Execution of repeat burglar set
Posted on 03/11/2003 5:39:38 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Execution of repeat burglar set
03/11/2003
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Death row inmate Bobby Glen Cook admits to being a thief but insisted he was no killer.
"I've never been violent," says Cook, 41, condemned for the 1993 shooting death of an East Texas fisherman. "Just thefts."
Cook, with an extensive criminal record, faced lethal injection Tuesday night for the murder of Edwin Earl Holder, 42, of Buffalo.
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At the time of the slaying, Cook had five convictions -- three for burglary and two for theft -- had been to prison four times and was paroled four times, committing another crime each time while on parole.
"To his credit, his criminal history was nonviolent, but as debate rages about nonviolent offenders being excellent candidates for release, the human factor always needs to be taken into consideration," said Gerald Garrett, chairman of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The board Monday voted 18-0, refusing to commute the Corsicana man's death sentence and refusing to halt the execution, the 10th this year in Texas and the 299th since the state resumed carrying out capital punishment in 1982.
Delma Banks, scheduled to die Wednesday night for a 1980 slaying near Texarkana, would be No. 300 in Texas, which accounts for more than one-third of all executions in the United States since the Supreme Court in 1976 allowed the death penalty to resume.
The high court late last year rejected Cook's request to review his case, and he had placed his hopes in a clemency appeal before the parole board.
"That's like a hay bale thrown into the wind of a hurricane," he said of his prospects.
"He's just an interesting case, in the theoretic mode," Garrett said Monday. "The premise seems to be out there that nonviolent offenders don't pose a threat.
"While we want to move forward and give the nonviolent offender the benefit of the doubt, one should move forward with proper degree of caution, and I think this very much dramatizes that."
Holder failed to return from a fishing trip on the Trinity River and his body was found inside a sleeping bag in the bed of his pickup truck, partially submerged in the river near Cayuga in Anderson County, about 75 miles southeast of Dallas. He had been shot six times in the head.
Holder's boat also was sunk, but the motor and a couple of lanterns were missing along with his wallet and $21.
Cook and two companions, Stephen Ray Cockroft and Robin Jenkins, both of Dawson, were arrested a few days later at Cockroft's home after a witness described Cockroft's truck leaving the area where Holder's body was found. Cockroft was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life. Jenkins testified against Cook and received a 15-year term.
Cook, who said his lawyers urged him not to testify at his trial, called the trial "a shambles."
"It was self-defense," Cook said, describing the Holder shooting from a closet-like cage in the visiting area of death row. "The dude pulled a gun on me. It clicked twice.
"I just grabbed toward the gun and got it. ... He started coming and then I shot. I thought he was shot three times and he fell."
Cook said everyone, including Holder, was drunk and had been drinking all day Feb. 5, 1993.
"After he got shot, like I got sober," Cook said. "It's haunted me ever since. There's nothing I could do about it. I'm sorry it happened. If the gun hadn't misfired, I'd be dead."
He said he threw the .22-caliber chrome-plated pistol into the river. It never was found.
As for the $21, "I think I spent it on gas," he said.
Prosecutors contended Holder was asleep when he was shot with his own gun, noting the wounds to his head were in a close pattern, fired no more than three feet away, and that there was no sign of a struggle.
Cook blamed his burglary sprees on a need for money to support a methamphetamine habit.
"At that time, and with those drugs, you didn't care," he said. "I wish this never happened. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
It does seem unfair. He shoots him three times in self defense, while drunk. Then the victim shoots himself in the head three more times and climbs into his sleeping bag in the back of his truck. And wouldn't ya know, he forgot the parking brake. Talk about a headache. But how can you blame a guy who's drunk? Who sold him the booze? And it was self defense, afterall. And just as soon as he shot the guy he got sober. The victim stole his high. Doesn't that count?
Besides, all the perp got was $21 gas money for his trouble, well yeah and the motor and lanterns.
It doesn't say if he caught any catfish but I'll bet he was too preoccupied to bait the hook.
Talk about bad luck.
First, his crime was armed robbery, not burglary. Technically, he is being executed for commission of murder while engaged in the felony of armed robbery.
Even in Texas, they don't execute anyone for burglary or even simple murder. It has to have another serious felony such as rape or armed robbery involved in the same act to get a date with Dr. Death. Sounds to me like this guy earned his date.
Texas is now executing DENTISTS!
Hmmm, he doesn't think six shots to the head constitutes violence? Maybe Bianca Jagger will show up in Huntsville tonight to define violence for us.
The intention was to disrobe the articles BIAS (that was their label: "Burglar"). I thought my comment labeling this guy covered that? Maybe not?. . .
Here is the picture on the lead-in article of this 'burglar' on Death Row and his TDCJ file.The article states he murdered someone (that's why he got the DP), but denies murderering. My apologies to all if that wasn't clear. I didn't mean to mislead, only show the article's bias calling him a repeat burglar.
The writer of the article had a hard time spitting that fact out, huh? . . .
Thanks. I'm glad YOU got it . . .
ROFL !!
Regarding his self defense claim, this non-violent burglar says he put a nice tight six shot grouping into somebones head while the man was lunging at him, while drunk!
That's some shootin'. Don't mess with Texas.
I don't support the death penalty, but this is BS.
Thanks. I'm glad. I probably should have been more clear in my comment 'burglar'. I thought it was, but I guess not for some . . .
As usual the bias to to the left runs rampant in the media...
Yep, it sure is.
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