Convicted in the April 1995 robbery and murder of 56-year-old Thomas Carlson in Richardson.
Last Statement:
"Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home."
Cause of Death: Executed by Lethal Injection in the State of Texas.∼A convicted killer was executed Tuesday night for fatally shooting and stabbing a Dallas area man during a robbery, then slicing off the victim's finger and storing it in his freezer.
Robert Atworth, 30, of Dallas had asked that no appeals be made on his behalf and that he be executed for the murder 4 1/2 years ago of Thomas Carlson, 56, of Plano.
Strapped to the gurney, Atworth appeared cocky and chuckled as his mother walked into the death house carrying a stuffed toy, Tweety Bird, and waved it at him.
_________________________________________________________
Atworth
Last Statement:
Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home.
_________________________________________________________
Robert Ronald Atworth shot to death a man he met on the side of a road in April of 1995.
Thomas Carlson, 56, was found shot in the head, torso and groin, and stabbed in the abdomen and chin. His body had been dumped between two trash dumpsters behind a health club in Richardson, Texas. His wallet was missing and his little finger was severed in order to obtain his ring.
Atworth was arrested the next day when he was caught burglarizing a home in Garland, Texas. He was still driving Thomas's car and had in his possession the 9mm gun Thomas was killed with and the pistol that Thomas carried for protection.
Authorities said Atworth spotted his victim at an intersection and posed as an off-duty police officer while tapping at Mr. Carlson's car window. Mr. Carlson was not feeling well and asked Atworth to call his daughter for heart medication, according to court testimony.
Mr. Carlson had been living with Kris, the youngest of his daughters, in Plano while he looked for a job. Kris Mosley thinks her father became ill as he drove home and was headed to a hospital when Atworth approached him on Campbell Road just west of North Central Expressway.
_________________________________________________________
When officers found Atworth, he was carrying two guns and had Mr. Carlson's wallet and credit cards. Mr. Carlson's car was parked nearby, police said. He had gone to the Garland address to kill another man because of a drug deal gone bad, police said.
Mr. Carlson's severed finger was found in Atworth's freezer. "It was more of souvenir for him," said Richardson Detective Dan White, who was assigned to the murder case and will witness the execution.
At one point in Atworth's videotaped statement to police, he began speaking as if in a trance and identified himself as "Nino."
Speaking as "Nino," Atworth claimed self-defense as a motive and said he tampered with evidence to get caught. "He said he had fingers in jars all over the country. He said he had a mentor who trained him how to be killer," Detective White said. "It was pretty freaky....," he said. "The dual-personality act was unique."
Wayne Huff, who represented Atworth at trial, said his client was difficult to defend. "He pretty much sealed his fate before we got appointed," Mr. Huff said. Atworth's family could not be reached for comment.
Detective White said he remembers Atworth's leers when he was sentenced to death in 1996. "He turned around and nodded and winked at me," the officer said. "I thought, 'Well, Bob, you got what you asked for.' "
_________________________________________________________
Kris Mosley and Kim Beyer won't trek to Huntsville this week to watch their father's killer be put to death. They say there's no point. "I have worked so hard to move forward, and going down there would be a detour," said Ms. Mosley, 36. "I don't want to give him my time, my energy, my thoughts."
Ms. Beyer, 39, added, "Him dying doesn't help me one bit." Thomas Carlson, a former senior insurance executive living with Ms. Mosley in Plano, was found shot to death between 2 trash bins behind a Richardson health club in 1995.
The sisters say they have survived the tragedy with support from family and therapy from a victim's assistance program through the Richardson Police Department. "Dad would have wanted me to get past this," Ms. Mosley said. "You can survive no matter what tragedy hits your life. There are positives. There are always things to be grateful for."
Mr. Carlson's family thinks he reached a greater peace in the last year of his life. He was looking inward and re-examining his faith as if "part of him was getting ready for something," Ms. Mosley said.
Last Statement:
"Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home."
