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Steven Ray Thacker

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Steven Ray Thacker
FDOC mug shot of Steven Ray Thacker
Born(1970-11-21)November 21, 1970
Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedMarch 12, 2013(2013-03-12) (aged 42)
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Criminal statusExecuted
ConvictionsOklahoma
First degree murder
Kidnapping
Rape
Missouri
First degree murder
Tennessee
First degree murder
Criminal penaltyOklahoma
Death (first-degree murder)
Ten years' imprisonment (kidnapping)
50 years' imprisonment (rape)
Missouri
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (murder)
Tennessee
Death (first-degree murder)
Details
VictimsLaci Dawn Hill, 25
Forrest Reed Boyd, 24
Ray Patterson, 52
DateDecember 23, 1999 – January 2, 2000
LocationsOklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee
Imprisoned atRiverbend Maximum Security Institution (Tennessee; 2002–2013)
Oklahoma State Penitentiary (Oklahoma; 2013)

Steven Ray Thacker (November 21, 1970 – March 12, 2013) was an American convicted murderer who murdered a total of three people in three different states across the U.S. On December 23, 1999, Thacker kidnapped and murdered 25-year-old Laci Dawn Hill in Oklahoma before he fled to Missouri in a stolen car. During a robbery in Missouri, Thacker killed 24-year-old Forrest Reed Boyd and subsequently drove Boyd's car to Tennessee, where he killed 52-year-old tow truck driver Ray Patterson.

Thacker was arrested in Tennessee on January 2, 2000 and was charged by the authorities of Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma for all the three murders. Thacker was sentenced to life in prison by the Missouri courts for the murder of Boyd. He also received death sentences in Tennessee and Oklahoma for the murders of Patterson and Hill respectively. Thacker was ultimately executed by lethal injection for Hill's murder in Oklahoma on March 12, 2013.

Murder spree

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Between December 23, 1999 and January 2, 2000, Steven Ray Thacker killed three people in three different states across the U.S.[1]

Laci Dawn Hill

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On December 23, 1999, in Bixby, Oklahoma, Thacker arrived at the house of 25-year-old Laci Dawn Hill (May 13, 1974 – December 23, 1999), after he responded to an advertisement put up by Hill, who wanted to sell a pool table. However, Thacker entered Hill's home with the intention of robbing her. When Thacker held Hill at knifepoint, the latter informed Thacker that they could go to a nearby ATM to retrieve some money. With the failure of the robbery bid, Thacker kidnapped Hill from her house and took her to a remote cabin, where he raped her.[2][3][4]

After raping Hill, Thacker decided to murder her in order to silence her and avoid getting caught. He first strangled Hill with his hands and/or a piece of cloth before he went on to plunge the knife into Hill's chest twice, causing her death. Thacker hid Hill's lifeless, half-naked body on the cabin floor covered with box springs and several mattresses.[2][3]

The Hill's body was found by the police six days after her murder.[5] The police managed to identify Thacker as the murderer[6] after investigations indicated that he had stolen Hill's debit and credit cards to purchase Christmas gifts for his family. By then, Thacker had already fled to Missouri in a stolen car.[2][3]

Forrest Reed Boyd

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On January 1, 2000, in Aldrich, Missouri, 24-year-old restaurant supervisor Forrest Reed Boyd (March 18, 1975 – January 1, 2000) became Thacker's second victim.[7][3]

While on the run for murdering Hill, Thacker broke into Boyd's home.. He had previously spent the past two days hiding in the forested areas to avoid the manhunt, burglarizing several houses, and narrowly evading capture several times.[8] It was during one of these burglaries on January 1, 2000 that Boyd interrupted Thacker as he was robbing Boyd's house. Boyd was subsequently murdered by Thacker, who stabbed him several times.[2][3]

Ray Patterson

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On January 2, 2000, Thacker, who escaped to Dyersburg, Tennessee after murdering Boyd, killed the third and final victim of his multistate spree.[3]

Thacker was driving Boyd's stolen car in Tennessee when it broke down: as a result, he contacted a towing company for assistance. Fifty-two-year-old two truck driver, Ray Patterson (March 23, 1947 – January 2, 2000), responded to the call and arrived at the scene to help Thacker move the car. However, when Thacker tried to use a credit card he had stolen from Boyd to make payment, Patterson discovered that the card was stolen and confronted Thacker. Thacker then stabbed and killed him. [3]

