Stephen Peter Morin

Case record

Offender: Stephen Peter Morin (February 19, 1951 – March 13, 1985) Execution date: March 13, 1985 Method of execution: lethal injection Jurisdiction: Texas

Timeline

• February 19, 1951 — Stephen Peter Morin was born.
• Dec. 11, 1981 — In the early morning hours, Morin shot and killed Carrie Marie Scott in front of Maggie’s Restaurant in San Antonio, during a car theft.
• Dec. 11, 1981 — Later that day, Morin abducted Margaret Palm from a local shopping center.
• All day (Dec. 11, 1981) — Morin and Palm drove all day and Morin boarded a bus to Austin from Kerrville.
• After boarding the bus (four-year FBI manhunt ending at arrest) — Morin was apprehended in Austin, ending a four-year FBI manhunt.
• March 13, 1985 — Morin was pronounced dead at 12:55 a.m. by lethal injection.

The offence

In the early morning hours of Dec. 11, 1981 in San Antonio, Stephen Peter Morin shot and killed 21-year-old Carrie Marie Scott in front of Maggie’s Restaurant, her place of employment. Scott interrupted Morin in the process of stealing her car, confronted him, and was shot.

Morin said he never intended to kill Ms. Scott, pleaded with her to leave him alone, but later said something came over him and the gun went off.

Later that day, Morin abducted Margaret Palm from a local shopping center.

Morin was later convicted of the killings of Janna Bruce in Corpus Christi and Shelia Whalen in Golden, Colorado.

Investigation and arrest

Morin abducted Margaret Palm from a local shopping center, and Morin and Palm drove all day. Morin ended up boarding a bus to Austin from Kerrville.

Morin was apprehended in Austin, ending a four-year FBI manhunt. Morin was a fixture on the FBI’s most wanted list for a number of years, and at the time of his arrest Morin was a suspect in more than 30 violent crimes from coast to coast. Up until the time of his death, Morin remained a suspect in over 30 unsolved cases around the nation.

Plea and defence

Morin withdrew all appeals after pleading guilty to the 1981 capital murder of Carrie Marie Scott. The narrative described Morin as the second man in Texas history to plead guilty to capital murder.

“We discussed all the options. Stephen chose to plead guilty and with the state’s case against him it was his best defense,” said Pete Torres, Morin’s defending attorney.

“Morin’s new-found faith was significant in his decision to plead guilty and withdraw all appeals.”

Morin had no desire to fight his conviction or the death-penalty sentence.

“Morin knew he was guilty and was accepting of whatever the judge thought he deserved, he was a changed man and if the Lord wanted him to remain on Earth or go home to heaven, Stephen was willing,” said Charles Galloway, a friend of Morin’s.

Morin chose to remain quiet on other cases. “Morin never discussed those cases with me until they came up in litigation, and even then he was and unclear when discussing them,” Torres said. “Stephen was involved in an awful lot but he told me he honestly had no recollection of any crimes he may have committed,” Murrey said. “It is as though that whole part of his life has been blanked from his memory.”

Trial and convictions

Sentencing

Morin was described as accepting the death-penalty sentence.

Execution

Because of Morin’s heavy drug use, medical technicians searched for nearly 40 minutes to find a usable vein for the injection.

Morin was pronounced dead 12:55 a.m. on March 13, 1985 by lethal injection. He became the sixth man to be executed in Texas since the state began using lethal injections in 1982.

Morin’s last statement was:

Heavenly Father, I give thanks for this time, for the time that we have been together, the fellowship in your world, the Christian family presented to me ( He called the names of the personal witnesses .). Allow your holy spirit to flow as I know your love as been showered upon me. Forgive them for they know not what they do, as I know that you have forgiven me, as I have forgiven them. Lord Jesus, I commit my soul to you, I praise you, and I thank you.

Murrey described Morin on the execution day. “Stephen was prepared and referred to his execution as a graduation day,” said Murrey. “We were the first to see Stephen that day and all day he kept joking and saying this was a ‘great day,” Galloway said.

Other details

Morin was described as a self-proclaimed “born again” Christian.

“Morin was a fixture on the FBI’s most wanted list for a number of years.”

“Morin led a bible study on death row and received a degree in biblical teachings.”

Patricia Murrey, a close friend of Morin, said:

Scott, he pleaded with her to leave him alone but then he said something came over him and the gun went off,” said Patricia Murrey, a close friend of Morin’s.

Pete Torres described Morin’s decision to plead guilty as his best defense.

Galloway described Morin’s attitude toward accepting punishment.

Morin was identified with offender number: #712.