Man executed in killing of teen in home near SMU - attacker murdered boy on victim's 16th birthday

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Convicted killer Bruce Charles Jacobs was executed Thursday evening for fatally hacking a Dallas youth with a butcher knife on the victim's 16th birthday almost 17 years ago.

Mr. Jacobs recited by memory as his last statement the 23rd Psalm that begins "The Lord is my shepherd" and ends with "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Raising his head off the gurney and turning to four friends watching from an adjacent room, Mr. Jacobs thanked them for "being there with me all these years and supporting me." He also thanked the media for "being nice to me," then urged his friends to "take care of yourself and y'all stay strong."

Mr. Jacobs, 56, was condemned for the slaying of Conrad Harris at the teenager's home near Southern Methodist University on July 22, 1986. His lethal injection was the 15th this year in Texas.

A medical examiner testified Mr. Harris had been stabbed at least 24 times in an "overkill" and lost half of his blood supply in the attack. Part of the knife blade was broken in the frenzy and was imbedded in the youth's body.

With the father, Hugh Harris, providing the eyewitness identification of Mr. Jacobs as his son's killer, a Dallas County jury convicted Mr. Jacobs of capital murder and decided he should be put to death.

"He's a brutal murderer without a conscience," Mr. Harris said. "I'll be satisfied to see the circle closed."

Mr. Jacobs, who worked mostly as a dishwasher and had a criminal history of violence with knives and razor blades, acknowledged that he was in the Harris house at 6:30 that morning, but he said another intruder in the house at the same time was to blame for the killing.

"I'm going to get executed for something I didn't do," he said recently from death row. "Somebody jumped me from behind. ... I left and went home. I didn't know there was a murder until three days later."

The victim's stepmother, Holly Kuper, told authorities that a man matching Mr. Jacobs' description tried to push his way into her house the morning before the murder, but she managed to get the door locked and called police.

Prosecutors said they believe Mr. Jacobs came back the next night to assault her but the father was home, and Mr. Jacobs instead killed the boy.

Mr. Harris and his wife gave police information for a sketch of the suspect and a taxi driver told authorities that the drawing looked like a customer he had the morning of the killing. Mr. Jacobs was remembered for his beard and a Panama hat that he wore.

Mr. Jacobs, still wearing the hat but recently shaven, was arrested inside a convenience store.

At his Dallas apartment, police found a $100 bill identified as missing from the purse of the victim's stepmother. Mr. Jacobs' fingerprints were found on other knives at the Harris home.

No late appeals to the courts were filed. Mr. Jacobs' lawyer said his client was mentally ill but couldn't prove he was mentally retarded, which would make him ineligible for execution under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year.

"He has this fantasy that somehow he had this relationship with the victim's mother, which is simply not true," James Volberding said. "We have never been able to get at the bottom of how his mind works or fails to work. Although I'm convinced he's mentally ill, there's nothing I can do to prove that that's sufficient to stop his execution."

When he was 14, an intelligence test put Mr. Jacobs' IQ at 77, while subsequent testing over the years put his IQ somewhat higher. Someone with an IQ less than 70 generally is considered retarded.

"People tell me I'm slow," Mr. Jacobs, a 10th-grade dropout, said from death row.

At his trial, jurors heard from witnesses who told of Mr. Jacobs at age 16 stabbing a 12-year-old girl with a steak knife during an assault.

In 1967, he was taken into custody after holding a razor blade to a girl's neck during a robbery.

In the early 1970s, he served time in Oregon for assault and was caught with a razor-tipped broom in his cell.

Man executed in killing of teen in home near SMU -
attacker murdered boy on victim's 16th birthday

Excerpt:

"This is one of those cases, if there was ever a death penalty case, in my mind this is one," Day Haygood, one of the prosecutors at Mr. Jacobs' trial, recalled this week. "The most horrific part was his father heard the boy screaming and found Jacobs cutting him."

"He's a brutal murderer without a conscience," Mr. Harris said. "I'll be satisfied to see the circle closed."

