Dwight J. Loving
| Dwight J. Loving | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dwight J. Loving |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 2 |
Span of killings | December 11, 1988–December 12, 1988 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Texas |
Date apprehended | December 13, 1988 |
Dwight J. Loving is one of six military personnel on death row. Loving, a private in the United States Army, was sentenced to death following his conviction for murdering two taxicab drivers on December 12, 1988. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas at the time of the murders. The executions of Loving and Ronald A. Gray would be the first by the U.S. military since 1961.[1]
The murders
Loving was an Army Private First Class[2] stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. On the night of December 11, 1988, he committed two armed robberies of convenience stores, netting less than $100. He then decided to rob some cab drivers. On December 12, during the course of those robberies, Loving murdered two taxicab drivers and attempted to murder a third.
The court-martial evidence, which included Loving's undisputed videotaped confession, established the following facts: the first robbery and murder victim, Pvt. Christopher Fay, was an active duty soldier working for extra money as a cab driver. At approximately 8:00 p.m. on December 12, Fay drove Loving from Killeen, Texas, to a secluded area of Fort Hood, where Loving robbed him at gunpoint. After taking Fay's money, Loving shot Fay in the back of the head. While watching blood "gushing out" of Fay's head, Loving shot him in the back of the head a second time. Fay's dead body was discovered by another soldier at Fort Hood a short while later.
Loving, after fleeing to his Fort Hood barracks, called for a second cab at 8:15 that same evening. The second cab, driven by retired Army Sergeant Bobby Sharbino, drove Loving from Fort Hood to a secluded street in Killeen, Texas. Loving then robbed Sharbino at gunpoint, ordered him to lie down on the seat, and murdered him by shooting him in the head.
Subsequent events
After the second murder, Loving socialized with his Italian girlfriend and others at local nightclubs. Later that evening, he robbed and attempted to murder a third cab driver, Howard Harrison. The cab driver successfully defended himself, but Loving escaped on foot.
The next day, during a Joint Task Force with the FBI, Texas Rangers and the US Army Criminal Investigation Division (USACIDC), Loving was arrested by Army Special Agents and made a video taped confession; he later reviewed and signed a written transcript of the confession.
References
- ↑ Associated Press (November 20, 2008). "Military sets date for first execution since 1961". msnbc. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
- ↑ Stevenson, Debbie (February 3, 2006). "Former Fort Hood soldier's fate left in president's hands". Killean Daily Herald. Retrieved February 24, 2011.