Curtis Harris and his brother Danny Harris were executed by the State of Texas for the murder of Timothy Merka
According to court documents Curtis and Danny Harris would murder Timothy Merka after the victim pulled over to help the Harris brothers as he thought their car had broken down. Timothy Merka would be beaten to death and robbed
Curtis Harris and Danny Harris would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Curtis Harris would be executed by lethal injection on July 1 1993
Danny Harris would be executed by lethal injection on July 30 1993
Curtis Harris Photos
Danny Harris Photos
Curtis Harris Case
A man convicted of holding down a “Good Samaritan” motorist while his brother beat the man to death with a tire iron was executed by injection early today, nearly a month after his brother was put to death.
The United States Supreme Court voted 8 to 0 on Thursday to reject an appeal from the condemned man, 32-year-old Danny Harris.
Mr. Harris and his brother, Curtis, were sentenced for the 1978 murder of Timothy Merka in what became known as the “Good Samaritan” slaying.
Mr. Merka, 27, an employee of Texas A&M University, was attacked after pulling over to help the Harris brothers fix their car. According to testimony, Danny Harris held Mr. Merka, who was pleading for his life, while Curtis Harris clubbed the man with a tire iron. The brothers then stole his wallet and his pickup.
Curtis Harris, who was 31, was executed on July 1.
At the time of the murder, Danny Harris was 18 and Curtis Harris was 17. ‘I Have Peace’
Danny Harris’s lawyer, John Hottigner, insisted that his client was not the same person he was 15 years ago and that “the seed of goodness seems to have grown” in him.
For his part, Mr. Harris said in an interview this week: “I have peace. I have strength. I have courage, the comfort of Christ, the grace of God.”
The Brazos County District Attorney, Bill Turner, said of Danny Harris on Thursday: “If facing the death penalty caused him to reckon with his maker, so be it. I applaud him for that. But that doesn’t make me think he’s any less dangerous.”
