The sister of a victim strangled in prison is pleading with the state not to execute his killer – a Lothario who is known to have been courting a British woman behind bars.
William Speer, 49, was scheduled to face a lethal injection Thursday at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville for killing the inmate more than 26 years ago.
But in a bizarre twist, Gary Dickerson’s sister and religious leaders demand that Speer’s life be spared. Sammie Martin said Speer was “remorseful” and deserved freedom.
Speer killed Dickerson in 1997 in a crazy attempt to join the Texas Mafia prison gang. He was in prison for shooting his friend’s father in 1994 when he was just 16 years old.
He hit the headlines in 2013 after becoming romantically involved with Anna Curtis, from Mitcham, London, and sending her perverted letters from death row.
The sister of a victim strangled in prison is pleading with the state not to execute his killer – a Lothario who is known to have been courting a British woman behind bars
In a bizarre twist, Gary Dickerson’s sister and religious leaders demand that Speer’s life be spared. Sammie Martin said Speer was ‘repentant’ and deserved freedom (Pictured: Speer’s baptism behind bars)
Lawyers supporting Speer claim that his time in prison changed him – and that he has since expressed regret over his heinous crime. He apparently helps run a religious program that offers spiritual services to other death row inmates
Curtis was in love with Speer, although it is unclear whether their relationship stood the test of time. In 2013, she said: “He’s a real flirt. “When he texts me, he calls me his peach and I get butterflies in my stomach.”
Speer was still a teenager when he killed Dickerson in July 1997 at the Telford Unit in Bowie County, Texas.
He is said to have killed Dickerson while attempting to join the Texas Mafia prison gang.
This came after the gang ordered the hit, mistakenly believing that Dickerson had turned them in to authorities for trying to smuggle tobacco into the prison.
Dickerson’s sister Martin said her mother was “devastated” by her brother’s death but is now asking the state not to execute his killer.
Lawyers supporting Speer claim that his time in prison changed him – and that he has since expressed regret over his heinous crime. He apparently helps run a religious program that offers spiritual services to other death row inmates.
“I’m so aware of the things I’ve done.” I’m so aware of the pain and hurt I’ve caused. “I could just say I’m sorry,” Speer said in a video submission for his clemency petition to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Speer was still a teenager when he killed Dickerson in July 1997 at the Telford Unit in Bowie County, Texas. He is said to have killed Dickerson while attempting to join the Texas Mafia prison gang
Efforts to stop Speer’s execution came from all sides. His victim’s sister said: “I have spent a lot of time thinking about the justice my brother and my family deserve.” “In my heart I feel that he not only feels remorse for his actions, but also good has done for others and still has something to offer the world.”
Speer was initially arrested at age 16 for fatally shooting the father of one of his friends, Jerry Collins.
On Tuesday, the parole board voted 7-0 against changing Speer’s death sentence to a more lenient sentence.
Efforts to stop Speer’s execution came from all sides. His victim’s sister said: “I have spent a lot of time thinking about the justice my brother and my family deserve.”
“In my heart I feel that not only does he feel remorse for his actions, but he has also done good things for others and still has something to offer the world.”
A group of religious leaders from across the country have also spoken out in support of Speer, saying that Speer’s religious work “does not excuse his actions, but gives us a fuller picture of who Will is as a human, Christian leader and teacher.”
William Speer’s ex-lover – Anna Curtis – also vouched for the inmate’s character during their turbulent romance in 2013.
Curtis googled Speer before messaging him and admitted: “It didn’t bother me what he did in the past; “I just wanted to put a face to a name.”
She said: “Some people you can see the evil in their eyes, but when I looked at his photo online I knew he wasn’t like that.”
In 2013, Curtis exchanged hundreds of letters with the 6-foot-tall delay she calls her “gentle giant.”
She said they even talked about marriage and that she plans to visit him next year.
Curtis, who has never been abroad and has just applied for her first passport, said: “He hasn’t asked the question yet but it might be possible.”
The topic came up when Curtis Speer sent a letter with a suggestive tone.
“When you exchange letters with prisoners in America and you put the stamp in a certain place on the envelope, it means something.”
“So I put the stamp aside because I thought it meant ‘hugs and kisses,’ but it actually meant ‘marry me,'” she explained.
Curtis hit the headlines in 2013 after becoming romantically involved with Anna Curtis, from Mitcham, London, and sending her perverted letters from death row.
A group of religious leaders from across the country have also spoken out in support of Speer, saying that Speer’s religious work “does not excuse his actions, but gives us a fuller picture of who Will is as a human, Christian leader and teacher.”
“I’m so aware of the things I’ve done.” I’m so aware of the pain and hurt I’ve caused. “I could just say I’m sorry,” Speer said in a video submission for his clemency petition to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Curtis revealed she was thrilled with the criminal: “I’m looking forward to telling Will what I’ve been up to; He is the first person I go to. He is interested in what we do, what we eat, what our house looks like, where we go and walk the dog, what the landscape is like.
“He doesn’t have a TV, so I catch him up on the news.” And he’ll talk to me about everything – his medical problems when someone new comes on the block.
“I just want to give him a glimpse of the free world and bring some comfort to his miserable life.”
Speer’s lawyers have also made efforts to stop Speer from his scheduled execution. According to CBS News, his lawyers appealed to state and federal courts, relying on allegations that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence and made false statements at his 2001 trial.
His lawyers also claimed that trial lawyers failed to take into account Speer’s troubled childhood – which allegedly included physical and sexual abuse.
Lawyers also sought to stop the execution effort, alleging that the state’s stockpile of pentobarbital was exposed to extreme heat in a recent fire – which would make it dangerous to use for a lethal injection.
Although the same rationale was used to stop the execution of another death row inmate, Jedidiah Murphy, his execution went as planned.