On June 12th of 1983, 27-year-old Jerry Lynn Dean and 32-year-old Deborah Ruth Thornton met at a pool party. Right away, their chemistry was apparent—even though their budding relationship was doomed from the start. Jerry had recently separated from his wife, and Deborah was still married. Regardless, Jerry and Deborah decided to have a harmless one-night stand. But that night would turn out to be anything but harmless. By morning, both Jerry and Deborah were brutally killed. The murder weapon? A pickaxe and a hammer. And the murderers? Jerry’s estranged wife’s friends: 23-year-old Karla Faye Tucker and 37-year-old Danny Ryan Garrett. Sixteen years later, in 1998, Karla Faye Tucker would be the first woman executed in Texas in 135 years.
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Show Notes
Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank
Additional writing by Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley
Recommended by Eileen and others.
SOURCES:
https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/1988/69327-4.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/115/276/568296/
https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/1998/21159-03-3.html
Ancestry.com
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73317622/carolyn-anne-tucker
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6843219/deborah-ruth-thornton
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94420061/harriet-l-carlson
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37452867/jerry-lynn-dean
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37452822/bobby-harris-dean
https://www.newspapers.com/image/5913120/?terms=%22Daniel%20Ryan%20Garrett%22&match=1
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The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker by Mark Beaver