Execution Report: Richard Masterson

Richard Allen Masterson, 43, was executed by lethal injection on 20 January 2016 in Huntsville, Texas for the robbery and murder of a man he picked up in a bar.

On Friday, 26 January 2001, Masterson, then 28, met Shane Honeycutt, a drag queen who performed under the name Brandi Houston, in a Houston bar. They left to go to Honeycutt's apartment, where Masterson strangled Honeycutt by placing him in a chokehold. Masterson then took some items from the apartment and fled in the victim's car.

The victim's friends visited his apartment after he failed to show up for work the next day, persuaded the apartment manager to open the door, and discovered his nude body in the bedroom.

Masterson drove to Georgia, where he left Honeycutt's car with some relatives. He then continued on to Florida. In the meantime, his nephew was arrested for possession of some cocaine he had left in Honeycutt's car.

After Masterson left for Georgia, his brother, James, contacted Houston homicide detective Sergeant R. Parish, who was assigned to the case. He said Richard told him to call the police to clear up the circumstances of Honeycutt's death, which was thought to possibly be the result of a heart attack. James said Richard told him "that was bullshit" and that he "put [Honeycutt] down" by placing him in a headlock until he went limp.

On 3 February, eight days after Honeycutt's death, Masterson met Steven Drew at a gay club in Tampa, Florida. The two left the club in Drew's vehicle and went to his apartment. Masterson then placed Drew in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness. He then took Drew's wallet and car. After Drew came to, he reported the assault and reported his car as stolen. Masterson was arrested while driving it three days later.

Houston police officer David Null traveled to Florida and interviewed Masterson in the Marion County Jail. In a tape-recorded statement, Masterson admitted deliberately strangling Honeycutt so he could rob him. He also confessed to the assault and robbery on Drew, and admitted that the drugs found in Honeycutt's car belonged to him.

Masterson had previous convictions in Texas and Georgia for burglary. He was sentenced to four years' probation in Georgia, but his probation was subsequently revoked, and he was sent to prison at age 19 in 1991. In April 1992, he was transferred to Texas to serve a 2-year sentence for a burglary of a building committed in 1989. He was paroled in October 1992 and discharged from parole in September 1994.

At his trial, Masterson took the witness stand, against his lawyers' wishes. He testified that Honeycutt's death was unintentional. He said that after he and the victim had engaged in consensual sexual conduct in his apartment, Honeycutt asked Masterson to perform a "sleeper hold" on him to enhance his sexual experience. He testified that although he had performed such a hold before, he initially refused the request because it "scares" him. He ultimately complied with the request, but he knew after performed the hold that Honeycutt was dead. He said that he fled the scene because he had prior convictions, and he stole the victim's car and possessions to give the appearance of a robbery.

Steven Drew said regarding Masterson's attack on him, "There was nothing sexual about it ... it was really violent and I knew it had nothing to do with sex at all."¹

The medical examiner testified that Honeycutt did have a narrowed coronary artery, which could have hastened his death, but did not cause it. He declared the cause of death to be "external neck compression."