Edward Green III

Case record

Edward Green III was executed by lethal injection in Texas on October 5, 2004.

The offence

On August 31, 1992, Edward Green III, then 18, spotted Edward Perry Haden and Helen O’Sullivan in a car at an intersection in Houston and decided to rob them because they looked as if they had money. Green was armed with a .357 revolver. Green pointed the revolver at Haden, who was driving, and demanded he get out of the vehicle. Haden laughed and attempted to shift the car into reverse. Green fired three shots. The shots hit Haden in the head and chest and hit O’Sullivan in an arm and the abdomen.

Haden died at the scene. O’Sullivan later died at the hospital.

Green later confessed and gave police a complete confession after initially denying involvement.

Investigation

Police learned that Green was in the Harris County Jail for an unrelated offense. Detectives interviewed Green based on information gathered in the case. At first, Green said he knew nothing about the offense, but after officers told him they had information about his role in the killings, Green confessed to the murders.

Green was arrested on an unrelated charge the day after the shootings. A Crime Stoppers tip led authorities to Green.

Green told investigators that he and a partner pulled their car in front of the couple’s Lincoln at a stop sign to rob them for money for marijuana and rent.

Arrest

Green was in Harris County Jail for an unrelated offense when detectives interviewed him about the murders.

Jimmy Lee “Juice” Daniels was identified as the driver of the stolen car used to block Edward Haden’s car at the intersection of Morley and Dover near Hobby Airport. Daniels was on probation for assault and was wanted on an unrelated felony theft charge. Daniels later turned himself in and was booked into the Harris County Jail.

At the time Daniels turned himself in, Daniels was expected to be charged with capital murder, and Green was already charged with capital murder and being held in jail without bond.

Trial

Green was indicted by a Harris County grand jury for the capital murders of Edward Perry Haden and Helen O’Sullivan.

A jury found Green guilty of capital murder on August 3, 1993.

A separate punishment hearing took place, and on August 7, 1993, the court sentenced Green to death.

During the punishment phase, the State presented substantial evidence of Green’s future dangerousness. Several witnesses testified about Green’s conduct while he was in middle school, and Green had numerous disciplinary problems and a bad reputation. Students testified about violent encounters with Green.

A teen testified that Green raped her in October 1989, when she was 13. Green stated that he did not think that his sex offense against the girl was wrong.

Several police officers testified about Green’s involvement in five separate car thefts between 1989 and 1992.

On December 15, 1992, while in a segregation cell in the Harris County Jail, Green became combative. He grabbed a deputy, had to be restrained, and damaged property in the cell. Green got into several fights with inmates while in the jail.

During sentencing, the jury deliberated until it returned a verdict condemning Green.

In the punishment phase testimony, Ramon Campos testified about Green’s troubled childhood and his progress and behavioral change, and the trial court responded to jury questions about whether Campos stated that Green had “emotional problems” during childhood.

At trial, prosecutors used ballistics tests from the Houston Police Department crime lab. Green’s confession and other testimony were also presented.

Sentencing

Green was sentenced to death on August 7, 1993 after the separate punishment hearing.

Appeals

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Green’s conviction and sentence on October 4, 1995.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Green’s petition for writ of certiorari on June 24, 1996.

Green filed a state application for writ of habeas corpus in the trial court on April 23, 1997. The trial court entered findings of fact and conclusions of law recommending that Green be denied relief.

On March 28, 2001, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the application based on the trial court’s findings.

On April 13, 2001, Green filed a federal habeas petition in a Houston federal district court.

On March 29, 2002, the federal court entered a judgment denying Green habeas relief and his request to appeal.

Green sought permission to appeal from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the appeals court denied Green’s request on April 29, 2003.

Green petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for certiorari review. The Supreme Court denied the petition on January 12, 2004.

Green sought a stay based on ongoing reports of evidence mishandling at the Houston Police Department’s crime lab. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles refused a clemency request, Governor Rick Perry rejected requests to halt executions or impose a moratorium, and a judge declined the request for a stay. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay.

Outcome

Edward Green III was executed by lethal injection on October 5, 2004. He was pronounced dead at 8:21 p.m.

Final meal

Green’s final meal included two chicken fried steaks, fried chicken strips, fried shrimp, curly fries, a half-gallon of grape juice, a pint of carmel pecan fudge, ketchup, and a pack of bubble gum.

Final statement

Green made a last statement that included the following words:

To the O'Sullivan and Haden families, I do not come here with the intention to make myself out to be a person I am not. I never claimed to be the best person. I'm not the best father, I'm not the best son or the best friend in the world. To my family and to you people, I can only apologize for the pain I have caused you. May God forgive us on this day. I'm ready when you are.

Other details

Victims

Edward Perry Haden was 72. Helen O’Sullivan was 63.

Prior and related conduct presented at punishment

Campos testified that Green’s anger origin included inability to have a complete relationship with individuals and lack of nurturing by the parents. Campos testified that Green’s father was killed when Green was eight or nine years old and was found hanging from a tree, and that Green’s mother testified the killing was drug-related.

Green’s mother testified that Green did not have much contact with his father since the parents’ divorce in 1979. Green’s mother testified that Green’s father physically abused her but not appellant. Green’s mother was an alcoholic and a cocaine addict who spent much of her time away from the household, and Green’s primary caregivers were his aunt and grandmother.

Campos testified that near the end of his TYC treatment, Green was still angry but was receptive to exploring his grief cycle and more receptive to seeing how a normal family functioned. Campos testified that Green showed signs of developing “victim empathy.”

Campos testified that near the end of his treatment, Green’s progress was affected by intense work done between him and appellant, and that appellant eventually stopped attending follow-up sex offender treatment sessions after his release from TYC.

Campos testified that Green considered himself a “victim.” Campos agreed this mechanism shifted blame and not accepting responsibility for actions, and Campos testified that a person who perceives himself as a “victim” thinks people are out to get him.

Campos testified on cross-examination that in Green’s first exit interview, Green became angry, cursed, was disrespectful to staff, and made derogatory comments about women. Campos testified that Green said: “I really don't care about my victim. All women are bitches.”

Campos testified that Green is intelligent and an “excellent manipulator.” Campos testified that any progress made in the TYC program was a “function of the intense work that [he and appellant] did together.”

Statements about evidence and execution-day appeals

Green’s attorneys sought a stay based on reported discrepancies by the Houston Crime Lab, including mislabeled and improperly stored evidence and DNA testing practices. Prosecutors stated that evidence involving Green had been accounted for and that no DNA evidence was used in Green’s case. Attorneys questioned the reliability of ballistics evidence presented at trial.

Governor Rick Perry refused to impose a blanket moratorium on Harris County executions and rejected a 30-day reprieve.

Additional case information involving Jimmy Lee “Juice” Daniels

At the time of the update after Daniels turned himself in, Daniels had been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and was held in lieu of $80,000 bond. Daniels was suspected of being involved in the murders of Edward Perry Haden and Helen O’Sullivan.

Daniels was expected to be charged with capital murder. Green was described as the trigger man in the murder and attempted robbery.

Housing and address mentioned

Green was described with the identifier “Edward Green III (#999073)” and an address: 12002 FM 35 South Polunsky Unit 12AC/32 Livingston, TX 77351 USA.