Delbert Teague

Case record: Delbert Teague

Status and execution

Delbert Teague was executed by lethal injection in Texas on September 9, 1998. He was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m., 7 minutes after a dose of lethal drugs was released into his arms. One of the 2 needles in the execution procedure entered near a tattoo of the Grim Reaper on Teague's right arm.

Teague made a last statement. He said:

"I have come here today to die, not make speeches. Today is a good day for dieing Est Sularus Oth Mithas (My Honor Is My Life)."

In a prepared statement released after the execution, Teague said:

"I have come here today to die, not make speeches. Today is a good day for dying."

He concluded with the Latin phrase "Est sulares oth mithas," which prison officials translated as, "My honor is my life." Asked if he had any final statement, Teague said, "No."

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal in his case the week before the execution, and there were no last-minute attempts to halt the execution.

Prosecutor Wes Ball, one of the prosecutors who tried Teague, said:

"It's not one of the things you take great joy in. But there wasn't anything about his case that I thought I would ever have any regrets about the outcome. It was appropriate."

Background

Delbert Teague Jr., age 37, was described by prosecutors at his murder trial as a "1-man slaughterhouse" who killed Kevin Allen in 1985.

Teague had an extensive criminal record. In May 1982, he pleaded no contest in the shooting death of a Houston man and was sentenced to 2 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. He also received 5 years for forgery and weapons possession convictions, but he was paroled 13 months later.

As a juvenile, Teague was imprisoned for coaxing a homeless person into his car, then pushing the man out while driving on a Houston freeway. He also had an arrest for aggravated robbery.

At the time of his arrest for the 1985 crimes, Teague was on parole for forgery, weapons convictions, and manslaughter.

The offence

In 1985, Delbert Teague Jr. and his accomplice, Robin Partine, attacked a young couple at Inspiration Point, a scenic turnout overlooking Lake Worth in Tarrant County. They also kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman, abducting her and driving her hundreds of miles from Texas to Louisiana.

Victims and who testified

• Kevin Allen, age 21, died from his injuries after being shot in the head with a .22-caliber pistol.
• David Susan suffered permanent brain damage.
• James Bell recovered from his wounds and testified at Teague's trial.
• The 23-year-old boyfriend of Donna Irwin was Thomas Cox; he was pistol whipped, robbed, and tied up before the shootings.
• The abducted woman, Donna Irwin, testified at Teague's trial.

Events at Inspiration Point in Tarrant County

Young Forth Worth couple Donna Irwin and Tommy Cox were sitting in Cox's pickup at Inspiration Point, a park overlooking Lake Worth. At about 11 p.m., Teague and Partine drove up to the couple asking if Cox had a marijuana joint.

Teague and Partine jerked Cox out of his truck and proceeded to assault and rob the couple. The men abducted Irwin and began to drive away. Cox flagged down an approaching vehicle for help. Teague and Partine backed up and began shooting at Cox and the three men whom Cox had just flagged down.

The men shot in the head were Kevin Allen, David Susan, and James Bell. Allen died en route to the hospital, while Susan suffered permanent brain damage. Bell was shot in the jaw and released in fair condition.

After the shootings, Teague and Partine left the scene in their truck with Irwin. Later that night, they took turns sexually assaulting her.

The distress note and capture

The following day, Irwin was able to scribble out a distress note in a truck stop restroom. A customer at the truck stop found the note and gave it to an attendant, who notified law enforcement officials.

The men were captured five miles east of the truck stop.

In related narrative about the same capture, it was stated that Irwin managed to leave a note in a rest room appealing for help at a truck stop, that an employee found the message and notified sheriff's deputies, and that sheriff's deputies arrested Teague and Partine in Iberville Parish after a 100-mph chase.

Investigation and arrest

Delbert Teague Jr. and Robin Partine were arrested just west of Baton Rouge on April 29, 1985 for the robbery, kidnapping, and slaying they committed in Fort Worth the night before. It was described that the arrest followed the discovery of Irwin's note and notification of law enforcement.

Teague and Partine were booked at the Tarrant County Jail under $500,000 bond each.

Teague and Partine were also described as being found after an extensive amount of evidence was discovered in their possession. Teague had all of his fake IDs, the IDs of the men who were shot, and the sales receipt for the purchase of the weapon under his name.

Prior arrest in Oklahoma

Two months before the Allen slaying, Teague and Partine were arrested in Oklahoma for burglary of a bowling alley. They were using false identities and were allowed to post bond.

It was stated that Teague was able to slip through the system in Oklahoma by using his alias, Jonathan D. Dillard. After Teague posted a $5,000 bond, Montgomery County officials learned he was on parole.

Trial

Teague was found guilty of robbery and first degree murder. He was sentenced to death.

A former Tarrant County assistant district attorney, Scott Wisch, who also prosecuted Teague, said:

"These young men happened to be at the wrong place at the terribly wrong time." He also said: "Teague perceived them as interfering with the abduction."

In the trial, James Bell testified and Donna Irwin testified.

Sentencing

Delbert Teague Jr. was sentenced to death on Aug. 20, 1985.

Appeals

Teague attempted to appeal his case in January 1986 by filing for a change of venue, claiming the case would be biased based on the media coverage it had received.

A hearing was held in June 1986. Teague brought into evidence several different forms of media that broadcast his case. It was established that he failed to prove that any members of his jury were prejudiced by the publicity.

Prosecutor Wes Ball said:

"As far as I am concerned this was a slam-dunk case for the state. If there was ever a case that screamed out the death penalty, this one did." He also said: "It's not one of the things you take great joy in." He further said: "But there wasn't anything about his case that I thought I would ever have any regrets about the outcome. It was appropriate."

Teague again appealed his case on June 23, 1993. He raised twenty two points of error to the court, and all were overruled.

Other details

Teague and Partine were described as robbing Donna Irwin and her date, Tommie Cox, late at night at a scenic area overlooking Lake Worth in Tarrant County. After Teague bound Cox with a rope and left him lying face down on the ground, Teague and Partine kidnapped Irwin and left the scene in a truck driven by Teague.

As they left the area, they passed three young men in a four-wheel drive vehicle going the other way toward the direction where Cox had been left. Teague turned the truck around and began to follow the four-wheel drive vehicle. Cox managed to free himself and approached the four-wheel drive vehicle on foot as it drove toward him. When the four-wheel drive vehicle stopped, Cox told its occupants about what had happened and asked for help. Teague suddenly appeared on foot, shot each occupant in the four-wheel drive vehicle at least once in the head, and took their wallets. Cox escaped uninjured.

Later in the narrative, it was stated that Teague and Partine were eventually arrested in Louisiana after Irwin left a note in a women's restroom at a gas station.

Robin Partine, now 41, was serving a life term for aggravated sexual assault. He had 2 previous convictions in Indiana, where he was released from parole supervision in 1982 after serving less than 3 years of a 14-year sentence.