Demond Bluntson – black, age 36
Sentenced to death in Webb County, Texas
By: jury
Date of crime: 6/19/12
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Bluntson shot his 21-month-old son and his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son. Police came to Bluntson’s hotel room to check on the boys and their mother, Brandy Cerny. Bluntson refused to open the door, but stated that the kids were in the room. The employees of the hotel and the police began to force their way into the room and Bluntson shot at the door. Then he shot three or four more times. When police finally entered, they found the two children with gunshot wounds in their heads. Bluntson’s son was pronounced dead at the scene and Cerny’s son was rushed to the hospital and died the next day. Before taking the boys to the hotel, Bluntson allegedly shot and killed Cerny in El Campo.
Sources: Texas Tribune 5/5/16 (2016 WLNR 13886217)
Charles Brownlow – black, age 36
Sentenced to death in Kaufman County, Texas
By: jury
Date of crime: 10/28/13
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Brownlow went on a shooting rampage and ended up killing five people. Brownlow killed his aunt, Belinda Walker, in her home. He then killed his mother, Catherine Brownlow and set fire to her home. Then he took her white car. A neighbor of Jason Wooden and Kelleye Sluder called 911 saying that there were shots heard. Police found Wooden and Sluder dead in their home. Brownlow was seen in his mom’s car leaving the scene. At 10:20 pm, a customer called 911 claiming that they found a dead body who ended up being Luis Leal-Carillo, the store clerk. An off-duty officer saw Brownlow flee the scene in his mom’s care. The final 911 call was from Kris Humphreys, who had barricaded himself and another in his back bedroom. Humphreys and Brownlow were high school classmates. Police showed up before Humphreys or his friend were harmed.
Sources: Longview News-Journal 4/30/16 (2016 WLNR 13225314)
Mark Gonzalez – Latino, age 41
Sentenced in Bexar County, Texas
By: a jury
Date of Crime: 5/28/11
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Gonzalez was stopped at an intersection and so was Sheriff Sgt. Kenneth Vann. Gonzalez fired dozens of bullets at Vann, who was hit twenty-six times and died. The motive for the shooting was unknown, but the defense attorneys stated that Gonzalez was intoxicated that night.
Sources: Houston Chronicle 1/18/16 (2016 WLNR 1674386), San Antonio Express-News 1/16/16 (2016 WLNR 1665376)
Amos Wells – black, age 22
Sentenced in Tarrant County, Texas
By: a jury
Date of Crime: 7/1/13
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Wells and his girlfriend, Chanice Reed, got into an argument. Reed was 22 years old and pregnant at the time. Wells got his gun and shot Reed, her mother, and her 10-year-old brother. Authorities arrived at the home and transported all three to different hospitals, but all died that night from multiple gunshot wounds. Wells surrendered to the police later and asked them to shoot and kill him.
Sources: Longview News-Journal 11/4/16 (2016 WLNR 33934123), The Dallas Morning News 7/9/13 (2013 WLNR 16665860)