Cause of Death: Executed by Lethal Injection in the State of Texas.∼A convicted killer was executed Tuesday night for fatally shooting and stabbing a Dallas area man during a robbery, then slicing off the victim's finger and storing it in his freezer.
Robert Atworth, 30, of Dallas had asked that no appeals be made on his behalf and that he be executed for the murder 4 1/2 years ago of Thomas Carlson, 56, of Plano.
Strapped to the gurney, Atworth appeared cocky and chuckled as his mother walked into the death house carrying a stuffed toy, Tweety Bird, and waved it at him.
_________________________________________________________
Atworth
Last Statement:
Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home.
_________________________________________________________
Robert Ronald Atworth shot to death a man he met on the side of a road in April of 1995.
Thomas Carlson, 56, was found shot in the head, torso and groin, and stabbed in the abdomen and chin. His body had been dumped between two trash dumpsters behind a health club in Richardson, Texas. His wallet was missing and his little finger was severed in order to obtain his ring.
Atworth was arrested the next day when he was caught burglarizing a home in Garland, Texas. He was still driving Thomas's car and had in his possession the 9mm gun Thomas was killed with and the pistol that Thomas carried for protection.
Authorities said Atworth spotted his victim at an intersection and posed as an off-duty police officer while tapping at Mr. Carlson's car window. Mr. Carlson was not feeling well and asked Atworth to call his daughter for heart medication, according to court testimony.
Mr. Carlson had been living with Kris, the youngest of his daughters, in Plano while he looked for a job. Kris Mosley thinks her father became ill as he drove home and was headed to a hospital when Atworth approached him on Campbell Road just west of North Central Expressway.
_________________________________________________________
When officers found Atworth, he was carrying two guns and had Mr. Carlson's wallet and credit cards. Mr. Carlson's car was parked nearby, police said. He had gone to the Garland address to kill another man because of a drug deal gone bad, police said.
Mr. Carlson's severed finger was found in Atworth's freezer. "It was more of souvenir for him," said Richardson Detective Dan White, who was assigned to the murder case and will witness the execution.
At one point in Atworth's videotaped statement to police, he began speaking as if in a trance and identified himself as "Nino."
Speaking as "Nino," Atworth claimed self-defense as a motive and said he tampered with evidence to get caught. "He said he had fingers in jars all over the country. He said he had a mentor who trained him how to be killer," Detective White said. "It was pretty freaky....," he said. "The dual-personality act was unique."
Wayne Huff, who represented Atworth at trial, said his client was difficult to defend. "He pretty much sealed his fate before we got appointed," Mr. Huff said. Atworth's family could not be reached for comment.
Detective White said he remembers Atworth's leers when he was sentenced to death in 1996. "He turned around and nodded and winked at me," the officer said. "I thought, 'Well, Bob, you got what you asked for.' "
_________________________________________________________
Kris Mosley and Kim Beyer won't trek to Huntsville this week to watch their father's killer be put to death. They say there's no point. "I have worked so hard to move forward, and going down there would be a detour," said Ms. Mosley, 36. "I don't want to give him my time, my energy, my thoughts."
Ms. Beyer, 39, added, "Him dying doesn't help me one bit." Thomas Carlson, a former senior insurance executive living with Ms. Mosley in Plano, was found shot to death between 2 trash bins behind a Richardson health club in 1995.
The sisters say they have survived the tragedy with support from family and therapy from a victim's assistance program through the Richardson Police Department. "Dad would have wanted me to get past this," Ms. Mosley said. "You can survive no matter what tragedy hits your life. There are positives. There are always things to be grateful for."
Mr. Carlson's family thinks he reached a greater peace in the last year of his life. He was looking inward and re-examining his faith as if "part of him was getting ready for something," Ms. Mosley said.
Convicted in the April 1995 robbery and murder of 56-year-old Thomas Carlson in Richardson.
Last Statement:
"Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home."
Cause of Death: Executed by Lethal Injection in the State of Texas.∼A convicted killer was executed Tuesday night for fatally shooting and stabbing a Dallas area man during a robbery, then slicing off the victim's finger and storing it in his freezer.
