Marion Albert Pruett
Marion Albert Pruett (October 4, 1949[3] in Gastonia, North Carolina[4] – April 12, 1999 in Cummins Unit, Arkansas) was an American serial killer.
Marion Albert Pruett | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 4, 1949 |
| Died | April 12, 1999 (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Acquisitive crimes related to illegal drug use |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder (September 9, 1982)[1] |
| Criminal penalty | Capital punishment (Arkansas), 4 life sentences (New Mexico, Mississippi, Colorado) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Pamela Sue Barker, Peggy Lowe, James R. Balderson, Anthony Taitt, Bobbie Jean Robertson |
Span of crimes | March 2, 1981–October 12, 1981 |
| State(s) | New Mexico, Mississippi, Colorado, Arkansas |
| Location(s) | Rio Rancho, Jackson, Fort Collins,[2] Loveland,[2] Fort Smith |
| Target(s) | Common law spouse, bank teller, store clerks[1] |
| Killed | 5+ |
| Weapons | Hammer, .38 caliber revolver |
Date apprehended | October 17, 1981 |
Witness Protection Program
In 1979, Pruett was given $800, a new name (Charles "Sonny" Pearson), and placed in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program after testifying about a federal prison slaying in Atlanta, Georgia. He then began his crime spree under his alias. Pruett would later claim that he killed the cellmate.[5]
Pruett killed Peggy Lowe after he kidnapped her on September 17, 1981 while robbing the Metrocenter Branch of Unifirst Bank (later Trustmark National Bank) in Jackson, Mississippi where she worked; Bobbie Jean Robertson, a convenience store clerk in Fort Smith, Arkansas; and two convenience store clerks in Colorado. He received a life sentence for Lowe's murder, two more life sentences for the murders in Colorado, and the death penalty for Robertson's murder.
On trial in New Mexico for the March 2, 1981, murder of his common-law wife, Pamela Sue Barker (aka Michelle Lynn Pearson), Pruett admitted he had robbed her in order to support a $4,000 a week cocaine habit, but denied that he killed Barker, who was beaten to death, then set on fire. He was convicted, and given a third life sentence.[6] From death row, he asked a Mississippi newspaper to pay him $20,000 to disclose the location of Barker's engagement ring, and offered to reveal the location of a Florida victim's body in exchange for a paid appearance on Geraldo.
Execution
His final meal consisted of a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut, four Burger King Whoppers, a large order of French fries, three two-liter bottles of Pepsi, a bucket of ice, a bottle of ketchup, salt, fried eggplant, fried squash, fried okra, and a pecan pie. In an interview prior to his execution date, Pruett said he was going to share his last meal with another inmate who was going to be executed the same day. He went on to say he originally wanted to have a roast duck for his last meal, but it was rejected because he felt the prison would not cook it.
Pruett was executed by lethal injection at 8:04 PM and pronounced dead at 8:09 PM. Pruett was the 19th person executed by Arkansas since Furman v. Georgia.
References
- Arnold, Jeff (September 1, 2013). "Prosecutor's Office Sees Most Capital-Murder Cases Since 1981". swtimes.com. Tom Stallbaumer. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- Pohl, Jason (July 6, 2015). "Catching a killer: Shootings stir up memories of '81 murders". coloradoan.com. Kathy Jack-Romero. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
About an hour later, a customer 13 miles away reported to Loveland police a 7-Eleven clerk lying in a pool of blood. Loveland investigators — aware of the Fort Collins case — tied the shooting to their investigation when they realized Anthony Taitt had been similarly shot.
- "SSDI search results for 'Marion Pruett'" ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com 19 November 2010
- "Execution set for 'Mad Dog' Pruett". Amarillo Globe-News. A.P. 11 April 1999. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- "April 1999 Executions". Pro-Death Penalty.com. Charlene Hall. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- New Mexico killer set to die in Arkansas by The Albuquerque Tribune