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas Executions ping list!. . .don't be shy.

http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Pending/03/may03.htm

Date of scheduled execution	State	Victim name	Inmate name	Status
May 15, 2003	Texas	Conrad Harris, 16	Bruce Jacobs	executed
Bruce Jacobs was convicted of stabbing to death 16-year-old Conrad Harris in July of 1986. Jacobs broke into the teenager's home in Dallas during the early morning hours and stabbed Conrad repeatedly. Conrad's parents heard his screams and ran into his room where they found Jacobs standing over the boy with a knife in his hand. Jacobs pointed the knife at the couple, then fled the house. Jacobs fingerprints were found on a butter knife in the home and police found a pair of blood-stained blue jeans at his residence following his arrest. The family reported that $100 was missing from the home. Mrs. Harris told police that Jacobs has tried to break into the home on the day before the murder. He ran off after she managed to close the door and lock it. Jacobs had previously served time for an assault conviction in the state of Oregon. UPDATE: Convicted killer Bruce Charles Jacobs was executed tonight for using a butcher knife to fatally hack a Dallas boy on the victim's 16th birthday almost 17 years ago. At 6:17 p.m., 6 minutes after the lethal drugs began flowing, he was pronounced dead. Jacobs, 56, was condemned for the slaying of Conrad Harris at the teenager's home near Southern Methodist University July 22, 1986. A medical examiner testified Harris had been stabbed at least 24 times in an "overkill" and lost half of his blood supply in the attack. Part of the knife blade was broken in the frenzy and was imbedded in the boy's body. "This is one of those cases, if there was ever a death penalty case, in my mind this is one," Day Haygood, one of the prosecutors at Jacobs' trial, recalled this week. "The most horrific part was his father heard the boy screaming and found Jacobs cutting him." With Hugh Harris providing the eyewitness identification of Jacobs as his son's killer, a Dallas County jury convicted Jacobs of capital murder and decided he should be put to death. "He's a brutal murderer without a conscience," Harris told The Dallas Morning News in a story published Thursday. "I'll be satisfied to see the circle closed." Jacobs, who worked mostly as a dishwasher and had a criminal history of violence with knives and razor blades, acknowledged he was in the Harris house at 6:30 that morning but said another intruder in the house at the same time was to blame for the killing. "I'm going to get executed for something I didn't do," he said recently from death row. "Somebody jumped me from behind... I left and went home. I didn't know there was a murder until 3 days later." The victim's stepmother, Holly Kuper, told authorities a man matching Jacobs' description tried to push his way into her house the morning before the murder but she managed to get the door locked and called police. "Our theory was Bruce came back the next night and meant to assault her but the father was home and he just turned his attention to killing the boy," Haygood said. Harris and his wife gave police information for a sketch of the suspect and a taxi driver told authorities the drawing looked like a customer he had the morning of the killing. Jacobs was remembered for his beard and a Panama hat that he wore. Jacobs, still wearing the hat but recently shaven, was arrested inside a convenience store. At his Dallas apartment, police found a $100 bill identified as missing from Kuper's purse. Jacobs' fingerprints were found on other knives at the Harris home. No late appeals to the courts were filed. Jacobs' lawyer said his client was mentally ill but couldn't prove he was mentally retarded, which would make him ineligible for execution under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year. "He has this fantasy that somehow he had this relationship with the victim's mother, which is simply not true," James Volberding said. "We have never been able to get at the bottom of how his mind works or fails to work. Although I'm convinced he's mentally ill, there's nothing I can do to prove that that's sufficient to stop his execution." When he was 14, an intelligence test put Jacobs' IQ at 77 while subsequent testing over the years put his IQ somewhat higher. Someone with an IQ less than 70 generally is considered retarded. "People tell me I'm slow," Jacobs, a 10th-grade dropout, said from death row. At his trial, jurors heard from witnesses who told of Jacobs at age 16 stabbing a 12-year-old girl with a steak knife during an assault. While in a juvenile lockup, he beat another person with an ax handle. In 1967, he was taken into custody after holding a razor blade to a girl's neck during a robbery. In the early 1970s, he served time in Oregon for assault and was caught with a razor-tipped broom in his cell.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.