After murdering Patterson, Thacker went into hiding at Union City, Tennessee, registering for a room under an alias. Soon after, Tennessee authorities discovered Boyd's stolen car at the motel and arrested Thacker on the same day as Patterson's death.[3][9][10]

Murder trials and sentencing

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After his arrest, Steven Thacker faced multiple murder charges for the killings he committed in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri and also faced trials in all three states for the homicides.[11][12]

Tennessee

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Thacker's first murder trial took place in Tennessee. Although prior arrangements between the authorities of Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee had led to the decision to make Thacker stand trial in Oklahoma first,[13][14] it was ultimately decided that Thacker's first trial would be conducted in Tennessee.[15]

On February 6, 2002, the Tennessee jury found Thacker guilty of murdering Patterson as charged.[16], and on February 8, 2002, Thacker was sentenced to death by that same jury.[17]

Oklahoma

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After he was convicted by the courts of Tennessee for the murder of Patterson, Thacker was extradited back to Oklahoma to stand trial for the rape and murder of Laci Hill.[18] The extradition order was granted despite the opposition of Thacker's lawyers,[19][20] and Thacker stated in September 2002 that he would not plead guilty.[21] Nonetheless, on December 2, 2002, the date when jury selection was to begin, Thacker pleaded guilty to the kidnapping, rape and murder of Hill.[22]

On December 23, 2002, Thacker was sentenced to death by District Judge James Goodpaster after the jury had recommended the death sentence in their verdict three days earlier. This marked the second death sentence Thacker received for his offences. In addition to the death penalty, Thacker also received jail terms of ten years and 50 years for the charges of kidnapping and rape respectively.[23]

It was further reported that in an agreement between the governors of Oklahoma and Tennessee, Thacker's execution would be carried out in the state where his appeals were first fully exhausted. Gene Haynes, Oklahoma's district attorney from Mayes, Rogers and Craig counties, told the newspaper The Oklahoman that it was more likely that Thacker would be executed in Oklahoma rather than Tennessee, given that the appeal process itself was faster in Oklahoma compared to other states.[24]

Missouri

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After Thacker's conviction for the rape and murder of Hill, Missouri authorities sought an extradition order to allow Thacker to stand trial for the murder of Forrest Boyd in Missouri before he could return to Tennessee to continue his death row detention.[25]

On September 16, 2003, Thacker pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree murder for Boyd's death. Circuit Judge John W. Sims sentenced Thacker to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[26]

Appeals

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After the end of his murder trials, Steven Thacker was incarcerated on death row at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Tennessee. He spent the next decade appealing his death sentences in Oklahoma and Tennessee.

On December 18, 2003, Thacker's first appeal was denied by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.[27]

On October 21, 2004, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed Thacker's appeal of his death sentence for murdering Laci Hill.[2]

On April 27, 2005, the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected Thacker's appeal of his death sentence for murdering Ray Patterson.[28][29]

On July 30, 2010, the Dyer County Circuit Court in Tennessee rejected Thacker's petition for a new trial.[30]

On March 23, 2012, Thacker's second appeal to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals was declined.[31]

On April 23, 2012, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Thacker's appeal of his death sentence in Oklahoma.[32]

On October 23, 2012, Thacker's federal appeal of his Tennessee case was dismissed by Judge J. Daniel Breen of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.[33]

Execution

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On January 7, 2013, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt petitioned the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to schedule an execution date for Steven Thacker, who had exhausted all appeals of his death sentence in Oklahoma. The petition was filed by Pruitt just 60 days after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Thacker's final appeal.[34]

On January 17, 2013, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals approved the Thacker's death warrant and ordered that his death sentence be carried out on March 12, 2013.[35][36]

On February 12, 2013, a month before he was due to be executed, Thacker, who was being held on death row at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Tennessee, was transferred to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in Oklahoma, where his death sentence for the rape and murder of Laci Hill in Oklahoma would be carried out.[37]

Originally, a clemency hearing to decide whether or not to commute Thacker's death sentence to life without parole was scheduled on February 22, 2013. Thacker, however, voluntarily waived his right to a plea for clemency.[38][39]

