Tracy Hansen

Case record: Tracy Hansen

Background

Tracy Alan Hansen was convicted of gunning down Mississippi Highway Patrolman David Bruce Ladner in 1987. Hansen was born in Florida on May 25, 1963. He had substantial abuse through a troubled childhood, frequent encounters with Florida's juvenile justice system, and between July, 1981, and October, 1984, at least ten felony convictions, including eight property crimes and two escapes. He had 10 prior felony convictions and had served time in Florida.

In the spring of 1987, Hansen hooked up with Anita Louise Krecic, four years and a day his senior.

The offence

On Friday, April 10, 1987, Mississippi Highway Patrol Officer David Bruce Ladner, an eighteen-year veteran assigned to the Gulf-port Substation, was patrolling Interstate 10 in Harrison County. Ladner encountered a dark blue Lincoln Continental traveling westward approaching the western boundary of Harrison County and observed erratic driving and speeding. Ladner pulled in behind the vehicle and signaled the driver to pull over.

Once the vehicle was stopped on the north side of the road for westbound traffic, Ladner began to suspect more and asked permission to search the car. Hansen and Krecic signed a consent to search form, giving fictitious names: Christopher Larci-nesse and Barbara Gilbert. Ladner took the keys to the Continental and placed them in his pocket.

At some point, Hansen drew a .38 caliber pistol and shot at Ladner. Ladner ran around the car and dropped to the ground in an apparent attempt to roll underneath. Hansen managed to get off two shots at close range, each striking Ladner in the back. Ladner managed to get up and make it to the median strip, where Charles Shirley picked him up and took him to the hospital. Ladner died some thirty-one (31) hours later, on early Sunday morning, April 12, 1987, still in the hospital.

Ladner's gun was stolen, and Hansen and Krecic fled in Ladner's patrol car. They also stole a 1984 silver metallic Ford Ranger driven by Daisy Morgan, a deaf-mute.

Investigation

A number of motorists passing by observed bits and pieces of what happened. They included William Forrest Runnels, a sales representative from Sims, Alabama; Paul Tibbetts, a pharmacist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Donald Ray Meche, district manager for Seacorp. Industries from Mobile; Steve Diaz, a Gulf Coast resident; Sonya Burt, a seventeen-year old traveling with her parents, Janet and Frank Burt; Maria Kelly, another seventeen-year old; Jack Briar; Charles E. Childress; Debbie Butler, a legal secretary in Biloxi; Amanda Davis, another seventeen-year old; Laura Migues; her traveling companion, Jack McDermott; and Charles Shirley. Kathy Ann Roma-ny, a resident of Marguerite, Florida, had been traveling west on I-10 at about the same time and had noticed the blue town-car from about Pensacola and identified Hansen as the driver.

Tibbets, Meche, and Diaz identified Hansen as the man seen on the side of the road on Friday evening, April 10, and Tibbetts and Meche said they saw Hansen shoot Trooper Ladner.

Arrest

After Hansen and Krecic fled in Ladner's patrol car, they took the first exit north off I-10 and immediately pulled over a 1984 silver metallic Ford Ranger driven by Daisy Morgan. Hansen and Krecic stole Morgan's vehicle, leaving Morgan and the Patrol car on the side of the road. Morgan, who could see quite well, later identified Hansen as the man who stole her Ranger.

Over the next several hours, Hansen and Krecic sought assistance from various Hancock County residents, presenting assorted tales of woe with the bottom line that they wanted transportation to New Orleans. After midnight, Hansen and Krecic were still in Hancock County and made their way to the home of Pat Ladner and his family on Rocky Hill Road, in the apparent company of the Ladners' brother-in-law, Jody Wade, and Charlie Williams. Some thirty minutes later, Wade and Williams agreed to take Hansen and Krecic to Waveland to find a motel room.

En route they were stopped by State Troopers Freddie Keel and Darryl Deschamp, and Hansen and Krecic were taken into custody.

Hansen and Krecic were initially charged with two counts of grand larceny. Hansen was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. When Trooper Ladner died the next day, these charges were elevated to capital murder.

Trial

On May 28, 1987, the grand jury of Harrison County, Mississippi returned an indictment charging Tracy Alan Hansen with the capital murder of David Bruce Ladner, a peace officer with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol who was acting in his official capacity and that the killing occurred at a time when Hansen knew of that capacity. Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-19(2)(a) (Supp.1987). The indictment also charged that Hansen was an habitual offender. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81 (Supp.1987).

Extensive pre-trial proceedings followed. Because of pre-trial publicity, the Circuit Court ordered a venue change to Hinds County. On October 26, 1987, the court called the case for trial sitting in Jackson, Mississippi.

The jury returned a verdict that Hansen was guilty as charged. The trial then entered the penalty phase. In the end, the jury returned a verdict including:

We, the jury, unanimously find that the aggravating circumstances of: 1. The capital offense was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, and 2. The capital offense was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing lawful arrest, or effecting an escape from custody, are sufficient to impose the death penalty, and we unanimously find beyond a reasonable doubt, that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances and we unanimously find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant should suffer the penalty of death.

Krecic was also convicted. Her trial was moved to Warren County; she was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to life in prison. She was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sentencing

Hansen was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Krecic did not receive the death penalty and remained in prison.

