Kelsey Patterson
Encyclopedia
Kelsey Patterson was executed by the State
of Texas
. He was convicted of the murder of Louis Oates, 63, and Dorothy Harris, 41.
On August 25, 1992, Oates was standing on the loading dock of his Oates Oil Co. in Palestine, Texas
. Patterson walked up behind Oates and shot him in the back of the head with a .38-caliber pistol. He left but returned shortly later and shot Harris who had come outside screaming upon hearing the shots and finding Oates. Patterson then went to a friend's house where he took off his clothing and was arrested standing naked in the street. No clear motive was established for the murders, but a friend of Oates told police that Patterson and the victim had once argued over who was the better football player, Patterson or Oates' son.
Patterson received a rare recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles that his death sentence be commuted to life on May 17, 2004 because of mental illness
. Nonetheless, Governor Rick Perry
refused to grant the commutation. Governor Perry explained why he refused to commute Patterson's sentence to life, "This defendant is a very violent individual. Texas has no life without parole sentencing option, and no one can guarantee this defendant would never be freed to commit other crimes were his sentence commuted. In the interests of justice
and public safety
, I am denying the defendant's request for clemency and a stay."
Prior to Patterson's execution, Texas had only two sentencing options for capital crimes: life with parole (with a minimum prison time of 40 years) or death by lethal injection; it did not have a life without parole option. Partially in response to the execution, in 2005, the Texas Legislature
changed the capital murder sentencing law, which Governor Perry signed into law. Under the new law, the life with parole option was replaced with life without parole. (However, for any unsolved cases prior to the change in law, in the event of a conviction the life with parole option still applies.)
Patterson gave the following last words
before being executed by lethal injection
:
Patterson was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m..
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was convicted of the murder of Louis Oates, 63, and Dorothy Harris, 41.
On August 25, 1992, Oates was standing on the loading dock of his Oates Oil Co. in Palestine, Texas
Palestine, Texas
Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...
. Patterson walked up behind Oates and shot him in the back of the head with a .38-caliber pistol. He left but returned shortly later and shot Harris who had come outside screaming upon hearing the shots and finding Oates. Patterson then went to a friend's house where he took off his clothing and was arrested standing naked in the street. No clear motive was established for the murders, but a friend of Oates told police that Patterson and the victim had once argued over who was the better football player, Patterson or Oates' son.
Patterson received a rare recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles that his death sentence be commuted to life on May 17, 2004 because of mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
. Nonetheless, Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
refused to grant the commutation. Governor Perry explained why he refused to commute Patterson's sentence to life, "This defendant is a very violent individual. Texas has no life without parole sentencing option, and no one can guarantee this defendant would never be freed to commit other crimes were his sentence commuted. In the interests of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
, I am denying the defendant's request for clemency and a stay."
Prior to Patterson's execution, Texas had only two sentencing options for capital crimes: life with parole (with a minimum prison time of 40 years) or death by lethal injection; it did not have a life without parole option. Partially in response to the execution, in 2005, the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
changed the capital murder sentencing law, which Governor Perry signed into law. Under the new law, the life with parole option was replaced with life without parole. (However, for any unsolved cases prior to the change in law, in the event of a conviction the life with parole option still applies.)
Patterson gave the following last words
Last words
Last words are a person's final words spoken before death.Last Words may also refer to:* Last Words , an Australian punk band* Last Words , a memoir by George Carlin* Last Words , a 1968 short film directed by Werner Herzog...
before being executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
:
Patterson was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m..