The State of Texas executed Billy Crutsinger on September 4, 2019 after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal and motion for a stay. He was the 5th person put to death by the state this year and the 14th nationwide. The State of Texas has scheduled 10 more executions over the next three months.
Original post (September 4):
The State of Texas is scheduled to carry out its fifth execution of the year this evening, September 4, 2019. Billy Crutsinger, now 64 years old, is scheduled to be put to death for killing 89-year-old Pearl Magouirk and her daughter, 71-year-old Patricia Syren, during a robbery in Fort Worth. He was convicted in 2003. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review Crutsinger’s appeal in which he argued he received deficient legal help at trial. Both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit have denied his motions for a stay based on the same claim. He has a final appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
If the execution proceeds, Crutsinger will be the 42nd person convicted in Tarrant County to be put to death. Only Harris, Dallas, and Bexar Counties are responsible for more executions in Texas. More than half of the current death row population in Texas comes from just three counties: Harris; Dallas; and Tarrant.
Read coverage from the Texas Tribune.