This week in 1999

“Yes, to my family, I love you. Please do not mourn my death or my life. Continue to live as I want you to live. I hold no bitterness toward no one. Just remember the light. I’m gonna let this light shine. Let it shine. Let the light shine.”

— Tyrone Fuller, convicted of murder, lethal injection, Texas.
Executed July 7, 1999

Fuller was the first Texas death-row inmate to be convicted of capital murder based on DNA evidence. Fuller, who nicknamed himself “Evil,” was on parole when he attacked Andrea Duke during a burglary of her home. She was found on the lawn of her apartment complex, raped, tortured, and stabbed. Prosecutors originally thought Fuller might not be responsible for Duke’s murder, but bodily fluid and hairs found on her body helped convict him.