James Garrett Freeman
James Garrett Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1980 Lissie, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 2016 (aged 35) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (November 7, 2008) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Justin Hurst, 34 |
| Date | March 17, 2007 |
James Garrett Freeman (November 12, 1980[1] – January 27, 2016[2]) was an American man who was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed for murder in Texas.
Freeman originated from Lissie, an unincorporated area in Wharton County, Texas. He was a welder, but was unemployed at the time he committed murder. He had no record of violence. On March 17, 2007, Freeman engaged in a high-speed chase with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) officers. At the Lissie Cemetery, where the chase ended, he fired at TPWD staff with an AK-47 and a Glock pistol. Justin Hurst, a TPWD game warden who had turned 34 that day, was struck twice and killed.[3] Freeman was shot four times and survived.
Freeman, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)#999539,[1] was convicted and sentenced to death. While on death row he was in Polunsky Unit.[4] He was executed at Huntsville Unit on January 27, 2016, nine years after the murder.
The Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA) of the TPWD, located in Brazoria County, Texas,[5] was renamed after the victim in 2007. It was formerly the Peach Point WMA.[6]
See also
- Capital punishment in Texas
- List of people executed in Texas, 2010–2019
- List of people executed in the United States in 2016
References
- ^ a b "Freeman, James." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on February 4, 2016.
- ^ Last Statement Freeman, James. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on February 4, 2016.
- ^ O'Hare, Peggy (November 7, 2008). "Wharton jury sentences game warden's killer to death". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Barned-Smith, St. John (January 28, 2016). "Wharton County man executed in killing of game warden". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Justin Hurst (WMA)." Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved on March 31, 2016.
- ^ "TPWD Dedicates Justin Hurst WMA in Honor of Fallen Warden." Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. October 15, 2007. Retrieved on March 31, 2016.
External links
- Texas Courts: Indictment, Conviction, and Sentencing
- "IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS NO. AP-76,052 JAMES GARRETT FREEMAN, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS ON DIRECT APPEAL FROM CAUSE NO. 15987 IN THE 329TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT WHARTON COUNTY"