My husband and I drove down from Houston to observe the protest for ourselves. We arrived around 3 pm and there was a large crowd already. It was reported on local news that the majority of the people there were anti-capital punishment. I have to say though, by my own observations, about 80% of the crowd wanted Karla dead. This percentage was also the most vocal. There was a man on a small stage praying for Karla and playing Christian songs over speakers. The crowd drowned him out by singing acapella "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, good bye." About half the crowd consisted of college students. Some had travelled from bordering states to attend. The majority of the crowd was in high spirits and there was an air of festivity in the street. There were many creative handmade signs (mostly pro-capital punishment) and fewer more professionally done (mostly anti-capital punishment). I tried to capture the strongest views with my digital camera. One young man showed up with a sign that was mounted to an actual pickaxe that had red paint on the tip. He didn't last long though. The state troopers pulled him out of the crowd, confiscated his sign and wrote him a ticket. I took all the pictures on this page. Below is a little more information about Karla's story.

On June 13,1983, after three days of admitted almost non-stop drug-taking, Karla Faye Tucker (23yrs old) and her partner, Daniel Garrett, went to the apartment of Jerry Lynn Dean (27yrs old). Their intention was to steal his motorcycle. Garrett eventually began beating Dean over the head with a hammer. When Dean began gurgling in his own blood, Karla began striking him with a 3 foot long, 15# pickaxe. She testified at her 1984 trial, "I just wanted to make the noise stop." Dean's companion, Debra Thorton(32yrs old) was cowering in a corner under some sheets until the pair discovered her. Not wanting to leave a witness, Tucker proceeded to use the pickaxe to kill Thorton. The murder weapon was found still thrust in Mrs. Thorton's chest. A tape recording was played in court in which Karla claimed she acheived orgasm with each pickaxe blow.

On Monday, February 2,1998, after over 14 years, convicted deathrow inmate, Karla Faye Tucker-Brown was flown from Gatesville, TX (central Texas) to Huntsville, TX (80 miles north of Houston). All state executions are carried out in Huntsville. That same Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected a plea to commute (change her sentence to life in prison) Karla's sentence by a unanimous vote of 16-0. David Botsford, one of Karla's attorneys, noted that of the record 37 inmates executed in Texas in 1997, 16 sought commutation. Not one won a single vote from the board. "It's an exercise in futility," he said. A federal judge in Austin also denied a request for a stay of execution. Governor George W. Bush could have granted a one-time 30 day reprieve. He did not. He had not applied this action in any of the 59 executions performed during his time in office. Texas does not have a sentence of life without parole. If her sentence had been reduced to life, Karla would have been eligible for parole in 2003. Karla was to be the first woman executed in Texas since 1863, when Chipita Rodriguez was hanged for killing a horse trader, oddly enough, with an axe.

Among Karla's most well known supporters were Pat Robertson (along with his entire 700 Club), Pope John Paul, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, and Amnesty International. Mr. Robertson, a former supporter of capital punishment had this to say, "This thing is vengeance. It makes no sense. This is not the same woman who committed those crimes." Her exlclusive last interview was granted to CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) reporter, Kathy Chiero. In it Karla was asked, "Is there a place for mercy the way the law is written today?" She answered, "In Texas, I don't think so. I don't think so, and hopefully that will change." In a personal letter to Governor George W. Bush and the Board, Karla asked for her sentence to be commuted. She asked that their decision not be based on her gender. She stated that she thought she was no longer a threat to society, was a new person and would be content to spend her life in prison doing God's work. She wanted to be an example for young people. You can read a copy of her letter here.
Joe Magliolo, the prosecuter in the trial, told CNN,"I'm very happy that she's had the last 15 years to get right with her maker ... unfortunately the victims in this case, Jimmy Dean and Deborah Thornton, maybe had 15 seconds."
Janice Sager, founder of Texans for Equal Justice (a Houston-based victims support group), made the following statements, "For years, women's groups have been screaming for equal rights, so if you do the crime, you deserve equal punishment." "She should be accountable. It doesn't matter if she's a woman. Her victims won't get a second chance."
Dianne Clements, president of Justice For All (a Houston-based victims rights group), said, "There would not be anyone left on death row." when asked if capital punishment should be stopped for inmates who found God.

Karla was allowed to choose a maximum of five individuals to witness her death in the "Family Room." She chose her husband Dana Brown, whom she had met while he visited her as a prison ministry worker and later married, by proxy, in 1995. She also chose Ronald W. Carlson, Debra Thorton's brother, who was opposed to hers and all executions. Her last three witnesses were Karrie Weeks (her sister), Mac Serest (one of her attorneys), and Jackie Oncken (her first attorney's wife). [**A personal "thank you" to Mr. Carlson for correcting my first list**]
In the "Victims Room," were Richard Thorton (Debra's husband), Katie Thorton (Mr. Thorton's daughter), and William J. Davis (Mrs. Thorton's son). All three were in favor of her death.
Karla chose to be executed wearing a clean white prison uniform.
For her last meal, Karla requested a banana, a peach, and a garden salad with Ranch dressing.
Her last words were, "Yes sir, I would like to say to all of you, the Thornton family and Jerry Dean's family that I am so sorry. I hope God will give you peace with this. "Baby, I love you. Ron, give Peggy a hug for me. Everybody has been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I'm going to be face-to-face with Jesus now. "Warden Baggett, thank all of you so much. You have been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for you."
At 6:37 pm, the fatal chemicals were administered intravenously. It was reported that Karla gasped and coughed twice before dying.
It took Karla eight minutes to die.