Timothy Gribble was executed by the State of Texas for the murder of Elizabeth Jones
According to court documents Timothy Gribble was working as a roofer for Elizabeth Jones. He would return after work and told her that he had lost his wallet. Once inside of the home Gribble would sexually assault Elizabeth Jones then brought her to a remote location where he would strangle her
Timothy Gribble would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Timothy Gribble would be executed by lethal injection on March 15 2000
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When Was Timothy Gribble Executed
Timothy Gribble was executed on March 15 2000
Timothy Gribble Case
Elizabeth Jones lived alone in a house in Clear Lake Shores, Texas, near the IBM facility where she worked as a manager on the NASA shuttle project. At about 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, 1987, Jones called her boyfriend Terry Hahn and told him that she was not feeling well and that she planned to go to bed early. Jones was in the midst of remodeling her home, and she told Hahn that a roofer was still there hammering on the roof over her bedroom. After Jones did not appear for work the next day, some friends went to her house in the evening to check on her. They found the doors locked, Jones’s car parked in the driveway, but no one at home. Jones’s friends entered the house, but found no evidence of forced entry or bloodshed. Jones had apparently left without taking any of her clothing or jewelry. Only her purse and bathrobe were missing. They reported Jones’s disappearance to the Clear Lake Shores police. Police investigators also searched the house, discovering numerous cigarette butts and ashes in different locations about the house and an almost empty bottle of wine in the trash can, although neither Jones nor her boyfriend smoked and Jones did not drink.
Police learned from Jones’s construction contractor that Timothy Gribble was the man who had been working on Jones’s roof the evening of Sept. 8, 1987. Realizing that Gribble may have been the last person to see Jones alive, police contacted him to ask him some questions; however, Gribble was not considered a suspect at that time. Gribble told police that after completing the day’s work, he had knocked on Jones’s door and told her he would have to return the next day to complete the job. He claimed that Jones allowed him to enter her house so that he could wash his hands, and then he left.
Despite continued search efforts during the next couple of weeks, friends and authorities were unable to locate Jones. Several days after her disappearance, Jones’s ex-husband hired a private detective agency to assist in the investigation. Private investigators and police questioned Gribble again on Sept. 21 and 22, 1987. At this point, Gribble admitted to be the source of the cigarette butts and wine bottle found in Jones’s home, but he still disclaimed any involvement in her disappearance. Several days after that interview, Gribble fled the state and traveled to Tennessee, where he stayed with relatives.
On Sept. 30, 1987, 22 days after Jones’s disappearance, Tennessee law enforcement officers took Gribble into custody. A Texas Ranger and an officer from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department traveled to Tennessee to speak with Gribble. On Oct. 3, 1987, Gribble was transported to the Harris County Sheriff ‘s Department in Houston where, after being advised of his rights, he confessed to the sexual assault, kidnaping, and murder by strangulation of Jones.
Gribble stated that he did leave after washing his hands in Jones’s house, but that he returned later in the evening claiming that he had dropped his wallet. On this pretense, Jones allowed him to enter her home. Gribble stated that, once inside, he took Jones to the bedroom and had sexual intercourse with her. He claimed that Jones was afraid at first but then enjoyed it. Later, Gribble said he asked Jones not to tell anyone about the incident. When Jones told him she would have to report the incident to the police, he took her from her home, wearing only her bathrobe, and drove her around various county roads until they finally arrived at a dark and desolate area near League City. There, Gribble claimed he told Jones he wanted to spend some time with his wife and stepchildren before he was arrested for what he had done. He told Jones he was going to tie her naked to a tree in the dark woods. According to Gribble, Jones began to cry out and scream. He tried to cover her mouth and she bit him. He then took the sash of Jones’s bathrobe, tied it around her throat, and strangled her until she was dead. Gribble dragged Jones’s body a short distance and left her lying, clothed only in her robe, under a tree with a tree branch on top of her. He then drove to a nearby park and disposed of Jones’s purse.
While giving his confession, Gribble drew a map showing the location of Jones’s body. Thereafter, he led officers to the lake where he had thrown Jones’s purse, which was recovered by police divers. Gribble then led officers to Jones’s body. There, 26 days after her disappearance, officers found Jones’s body in an advanced state of decomposition, the robe sash still wrapped around her neck.
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2000/20000310gribbleadvy.htm
