Texas Execution Information Center

Execution Report: Johnathan Moore

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A jury convicted Moore of capital murder in October 1996 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in April 1999. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Paul Cameron was also convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison. He is not eligible for parole until 2035. Peter Elmer Dowdle was convicted of engaging in an organized criminal act and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He becomes eligible for parole this July.

On a web site, Moore wrote that at the time of the murder, he was an anarchist, but while in prison, he rejected that philosophy and became "a full-blown fascist." He also wrote, "I have disappointed and let down everybody that has ever loved me."

"I've destroyed the Dominguez family," Moore said an interview from death row the week before his execution. "I put a whole lot of people through a whole lot of pain." He said that at the age of 20, he was enamored with guns, the punk/goth lifestyle, and the film "Natural Born Killers," and that he was mean and usually stoned. He blamed his actions on the night of the murder on "fear and stupidity."

Moore said that when Officer Dominguez approached him, Dominguez had his weapon pointed at his head. Instead of raising his hands as ordered, he brushed the policeman's gun aside and fired several shots from the gun in his hand. Then, he said he wondered what would happen to him if Dominguez survived. He decided that since the officer had just held a loaded gun to his head, he would make him pay. It was a decision he would regret.

Moore said in the interview that he learned about Fabian Dominguez and his family and came to admire him. "He was the man," Moore said. "He was taking charge, and he was running right into a situation that required a lot of strength and courage. I think about that a lot."

At his execution, Moore scanned one of the viewing rooms for the widow of his victim. "Jennifer, where are you at?" he asked. After he spotted her, he said, "Jennifer, I'm sorry. I did not know the man but for a few seconds before I shot him. It was done out of fear, stupidity, and immaturity. It wasn't until I got locked up and saw the newspaper ... I saw his face and his smile, and I knew he was a good man. I am sorry for all your family and my disrespect. He deserved better." Moore then told his father, half-brother, and a longtime friend that he loved them. He told a woman who he had met by mail while on death row and had married by proxy a few days earlier to "quit the heroin." The lethal injection was then started. Moore tried to speak again, but the chemicals quickly took effect, and he lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.

"I'm feeling relief," Jennifer Morgan - who has remarried since her husband's slaying - said afterward. "Almost like we held our breath for twelve years, and now we can let it out."

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By David Carson. Posted on 17 January 2007.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's office, Associated Press, Huntsville Item, San Antonio Express-News.

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