Tommie Hughes
Encyclopedia
Tom Andrew Hughes(August 15, 1974 – March 15, 2006) was a convicted murderer. He was convicted of the August 13, 1997 murder of 25-year-old Foluke Erinkitola in northwest Dallas, Texas
. Roxanne Mendoza, 29, was also killed in the crime. He was executed by lethal injection
.
He served in the United States Marine Corps
and received a bad-conduct discharge
after being convicted by a special court-martial in June 1994 of a drug offense and possessing false ID.
During the evening of August 13, 1997, undercover officers noticed Hughes and his partner, Michael English, as the two walked through the parking lot toward the theater building. Approximately ten minutes later, both men were observed walking quickly back toward their car, a Mercury Tracer
. Hughes was twenty to thirty feet behind English. English appeared to be hunched over, concealing what was described as a "large bulge" beneath his shirt. This "bulge" had not been observed earlier.
After both men entered the car, the driver, later found to be Alina T. Henry, his former girlfriend, who had never left the vehicle, quickly accelerated, exiting the parking lot at high speed, and continued onto the highway reaching speeds of ninety miles an hour. While one of the undercover police officer followed the car in an unmarked vehicle, the other went to investigate the parking lot for signs of a burglary. Shortly thereafter, the bodies of two women were found. Hughes and the other two were arrested shortly afterwards at a Oak Cliff, Texas service station.
At the trial witnesses from as far away as California testified to his prior criminal behavior. Lawmen from San Bernardino County Sheriffs’ Department and Colton Police Department testified.
Hughes was sentenced to death by a jury on May 7, 1998.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Roxanne Mendoza, 29, was also killed in the crime. He was executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
.
He served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and received a bad-conduct discharge
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
after being convicted by a special court-martial in June 1994 of a drug offense and possessing false ID.
During the evening of August 13, 1997, undercover officers noticed Hughes and his partner, Michael English, as the two walked through the parking lot toward the theater building. Approximately ten minutes later, both men were observed walking quickly back toward their car, a Mercury Tracer
Mercury Tracer
The Mercury Tracer is a compact car that was sold by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. It was based on the platform of the Mazda 323, replacing the European-derived Mercury Lynx. The 1991 and newer car is the Mercury version of the Ford Escort....
. Hughes was twenty to thirty feet behind English. English appeared to be hunched over, concealing what was described as a "large bulge" beneath his shirt. This "bulge" had not been observed earlier.
After both men entered the car, the driver, later found to be Alina T. Henry, his former girlfriend, who had never left the vehicle, quickly accelerated, exiting the parking lot at high speed, and continued onto the highway reaching speeds of ninety miles an hour. While one of the undercover police officer followed the car in an unmarked vehicle, the other went to investigate the parking lot for signs of a burglary. Shortly thereafter, the bodies of two women were found. Hughes and the other two were arrested shortly afterwards at a Oak Cliff, Texas service station.
At the trial witnesses from as far away as California testified to his prior criminal behavior. Lawmen from San Bernardino County Sheriffs’ Department and Colton Police Department testified.
Hughes was sentenced to death by a jury on May 7, 1998.