Execution Report: Michael Perry

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A jury convicted Perry of the capital murder of Sandra Stotler in February 2003 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in December 2004. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Jason Aaron Burkett was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. He remains in custody as of this writing.

On a web site set up on his behalf, Perry claimed he was innocent. He stated that "it has now clearly been proven, that the crime actually happened between the 26th and the 27th, at times I was in jail." He emphasized the evidence against Jason Burkett. He also implied that Kristen Willis could have been responsible. "At trial, Kristen stated, that she was afraid of Jason," Perry wrote. "So afraid that she'd do anything for him? Even murder??" He further implied that Willis was given full immunity because her father was a police officer in Montgomery County.

Regarding the circumstances of his arrest on the 26th, Perry only stated that he was taken in for "traffic violations and evading arrest" and omitted any mention of whose car he was driving or whose wallet he used for identification.

Sandra Stotler's mother and daughter and Jeremy Richardson's brother attended Perry's execution and watched it from a viewing room. Perry's mother watched from another viewing room.

"I want to let everyone here who is involved in this atrocity know they're forgiven by me," Perry said in his last statement at his execution. He sobbed briefly, then mouthed "I love you" to his mother. He twice whispered, "I'm coming home, Dad." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead nine minutes later at 6:17 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 2 July 2010. Typographical error corrected on 1 October 2012.
Sources: Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, public records, Houston Chronicle, savemichaelperry.info.