Coy Wayne Wesbrook

Coy Wayne "Elvis" Wesbrook (February 1, 1958 – March 9, 2016) was an American mass murderer, convicted for the killing of five people in Channelview, Texas on November 13, 1997. Wesbrook fatally shot his ex-wife Gloria Jean Coons, her female roommate, and three men during a party at Coons' home in an apparent fit of jealous rage.

Coy Wayne Wesbrook
Born(1958-02-01)February 1, 1958
Houston, Texas
DiedMarch 9, 2016(2016-03-09) (aged 58)
Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Other namesElvis
Spouse(s)
Gloria Jean Coons
​
(
m. 1995; div. 1996)
Criminal chargeCapital murder
PenaltyDeath (September 2, 1998)
Details
DateNovember 13, 1997
Location(s)Channelview, Texas
Killed5
Weapons.30-06 hunting rifle

Wesbrook was sentenced to death in 1998, and was executed by lethal injection in 2016.[1] The case was controversial due to questions about Wesbrook's intelligence being low enough that a death sentence was improper.

Murders

According to his testimony, Wesbrook went to visit his ex-wife, Gloria Jean Coons, at her home in Channelview, Texas, in the Greater Houston area. He was invited to a party at Coons' apartment along with other friends Diana Ruth Money, and three other males. Wesbrook had gone there with hopes of rebuilding the relationship with Coons, but went into a rage when the party's attendees began to mock him because Coons had cheated on him in the bedroom. At some point in the evening, Wesbrook noticed that his ex-wife and two of the men had slipped away, and when he went into the bedroom, he found Coons having sex with both of the men. While they were mocking him they were playing "keep away" with his keys, tossing them back and forth to each other, preventing him from leaving. He was able to get his keys back and he left. A very short time later he returned in his truck and pulled out his .30-06 hunting rifle and returned to the residence, where he then fatally shot his ex-wife, all three of the males, and Money in the residence. At about 2 a.m., a neighbor heard the gunfire, grabbed a cell phone, went next door, saw the corpses, and called 911. Wesbrook was arrested at the scene, and it is unknown whether his testimony is accurate or not. There were two witnesses that called 911. The first witness lived upstairs and heard Wesbrook kick open the door and fire off two shots. Knowing exactly what the sound was the neighbor called 911 and while on the line, the dispatcher heard the other three shots ring out.[2][3][4]

Victims

Gloria Jean Coons, 32 (Ex-wife)[5]
Antonio Cruz, 35
Anthony Rogers, 41
Diana Money, 43
Kelly Hazlip, 28 (hospitalized with critical injuries, died later.)

Trial and conviction
The Ellis Unit housed the State of Texas death row for men until mid-1999.
Allan B. Polunsky Unit houses the State of Texas death row for men.
Huntsville Unit, where Wesbrook was put to death

In 1998, Wesbrook's trial began, and due to his low IQ the defense asked the jury to show mercy for Wesbrook. However, the prosecution said that Wesbrook had been fully aware that what he was doing was wrong and that made him fully responsible for his actions. The prosecution immediately sought the death penalty.[6] The jury found Wesbrook guilty and fully responsible for his actions and recommended the death sentence, and on September 2, 1998, Wesbrook was sentenced to death, being placed on death row the same day.[6][7] Wesbrook was initially located in the Ellis Unit, but was transferred to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit (formerly the Terrell Unit) in 1999.[8]

Despite his low IQ and the disputed testimony of Dr. George Denkowski, Wesbrook was not granted another trial.[9][10] On March 9, 2016, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected a last-minute appeal that had been filed because of concerns over Wesbrook's possible mental impairment.[11] Wesbrook was executed by lethal injection that evening, and was pronounced dead at 8:04 PM.[12][13]

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See also

References
  1. Grisson, Brandi (April 2, 2012). "Appeals Court Orders Re-evaluation of Death Row Case". Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. Michael H. Stone & Gary Brucato. The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2019), pp. 33-34.
  3. After 17 years on Texas’ death row, a man who murdered his ex-wife is ‘looking forward’ to execution Archived April 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine"Coy Wesbrook, convicted killer of five executed Archived March 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." KHOU. March 9, 2016. Retrieved on March 9, 2017.
  4. National Post report Archived April 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine confirms full name as Diana Ruth Money
  5. "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. "Texas Execution Information Center". Texas Execution Information Center News. Texas Execution Information Center News. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. "Wesbrook, Coy Wayne Archived 2016-03-16 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on February 12, 2016.
  8. "Death Row Facts Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on February 4, 2016.
  9. "Killer of 5 gets another shot to dodge death". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  10. "Updated: Court Orders Review of Death Row Case Involving Reprimanded Psychologist". Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  11. "Latest: Texas man executed for 1997 rampage that killed 5". ABC News. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  12. Reece, Kevin. "Coy Wesbrook, convicted killer of five executed Archived 2016-03-10 at the Wayback Machine ." KHOU-TV. March 9, 2013. Retrieved on March 9, 2016.
  13. DPIC. "Upcoming Executions". Death Penalty Information Center. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.

Legal documents:

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