since 1976

Callahan is one of five Alabama inmates set for lethal injection in the first five months of this year, an unusual group of executions for Alabama, which had none in 2008 while courts handled challenges to lethal injection and upheld it as a method of execution.

Currently, Alabama has 206 death row inmates, including four women.

TEXAS LAST MEAL
CURTIS MOORE
January 14, 2009

...Moore shouted, “This is a jack!"...

Last Meal: Moore had no final meal request.

The skinny: Moore, 40, was executed for murdering three people during a night of robberies more than 13 years ago in Fort Worth. Two victims were found dead by gunshots at a ditch across from an elementary school in Fort Worth. Another victim was burned to death in a car fire.

One survivor was found in the car fire. He helped lead authorities to Curtis Moore.

More skinny: At the trial, the survivor testified that he and two of the victims met Curtis Moore and his nephew, Anthony Moore late in the evening. The five men talked about a cocaine deal in Fort Worth, but after they arrived at the deal, Moore shouted, “This is a jack.”

After taking the money, Curtis Moore ordered his nephew to tie the victims’ hands and feet. With one man in the backseat of his car and the other two in the trunk, Curtis Moore drove to one of the victim's home.

There, Curtis and Anthony Moore shot the man and his girlfriend.

After the two shootings, Moore opened the trunk of his car, shot one man poured gasoline on both and set them on fire.

When Moore tried to close the trunk with the two still on fire, the survivor kicked it open and ran into a wooded area nearby.

Moore initially chased him, stepped on his neck and threatened him, but then left him alone, giving him the opportunity to find a hiding spot.

When he was discovered, emergency authorities flew him to a local hospital.

The capture: By the use of Anthony Moore’s street name, Kojak, the police were able to find Curtis and Anthony Moore, and they were arrested on Dec. 12.

While Calvin Moore was sentence to death, Anthony Moore was sentenced to two life terms in prison.

Priors: Before being sentenced to death, Curtis Moore had developed a criminal history which included theft, robbery, weapon possession and drug possession. In 1991, he was sentenced to 15 years jail time but was released soon after.

Close once before: In 2002, Moore made a trip to the Huntsville death house but was returned less than three hours before his scheduled execution when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed his mental retardation claims could be reviewed. Last October, the high court refused his appeal, clearing the way for Wednesday's lethal injection.

Prosecutors have argued that test scores from Curtis Moore’s youth showed him to have an IQ ranging from 68 to 76, and that many experts say the cutoff for mental retardation ranges from 65 to 70.

Last words and such: In a brief, final statement, Moore thanked a woman who administers to the spiritual needs of death row inmates.

"I want to thank you for all the beautiful years of friendship and ministry," Moore told Irene Wilcox as she watched through a window a few feet from him. Moore never acknowledged a man who survived his attacks or relatives of the three who died.

He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m., eight minutes after the lethal drugs began flowing.

Factoids: Moore was the...

1st murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1135th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Texas in 2009
424th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

Moore was the first of six prisoners scheduled to die this month in Texas, the nation's most active death penalty state. Overall, 14 men are scheduled to die in Texas by April 7, a pace that one death penalty opposition group attributes moratorium on executions from October 2007 to April 2008 while the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether lethal injection is unconstitutionally cruel. The court found that it is not.

In the 35 other states with the death penalty, a total of nine people are scheduled to die by April 7.

In 2008, 18 of the 37 executions in the U.S. occurred in Texas, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

THAT CLOSES THE KITCHEN FOR 2008.

We are going to attempt to regain our DME form in '09 and keep the site current and information-packed. If we can't, then anyone want a blog?

And now on to...where else, Texas and Curtis Moore's last meal...shortly.

SOUTH CAROLINA LAST MEAL
Joseph M.L. Gardner
December 5, 2008

Last/Special Meal: Gardner had no final meal request.

Last words and such: In a written statement, Gardner wrote "I would like to apologize to the family and loved ones of Melissa McLauchlin for taking her from them and causing them so much pain. I was 22 years old then, and I am 38 now. While I have always been sorry for what I did, the passage of time has allowed me to mature, reflect and experience spiritual growth in ways that were foreign to me as a young man. I have repented for what I have done, and I am very grateful to the many people who have prayed with me and for me over the years and in my final days. I deeply regret that my actions deprived Ms. McLauchlin of the chance to marry, have children and experience life with God. I have spent years praying for her, and I encourage all people of faith to do the same."

KENTUCKY LAST MEAL
MARCO ALLEN CHAPMAN
November 21, 2008

Last Meal: Chapman had a final meal request of a medium rare 32-ounce steak, shrimp, salad and banana creme pie.


Last Words and such: "I don't know why I did the thing that I did, and I know the hate of me over that night must be overwhelming, but Carolyn and Courtney you have to know that wasn't who I was or am," Chapman wrote in a statement he gave to Warden Tom Simpson to read. "I am not a monster even though I did a monstrously evil thing. That is why I give my life willing as well as quickly in hopes that you know how truly sorry I am. I hurt and ache daily for the loss I've created in the Marksberrys' family, but I hurt as well. I don't know if I deserve heaven after what I did, but I pray with all my heart that I find some sort of peace and happiness after my last breath."

After Simpson read the statement, Chapman looked toward the room where Marksberry and family members were scheduled to view the execution, and apologized again. His voice shook, and he had tears in his eyes.