Tracy Housel was executed by the State of Georgia for the murder of Jean Drew
According to court documents Tracy Housel met Jean Drew at a Georgia truck stop. The two would take a ride in her vehicle. At some point during the night the two would get into an argument that ended with Housel beating the woman and finally strangling her causing her death
Tracy Housel would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Tracy Housel would be executed by lethal injection on March 12 2002
Along with the Jean Drew murder Tracy Housel would murder a man in Texas, attempt to murder another man in Iowa and sexually assaulted a woman in New Jersey
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When Was Tracy Housel Executed
Tracy Housel was executed on March 12 2002
Tracy Housel Case
ith his final words, Tracy Housel begged the forgiveness of the family of the woman he had raped and murdered.
Then, as he mouthed the words to the Lord’s Prayer, the poison began to flow into his veins. It took less than 10 minutes early this morning to end the life of one of four Britons on America’s death row.
Housel was pronounced dead at 7.28pm local time in the state of Georgia. In London it was already well past midnight, the appointed hour of his death. Across the street, in a truckstop restaurant, his mother Lula Pellerin was told by one of his lawyers that her son was dead. She broke down in tears, crying: “My God. I just can’t take this.”
Earlier in the day Housel made his last farewells with members of his family. Prison officials said he seemed nervous and tense.
As he was led away to the condemned man’s cell at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison outside the small town of Jackson, Housel turned and mouthed “I love you momma.” Then he lifted one hand in a final salute.
It was a little after 8pm in London and mid-afternoon in Atlanta where his lawyers launched a last round of desperate appeals to save their client’s life. Three hours later, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of death by lethal injection. Nothing more could be done.
Dyana Bagby, a reporter from the home town of Jeanne Drew, the murdered woman, was a witness at the execution. She described the scene today.
“Tracy Housel was already strapped down on the gurney in the execution chamber when we were allowed into the witness room. He was dressed all in white, both shirt and pants, with his head slightly raised.
“There was only a large pane of glass between us. He looked at all of us and then mouthed ‘I love you’ to someone. We were in a small room separate from the main prison. There were about 30 witnesses, both seated and standing round the edge including what seemed to be security personnel. There was a lot of eye contact with some of the people in the room.
“I was in the third row sitting on a pew. His friends and legal team were directly in the front rows.
“Almost as soon as we arrived, the execution began. Things were moving very fast. He was asked if he had anything to say and apologised to the family of Jeanne Drew.
Then he asked for two psalms which were read by the prison chaplain. We could see him mouthing the words.
“The prison warden read the death warrant and then left the room. A nurse and a security guard stayed with Housel. There was no one obviously starting the execution, saying ‘ok’ or pushing a button to show that it had begun but after a while he started gasping.
“You could really see when the chemicals being injected into his body were starting to take effect. To me it seemed that he was about to cough or vomit, with his cheeks blowing out like someone does when they are about to throw up. He did this several times.
At this point his eyes were still open and he was staring at the ceiling. You could tell that he didn’t feel comfortable with what he was going through. Finally though, he became unconscious. His eyes closed and he just lay there.
“We sat there watching. It seemed to go on forever although it was probably only about two or three minutes. He was just in front of us motionless. It was very quiet. The only sound was someone crying and somebody else who coughed.
“At last two doctors came into the room and examined his body. They both agreed that he was dead and then the warden pronounced that the sentence had been carried out. It was 7.28pm and the whole thing had only taken about eight minutes. Then we were led out with him still lying there.
“Looking back, the person I really felt very sorry for was Walt Britt (Housel’s defence lawyer at his original trial) who was standing just in front of me. I think at that point I was still in work mode and that what I had seen was not affecting me.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/death-row-briton-executed-6329845.html