Robert Atworth, 30, of Dallas had asked that no appeals be made on his behalf and that he be executed for the murder 4 1/2 years ago of Thomas Carlson, 56, of Plano.
Strapped to the gurney, Atworth appeared cocky and chuckled as his mother walked into the death house carrying a stuffed toy, Tweety Bird, and waved it at him.
_________________________________________________________
Atworth
Last Statement:
Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home.
_________________________________________________________
Robert Ronald Atworth shot to death a man he met on the side of a road in April of 1995.
Thomas Carlson, 56, was found shot in the head, torso and groin, and stabbed in the abdomen and chin. His body had been dumped between two trash dumpsters behind a health club in Richardson, Texas. His wallet was missing and his little finger was severed in order to obtain his ring.
Atworth was arrested the next day when he was caught burglarizing a home in Garland, Texas. He was still driving Thomas's car and had in his possession the 9mm gun Thomas was killed with and the pistol that Thomas carried for protection.
Authorities said Atworth spotted his victim at an intersection and posed as an off-duty police officer while tapping at Mr. Carlson's car window. Mr. Carlson was not feeling well and asked Atworth to call his daughter for heart medication, according to court testimony.
Mr. Carlson had been living with Kris, the youngest of his daughters, in Plano while he looked for a job. Kris Mosley thinks her father became ill as he drove home and was headed to a hospital when Atworth approached him on Campbell Road just west of North Central Expressway.
_________________________________________________________
When officers found Atworth, he was carrying two guns and had Mr. Carlson's wallet and credit cards. Mr. Carlson's car was parked nearby, police said. He had gone to the Garland address to kill another man because of a drug deal gone bad, police said.
Mr. Carlson's severed finger was found in Atworth's freezer. "It was more of souvenir for him," said Richardson Detective Dan White, who was assigned to the murder case and will witness the execution.
At one point in Atworth's videotaped statement to police, he began speaking as if in a trance and identified himself as "Nino."
Speaking as "Nino," Atworth claimed self-defense as a motive and said he tampered with evidence to get caught. "He said he had fingers in jars all over the country. He said he had a mentor who trained him how to be killer," Detective White said. "It was pretty freaky....," he said. "The dual-personality act was unique."
Wayne Huff, who represented Atworth at trial, said his client was difficult to defend. "He pretty much sealed his fate before we got appointed," Mr. Huff said. Atworth's family could not be reached for comment.
Detective White said he remembers Atworth's leers when he was sentenced to death in 1996. "He turned around and nodded and winked at me," the officer said. "I thought, 'Well, Bob, you got what you asked for.' "
_________________________________________________________
Kris Mosley and Kim Beyer won't trek to Huntsville this week to watch their father's killer be put to death. They say there's no point. "I have worked so hard to move forward, and going down there would be a detour," said Ms. Mosley, 36. "I don't want to give him my time, my energy, my thoughts."
Ms. Beyer, 39, added, "Him dying doesn't help me one bit." Thomas Carlson, a former senior insurance executive living with Ms. Mosley in Plano, was found shot to death between 2 trash bins behind a Richardson health club in 1995.
The sisters say they have survived the tragedy with support from family and therapy from a victim's assistance program through the Richardson Police Department. "Dad would have wanted me to get past this," Ms. Mosley said. "You can survive no matter what tragedy hits your life. There are positives. There are always things to be grateful for."
Mr. Carlson's family thinks he reached a greater peace in the last year of his life. He was looking inward and re-examining his faith as if "part of him was getting ready for something," Ms. Mosley said.
Last Statement:
"Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home."
Cause of Death: Executed by Lethal Injection in the State of Texas.∼A convicted killer was executed Tuesday night for fatally shooting and stabbing a Dallas area man during a robbery, then slicing off the victim's finger and storing it in his freezer.
Robert Atworth, 30, of Dallas had asked that no appeals be made on his behalf and that he be executed for the murder 4 1/2 years ago of Thomas Carlson, 56, of Plano.
