Chilling last words of teenager executed for raping and murdering nun

21 October 2023 , 07:00

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Garrett was executed in 1992 (Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

After being sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a nun in 1981, Johnny Frank Garrett uttered a chilling final sentence before his execution.

Garrett’s execution become a controversial case, due to his mental handicap - having allegedly been raped and beaten by his stepfather - and his sentencing at only 17 years of age. He was accused of the brutal rape and murder of Sister Tadea Benz, a Catholic nun in the St. Francis Convent in Amarillo, Texas on October 31 1981. But it was widely disputed whether Garrett truly committed the crime for which he was accused.

76-year-old Benz was found naked and covered in blood the morning after her murder - with a window having been broken in the convent’s community room. Police collected evidence including a knife under the bed, Benz’s bed sheets, fingerprints from the knife and the bed’s headboard.

Benz had been stabbed, hit in the head, and had abrasive injuries on the neck, an autopsy found. The pathologist concluded that Benz had been murdered by manual strangulation - along with indications of forcible rape due to external bleeding and internal trauma.

Johnny Frank Garrett, 17, is taken to his arraignment by his mother, Charlotte, in 1981 (AP)

One witness claimed they saw Garrett running from the direction of the convent - and a knife found in the driveway matched the design, make and level of use as a knife recovered from Garrett’s home. He was arrested on November 9, 1981, but maintained his innocence until his death.

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The prosecution argued Garrett raped and strangled Bena to death, leading to his conviction and death sentence. Garrett was placed on death row in Ellis Unit Prison, Texas, with an execution date of January 6, 1992.

After a request from Pope John Paul II, Garrett was given a reprieve by Governor Ann Richards - but the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously chose to uphold his death sentence with a 17-0 vote.

Garrett was eventually executed on February 11, 1992, aged 28, and after a final meal of ice cream. But before his lethal injection, he allegedly chose to say some chilling final words. “I’d like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me,” Garrett is quoted as saying, “The rest of the world can kiss my ass.” Despite reports of his alleged last words, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website claims he did not make a final statement.

Many argued against the humanity of Garrett’s execution due to his mental impairment and brain damage. According to a mental health expert, Garrett’s childhood represented “one of the most virulent histories of abuse and neglect… I have encountered in 28 years of practice.”

Allegedly raped, beaten, and forced to perform sexual acts for pornographic films by his stepfather, Garrett faced a childhood of hell. His family introduced him to alcohol and drugs at only 10-years-old - but this information was not given to the jury during his trial.

DNA evidence found in 2004 went on to link another criminal, called Leoncio Perez Rueda, to Benz’s horrific murder. In a documentary called The Last Word, Texas attorney Jesse Quackenbush said: “The old and newly discovered evidence of Johnny Frank Garrett’s innocence is so compelling it will cause even the most bloodthirsty proponents of the death penalty to shake their heads in doubt.”

Alex Croft