On March 12, 2013, 42-year-old Steven Ray Thacker was put to death by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. In his last words, Thacker expressed remorse for his crimes, asked for forgiveness, and apologized to his friends and the victims' families.[40] Thacker was the first person from Oklahoma to be executed in 2013, as well as the fifth person executed in the U.S. in that year.[41]

For his last meal, Thacker ordered a large meat lover’s pizza, a small bag of peanut M&Ms and an A&W root beer.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Man who killed three in 1999 rampage is executed". The Columbus Dispatch. March 13, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Thacker v. State [2004], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Three-state killer was executed Tuesday night at OSP". McAlester News. March 12, 2013.
  4. ^ "Convicted killer ordered to stand trial Tennessee death row inmate accused in Bixby rape, slaying". The Oklahoman. August 28, 2002.
  5. ^ "Missing woman's body identified". The Oklahoman. December 30, 1999.
  6. ^ "Slaying suspect sought". The Oklahoman. December 31, 1999.
  7. ^ "Bixby fugitive suspected in 2nd slaying". The Oklahoman. January 2, 2000.
  8. ^ "Slaying suspect says officers missed him". The Oklahoman. January 8, 2000.
  9. ^ "Man sought in Bixby death jailed Chouteau man arrested at Tennessee motel". The Oklahoman. January 3, 2000.
  10. ^ "Serial Murder Suspect Caught". CBS News. January 3, 2000.
  11. ^ "Oklahoman charged with murder in Tennessee". The Oklahoman. January 12, 2000.
  12. ^ "Murder spree suspect faces court time in three states". The Oklahoman. January 6, 2000.
  13. ^ "State may get spree's first trial". The Oklahoman. January 13, 2000.
  14. ^ "State gets first trial of slaying suspect". The Oklahoman. January 14, 2000.
  15. ^ "Tennessee will be first to try murder suspect". The Oklahoman. February 23, 2000.
  16. ^ "Condemned killer Steven Ray Thacker more complex than just a cold-blooded killer". The Oklahoman. February 13, 2002.
  17. ^ "Condemned killer Steven Ray Thacker more complex than just a cold-blooded killer". Dyersburg State Gazette. February 13, 2002.
  18. ^ "Suspect to return to state". The Oklahoman. May 5, 2002.
  19. ^ "Murderer's lawyer objects to extradition". The Oklahoman. June 1, 2002.
  20. ^ "Judge clears way for suspect to be returned to state for trial". The Oklahoman. June 13, 2002.
  21. ^ "Man pleads not guilty in rape, stabbing death". The Oklahoman. September 11, 2002.
  22. ^ "Man pleads guilty in death". The Oklahoman. December 3, 2002.
  23. ^ "Man gets death in rape, killing of Bixby woman". The Oklahoman. December 20, 2002.
  24. ^ "Oklahoma deemed likely to execute killer State moves faster on appeals than Tennessee or Missouri". The Oklahoman. December 25, 2002.
  25. ^ "Missouri seeks state man's extradition in slaying". The Oklahoman. December 5, 2002.
  26. ^ "Inmate admits Missouri slaying". The Oklahoman. September 16, 2003.
  27. ^ State v. Thacker [2003], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  28. ^ "Tennessee court upholds death sentence". The Oklahoman. April 28, 2005.
  29. ^ State v. Thacker [2005], Tennessee Supreme Court (United States).
  30. ^ "Judge rules no new trial for convicted murderer Thacker". Dyersburg State Gazette. July 30, 2010.
  31. ^ Thacker v. Tennessee [2012], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  32. ^ Thacker v. Workman [2012], 10th Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
  33. ^ Thacker v. Colson [2012], United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (United States).
  34. ^ "Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt asks for execution date for crime spree killer". The Oklahoman. January 8, 2013.
  35. ^ "Court Sets Convicted Killer's Execution Date". Public Radio Tulsa. January 17, 2013.
  36. ^ "Court Sets Convicted Killer's Execution Date". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. January 18, 2013.
  37. ^ "Death row inmate set for execution arrives at OSP". McAlester News. February 15, 2013.
  38. ^ "Clemency hearing set for death row inmate". McAlester News. February 6, 2013.
  39. ^ "Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Waives Clemency Hearing". Public Radio Tulsa. February 20, 2013.
  40. ^ "Oklahoma executes man convicted in 3 murders". Associated Press. March 12, 2013.
  41. ^ "Oklahoma executes man who killed three in 1999 spree". Reuters. March 12, 2013.