Appeals

Hansen had an appeal denied by the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans in November 2001. Hansen claimed he was denied effective legal assistance during the penalty phase of his case and had key testimony in his defense excluded. In a series of court filings seeking to forestall the execution, Hansen's attorneys asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to reconsider its dismissal of the condemned man's appeal.

Hansen exhausted his court appeals, and the state Supreme Court set the execution date one week after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Hansen's appeal. The highest court’s order included: "No legal impediment exists to deter the resetting of an execution date," signed by Justice George C. Carlson Jr.

Execution

Hansen was executed by lethal injection on July 17, 2002, at the State Penitentiary at Parchman in Mississippi. He had been scheduled to die at a little after 6 p.m. Wednesday. The execution order had to be administered after the superintendent read the execution order and Hansen was allowed to say his last words.

During preparations, Mississippi Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner of Institutions Chris Epps said 73 staff members had gone through the procedure. Epps said he witnessed a lethal injection in Texas in January to prepare. Epps described the execution process as involving sodium thiopentol to put Hansen to sleep, Pavulon to stop him from breathing, and potassium chloride to stop his heart.

Before the lethal drugs were pumped into the IVs, Hansen gave a rambling speech. Prison officials removed the microphone, beginning the lethal injection process even as Hansen continued speaking. Hansen said:

"I don't mind dying if it gives you closure. I'm guilty. I shot the guy. I panicked. I was running from the law. I shouldn't have had a gun. I didn't want to kill him. I'm sorry, but I know sorry doesn't mean much to some people."

State Pathologist Steven Hayne pronounced Hansen dead at 6:32 p.m., about 10 minutes after the lethal injection began.

Witnesses said Hansen exhaled once and closed his eyes. Herman Cox, a Gulfport attorney who acted as spokesman for the Ladner family, said after the execution: "Justice was done."

Ladner's brother Kirk and the slain trooper's two sons witnessed the execution, along with Cox. Cox said Hansen died painlessly and Ladner died 36 hours after being shot in the back with Hansen's second bullet.

Hansen's final meal consisted of broiled lobster, shrimp, scallops and crab meat served with clarified butter and cocktail sauce, fried fish fillet and oysters with tartar sauce, a Pepsi and chocolate morsels.

Hansen's attorneys, Charles Press and Debra Sabah, witnessed the execution and said Hansen was "remorseful and wishes the best for the Ladner family." Hansen requested that none of his family witness his execution. He made calls Wednesday to his father Lawrence Hansen of Orlando, Fla., and calls to longtime friend Rhea Abbott of Aberdeen, Wash., who operates a prison ministry.

Numerous Hansen supporters sent letters to Gov. Ronnie Musgrove asking for clemency. Musgrove refused. In a statement after the execution, Musgrove said:

"There are too many other death penalty cases still awaiting some type of resolution. Fifteen years is too long for the families of the victims and the state of Mississippi to wait for justice to be served."

Attorney General Mike Moore said he hoped it would bring some closure for the Ladner family. Moore said he gave the OK for the execution after his office checked as late as 5:55 p.m. Wednesday to make sure no stays had been granted.

Other details

Hansen and his girlfriend Anita Krecic were wanted in Florida at the time for a string of robberies stretching from Fort Lauderdale to Gainesville. They stole the officer's gun and left the scene in Ladner's patrol car. They were captured a short time later in Hancock County. Authorities believed Krecic handed the gun to Hansen used to kill Bruce Ladner.

Hansen's trial was moved to Hinds County because of pretrial publicity. Hansen was convicted in October 1987 and sentenced to death.

Krecic was eligible for a parole hearing in 2005. The Ladner family planned to ask the Parole Board to deny her request.

Hansen was scheduled to be the first person in the state to die by lethal injection. On July 1, 1998, state law made lethal injection the form of execution for death row inmates. The execution marked the first execution in the state in 13 years and the first ever by lethal injection. The last execution in the state before Hansen was in 1989 when Leo Edwards, 36, was put to death in the gas chamber for killing a convenience store clerk during a robbery in Jackson.

Hansen mailed 23 letters while on death row, but staff did not know who they went to.

In a letter dated July 9 that arrived Monday, Hansen wrote: "I think the death penalty is wrong," and "I have to believe this while believing that I deserve to live." He also wrote:

"I never meant to kill Ladner."

He wrote that he told the trooper to "'Hold it right there,' and he panicked and went for his gun ... and I panicked and shot ... and standing there with two loaded guns, there was surely no intent to kill ... "

He also wrote:

"I'd prefer if I could say that I don't remember it ... that it never happened."

Herman Cox, then an assistant Harrison County district attorney who helped prosecute Hansen, said there was no need to shoot Ladner a second time and that Hansen shot Ladner execution-style in the back.

Kirk Ladner said Hansen's letter was another indication of him "grasping for straws" now. Kirk Ladner also said Bruce Ladner was "a good man."

Ladner’s two sons were ages 13 and 11 at the time of his death. He also had a stepdaughter who was 17 at the time. At the time of Ladner's death, Ladner’s Mississippi Highway Patrol tag number was K-34. His end of watch was Sunday, April 12, 1987, with cause: gunfire. Ladner had been with the agency for 9 years and was survived by his wife and three children. A section of US Highway 49 in Harrison County was dedicated in Trooper Ladner’s memory.

After the execution, Hanson’s body would be cremated by the American Cremation Society of Memphis.