The sister of a victim strangled in prison is pleading with the state not to execute his killer – a lothario who famously wooed a British woman behind bars.
William Speer, 49, would be confronted a lethal injection Thursday at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, because the inmate was killed more than 26 years ago.
But in a bizarre twist, that of Gary Dickerson sister, along with religious leaders, asks for Speer’s life to be spared. Sammie Martin said Speer is “repentant” and deserves freedom.
Speer murdered Dickerson in 1997 when he wanted to join the Texas Mafia prison gang. He was in prison for shooting his friend’s father in 1994, when he was just 16.
He made headlines in 2013 after striking up a romantic relationship with Anna Curtis, from Mitcham, London, and sending her kinky letters from death row.
The sister of a prison strangled victim begs the state not to execute his killer – a lothario who famously wooed a British woman behind bars
In a bizarre twist, Gary Dickerson’s sister joins religious leaders in asking for Speer’s life to be spared. Sammie Martin said Speer is ‘repentant’ and deserves freedom (Photo: Speer’s baptism behind bars)
Lawyers supporting Speer say his time in prison changed him – and that he has since expressed remorse for his heinous crime. Apparently he helps run a religious program that provides ministerial services to other death row inmates
Curtis was in love with Speer, although it is unclear whether their relationship has stood the test of time. In 2013 she said: ‘He’s a huge flirt. When he writes to me, he calls me his peach, and I get butterflies in my stomach.’
Speer was just a teenager when he murdered Dickerson in July 1997 at the Telford Unit in Bowie County, Texas.
He allegedly killed Dickerson in an attempt to join the Texas Mafia prison gang.
This came after the gang ordered the attack, mistakenly believing that Dickerson had betrayed them to the authorities for trying to smuggle tobacco into the prison.
Dickerson’s sister Martin said their mother was “devastated” by her brother’s death, but is now pleading with the state not to execute his killer.
Lawyers supporting Speer say his time in prison changed him – and that he has since expressed remorse for his heinous crime. Apparently he helps run a religious program that provides ministerial services to other death row inmates.
‘I’m so aware of the things I’ve done. I am so aware of the hurt and pain I have caused. I could just say I’m sorry,” Speer said in a video submission for his clemency request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Speer was just a teenager when he murdered Dickerson in July 1997 at the Telford Unit in Bowie County, Texas. He allegedly killed Dickerson in an attempt to join the Texas Mafia prison gang
Attempts to halt Speer’s execution came from several quarters. His victim’s sister said: ‘I have spent a lot of time thinking about the justice my brother and my family deserved. “I feel in my heart that he not only regrets his actions, but has also done good works for others and still has something to offer the world.”
Speer was initially arrested at the age of 16 for fatally shooting the father of one of his friends, Jerry Collins.
On Tuesday, the parole board voted in a 7-0 decision against changing Speer’s death sentence to a lesser sentence.
Attempts to halt Speer’s execution came from several quarters. His victim’s sister said: ‘I have spent a lot of time thinking about the justice my brother and my family deserved.
“I feel in my heart that he not only regrets his actions, but has done good works 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 it gives us a fuller picture of who Will is as a human, Christian leader.” and teacher.’
William Speer’s ex-lover – Anna Curtis – also voiced the inmate character during their whirlwind romance in 2013.
Curtis Googled Speer before messaging him and admitted, “I didn’t care what he had done 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 just by looking at his picture on the internet I knew he wasn’t like that.’
In 2013, Curtis exchanged hundreds of letters with the 6-foot-2 delay, who she calls her “gentle giant.”
She said they even talked about marriage, and 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 could be on the card.”
The topic arose when Curtis Speer sent a letter with a suggestive tone.
‘When you exchange letters with prisoners in America, it means something if you put the stamp in a certain position on the envelope.
“So I put the stamp aside, thinking it meant ‘hugs and kisses,’ but it actually meant ‘marry me,'” she explained.
Curtis made headlines in 2013 after striking up a romantic relationship with Anna Curtis, from Mitcham, London, and sending her kinky 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 it 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 am so aware of the hurt and pain I have caused. I could just say I’m sorry,” Speer said in a video submission for his clemency request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Curtis revealed she was in love with the criminal: “I’m looking forward to telling Will what I’ve been up to; He’s the first person I go to. He wants to know what we do, what we eat, what our house is like, where we go to walk the dog, what the landscape is like.
‘He doesn’t have a TV, so I inform him about the news. And he’ll talk to me about anything: his medical ailments, if anyone new has come around.
“I just want to give him some insight into the free world and some comfort in his miserable life.”
Speer’s lawyers have also done their best to distract Speer from his planned execution. His lawyers asked state and federal courts about allegations that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence and provided false testimony during his 2001 trial, according to CBS News.
His attorneys also alleged that trial attorneys failed to take into account Speer’s troubled childhood, which allegedly included physical and sexual abuse.
The attorneys also sought to halt execution efforts over claims that the state’s stockpile of pentobarbital was exposed to extreme heat in a recent fire — which would make it dangerous to use in a lethal injection.
Although the same reasoning was used to stop the execution of another death row inmate, Jedidiah Murphy, his execution went ahead as planned.