TEXAS LAST MEAL

STEPHEN LINDSEY MOODY

September 16, 2009

Last Meal:

no final meal request.

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Moody hadMoody, 52, was executed for the shooting death of a suspected drug dealer during a robbery in 1991.Calvin Doby recruited Moody to rob a drug supplier. They forced their way inside the home of the 28-year-old victim and demanded money and drugs.While the man pleaded for his life, Moody shot him at close range with a sawed-off shotgun. Moody and Doby then fled with $1,200 in cash and divided the money at a friend's house.The victim’s girlfriend, who saw him talking with two men, crawled through a bathroom window to run next door and call 911, heard a shot and returned to find the man dead on the living room floor. The murder case went unsolved for nearly a year until a relative of Doby give police a tip.The victim's girlfriend then identified Moody from a photo lineup. By that time, Moody was already in prison, serving a 40-year sentence for robbing a Houston bank in December 1991.Accomplice Doby was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.Moody had three prior felony convictions, in addition to the December 1991 bank robbery. In 1978, he was convicted of burglary of a habitation and sentenced to 8 years in prison. He was paroled in 1981. Before the end of the year, he was back in prison with a new 6-year sentence for auto theft. He was released in 1984. In 1985, he was sentenced to 14 years for burglary of a vehicle. He served 3.5 years of that of sentence before being paroled again in 1988. (At the time, early release was common in Texas due to strict prison population caps.)From death row, Moody told an interviewer that he shot the man because he kept struggling when ordered to surrender his money. "He started fighting," Moody said. "He wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't lay down."Last spring, Moody petitioned his judge to set his execution date as soon as possible. Life on death row, he said, was "cruel and unusual punishment." As his execution date approached, he asked his lawyer not to file any last-minute appeals to try to have his execution stopped or delayed. "I'm ready, man. I ain't quitting. I went all the way."In the interview, Moody said that he didn't plan to be difficult at his execution. "I'll cuss no one in there," he said. "I don't want to leave spewing a lot of hate. What good is that going to do?" Moody said, "Maybe they'll see I was a human being."Strapped to the Texas death chamber gurney in Huntsville, Moody addressed his victim’s mother and son as they watched through a window. When asked if he had any final words, Moody replied, "Yes sir, to Joseph's mom and son. I was unable to respond to you in the courtroom. I can only ask that you have the peace that I do. To my brother, you are a good brother. You're the best. And I love you. Can't beat ya. The beautiful lady standing next to you. Kathy you are next to my heart. Amber I love you. Warden, pull the trigger. I love you brother never forget it. Ronnie, Linda, Amber, Kathy. Chaplain Hart you're the best. Love you Thomas."The lethal drugs began to flow at 6:20 p.m. Moody was declared dead eight minutes later.Moody was the...38th murderer executed in U.S. in 20091174th murderer executed in U.S. since 197617th murderer executed in Texas in 2009440th murderer executed in Texas since 1976