Strapped to the gurney, Atworth appeared cocky and chuckled as his mother walked into the death house carrying a stuffed toy, Tweety Bird, and waved it at him.
_________________________________________________________
Atworth
Last Statement:
Well, first, My people, you guys have heard everything I needed to say today. I hope I said the right things. I hope you heard me. And I hope you go beyond here and do what you need to do, do the right thing. Strength in numbers. Look out for each other. You still got a chance with Shawn. Edwin you know what you gotta do. You have my love. It's the right thing. And for everybody else, those people who have malice in their heart, allow ambitions to over ride what they know. Be right. Even though they just gotta do their job. For all of you with hatred in their veins, and think this is ashamed. You've done nothing. I did this, I chose this, you've done nothing. Remember this, if all you know is hatred, if all you know is blood love, you'll never be satisfied. For everybody out there that is like that and knows nothing but negative, kiss my proud white Irish ass. I'm ready Warden, send me home.
_________________________________________________________
Robert Ronald Atworth shot to death a man he met on the side of a road in April of 1995.
Thomas Carlson, 56, was found shot in the head, torso and groin, and stabbed in the abdomen and chin. His body had been dumped between two trash dumpsters behind a health club in Richardson, Texas. His wallet was missing and his little finger was severed in order to obtain his ring.
Atworth was arrested the next day when he was caught burglarizing a home in Garland, Texas. He was still driving Thomas's car and had in his possession the 9mm gun Thomas was killed with and the pistol that Thomas carried for protection.
Authorities said Atworth spotted his victim at an intersection and posed as an off-duty police officer while tapping at Mr. Carlson's car window. Mr. Carlson was not feeling well and asked Atworth to call his daughter for heart medication, according to court testimony.
Mr. Carlson had been living with Kris, the youngest of his daughters, in Plano while he looked for a job. Kris Mosley thinks her father became ill as he drove home and was headed to a hospital when Atworth approached him on Campbell Road just west of North Central Expressway.
_________________________________________________________
When officers found Atworth, he was carrying two guns and had Mr. Carlson's wallet and credit cards. Mr. Carlson's car was parked nearby, police said. He had gone to the Garland address to kill another man because of a drug deal gone bad, police said.
Mr. Carlson's severed finger was found in Atworth's freezer. "It was more of souvenir for him," said Richardson Detective Dan White, who was assigned to the murder case and will witness the execution.
At one point in Atworth's videotaped statement to police, he began speaking as if in a trance and identified himself as "Nino."
Speaking as "Nino," Atworth claimed self-defense as a motive and said he tampered with evidence to get caught. "He said he had fingers in jars all over the country. He said he had a mentor who trained him how to be killer," Detective White said. "It was pretty freaky....," he said. "The dual-personality act was unique."
Wayne Huff, who represented Atworth at trial, said his client was difficult to defend. "He pretty much sealed his fate before we got appointed," Mr. Huff said. Atworth's family could not be reached for comment.
Detective White said he remembers Atworth's leers when he was sentenced to death in 1996. "He turned around and nodded and winked at me," the officer said. "I thought, 'Well, Bob, you got what you asked for.' "
_________________________________________________________
Kris Mosley and Kim Beyer won't trek to Huntsville this week to watch their father's killer be put to death. They say there's no point. "I have worked so hard to move forward, and going down there would be a detour," said Ms. Mosley, 36. "I don't want to give him my time, my energy, my thoughts."
Ms. Beyer, 39, added, "Him dying doesn't help me one bit." Thomas Carlson, a former senior insurance executive living with Ms. Mosley in Plano, was found shot to death between 2 trash bins behind a Richardson health club in 1995.
The sisters say they have survived the tragedy with support from family and therapy from a victim's assistance program through the Richardson Police Department. "Dad would have wanted me to get past this," Ms. Mosley said. "You can survive no matter what tragedy hits your life. There are positives. There are always things to be grateful for."
Mr. Carlson's family thinks he reached a greater peace in the last year of his life. He was looking inward and re-examining his faith as if "part of him was getting ready for something," Ms. Mosley said.
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