Erica Sheppard is a woman from Texas who would be sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of a woman.
Erica Sheppard and her boyfriend James Dickerson would force their way into a vehicle and made the victim drive back to her apartment where she was murdered. Erica Sheppard and James Dickerson would rob the home before fleeing
Both Erica Sheppard and James Dickerson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
James Dickerson would die from HIV on Texas death row
Erica Sheppard Photos
Erica Sheppard FAQ
Where is Erica Sheppard now
Erica Sheppard is currently incarcerated at Mountain View facility in Texas
Erica Sheppard Court Case
Erica Sheppard was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death on March 3, 1995, for murdering Marilyn Sage Meagher during the course of robbing Meagher. On June 30, 1993, Meagher’s daughter discovered her mother’s body in a spare bedroom of an apartment she shared with her mother in Houston, Texas. 20 Tr. at 18-19, 39-42.1 When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found Meagher’s body under a pile of bed linens, with a plastic dry cleaning bag wrapped around her head. There were three knives and a broken statue nearby. Id. at 95-102. Police recovered a finger and palm print, subsequently matched to Sheppard’s left hand, from the door leading to the spare bedroom. Id. at 197-206.
An autopsy revealed a number of stab wounds on Meagher’s body, several of them very deep. 21 Tr. at 177-78, 185-87. Injuries to Meagher’s head were consistent with a statue being slammed into her head with “a great deal of force.” Id. at 187.
The day after the murder, Korey Jordan contacted the police. 20 Tr. at 114. Jordan was friends with Sheppard’s brother, Jonathan. He was at Jonathan’s apartment in the same complex as Meagher’s the day before the murder. There, he heard Sheppard and James Dickerson talk about robbing or carjacking someone. 21 Tr. at 90-98.
Jordan testified that, when Dickerson complained that he needed money, Sheppard replied “let’s go back to the old theme.” Id. at 96. Dickerson stated: “If taking a life is what I have to do to get some money, then that’s what I have to do.” Sheppard responded that she’d “rather catch a. . . skinny white woman walking between her car and her apartment with no children.” Id. at 98-99. Dickerson got two knives from Jonathan’s kitchen, one of which looked like a knife recovered from the crime scene, and talked to Erica about the best clothes to wear for committing the crime. Id. at 99-101. They left Jonathan’s apartment wearing dark clothes. Id. at 101-02.
The day after the murder, police found Meagher’s vehicle in Bay City, Texas. 20 Tr. at 117. A witness testified that he saw both Sheppard and Dickerson use the vehicle on the same evening that Meagher’s body was found. 21 Tr. at 12-17. Police recovered Dickerson’s fingerprint from the vehicle. 20 Tr. at 177-78.
The following day, police arrested Sheppard and Dickerson in a motel room in Bay City. 21 Tr. at 39-42. They recovered a knife similar to one found near Meagher’s body from a drawer containing women’s clothing in the motel room. Id. at 46-47. Sheppard subsequently confessed to the murder. Id. at 142-43.
