Gary Green, 51, was executed by lethal injection on 7 March 2023 in
Huntsville, Texas for the murder of a woman and her daughter in their
home.

Green lived with his wife, Lovetta Armstead, her two sons, Jerome -
who went by J.T. - and Jerrett, and her daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery,
in Dallas. They were married in June 2009 after living together for a
year or two. According to Green's confession, about two months into
the marriage, he discovered that Armstead, 36, was working to get an
annulment. Armstead wrote two notes to Green, telling him that she
loved him, but it was time for them to part ways and that he needed to
move out. He did, but according to family members, he told Armstead
that his parole officer would be checking up on him at their home on
Monday 21, September, so she allowed him to spend the day there.

Armstead dropped J.T. and Jerrett off at church for a regular program
at around 5:30 p.m. After she returned, she began reading a note Green
left for her. In it, he wrote, "You asked to see the monster, so here
he is, the monster you made me. Bitch. There will be five lives taken
today, me being the 5th." While Armstead was reading this note in the
master bedroom, Green, then 38, took knives from the kitchen and went
into Jazzmen's bedroom. He tied the 6-year-old girl up with duct tape
and telephone wire and put duct tape over her mouth. He brought her
into the master bedroom and laid her on the end of the bed. He then
took Armstead into the master bathroom, where a struggle began. He
stabbed her more than 25 times over the course of about 90 minutes.
She managed to grab the knife and inflict two superficial wounds on
his shoulder. Once Armstead was dead, Green took Jazzmen into the
master bathroom, filled the tub, and held the girl underwater until
she drowned. He stated that she struggled so much, he had to turn his
head. He pulled the dead girl from the tub and laid her face down on
the floor. He then took a shower, changed into dress clothes - all
black - and went to pick up J.T., 12 and Jerrett, 10 from church at
8:00 p.m.

The boys testified that they were surprised to see Green picking them
up from church because their mother usually did that. J.T. also stated
that Green's all-black attire was unusual. When they arrived home,
Green told J.T. to take a shower and instructed Jerrett to put on his
pajamas for bed. Green then called Jerrett into the kitchen to discuss
some issues he was having in school. As Jerrett was explaining his
problems, Green grabbed a knife, held it to his throat, and dragged
him toward the bathroom. J.T. heard his brother calling out for help
and that Green was going to kill him. J.T. stood at the bathroom door
and saw Green holding Jerrett by his collar. Green threw Jerrett into
the bathroom with J.T., entered himself, and locked the door.

Green sat on the bathroom counter with three knives beside him and
asked the boys why he should not kill them. As the boys were pleading
for their lives, Green stabbed Jerrett in the stomach. J.T. tried to
push Green away, but missed. Green then told the boys that he was not
going to kill them. He told J.T. to get dressed, because he had
something to show them. As they were about to leave the bathroom,
Green suddenly put the knife up to Jerrett's throat and tried to twist
it in, but Jerrett ducked away and backed up. Green then paused and
said, "All right. Come on." He led the boys into her mother's room.
When they saw her body, they fell to their knees, crying. Green told
them that he had to kill their mother because she wanted to divorce
him and he "loved her to death" and did not want her to leave him. The
boys also saw their sister's body in the master bathroom. Green
changed clothes and told J.T. to hand him some pills that were on the
dresser in the bathroom. He then threw a cell phone onto the bed and
instructed the boys to call 9-1-1 after he left. J.T. testified that
Green said he was going to kill himself. He made the boys give him a
hug before he left in Armstead's car.

After Green left, the boys called 9-1-1 and ran to the home of their
neighbor, Latasha Bradfield. She went next door and verified that
Lovetta Armstead was lying on the floor of the bedroom and was not
breathing. Police officers then arrived and found the two bodies, a
bathroom covered in blood, and knives left in various places in the
house. They found the notes Armstead and Green wrote to each other.

Green's mother, Mary Sampson, testified that police came to her house,
looking for Green. After they left, she phoned him. She said he
sounded like he was under anesthesia or in a deep sleep. "I asked him
what was wrong," she said. "He told me he just wanted to go to sleep
and never wake up." She and another of her sons drove to pick him up,
then brought him to the police station at 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday. When
Armstead's car was searched, a package of Benadryl was found. 26 of
the 28 pills in the package were gone.

Officers testified that Green agreed to waive his right to remain
silent and gave a confession. They stated that Green was cooperative
and answered every question asked of him. He told them he had a
history of mental illness and had been in a mental hospital,
Timberlawn, one month earlier. He stated that he thought his wife and
children were plotting against him, and he heard voices telling him to
commit the murders. He said he took the pills so that the family would
be back together in heaven. Detective Robert Quirk characterized him
as dejected and somewhat remorseful.

A forensic biologist testified that DNA taken from underneath
Armstead's fingernails matched Green. The medical examiner testified
that Armstead had more than 25 stab wounds, including a deep one in
her back that punctured her right lung. Another examiner testified
that Jazzmen died of lack of oxygen and found evidence that her mouth,
hands, and ankles had been duct taped.

At Green's punishment hearing, Jennifer Wheeler testified that she was
Green's girlfriend in high school. She broke up with him, then
subsequently saw him at a bus stop near her house. She stopped to give
him a ride. He then forced her into the passenger seat and drove to a
park, where he attempted to strangle her with his shoelaces and
stabbed her in the chest. He then drove her to the hospital. He
pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

Shulonda Ransom, the mother of Green's child, testified that he
physically abused her by hitting and choking her while she was
pregnant with their son.

Green had prior felony convictions for cocaine possession in 1989 and
for robbing a grocery store with a deadly weapon in 1990. He received
a 20-year prison sentence for the robbery conviction. Information on
the amount of time he served and the date and circumstances of his
release was not available for this report.

Green's attorneys claimed that he was suffering from a mental illness
at the time of the killings and was not cognizant of what he was
doing. His lawyers presented evidence of diagnosed schizophrenia,
paranoia, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as
evidence of a family history of mental illness and abuse.

A jury found Green guilty of capital murder in November 2010 and
sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed
the conviction and sentence in October 2012. All of his subsequent
appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In its coverage of Green's execution, the Texas Tribune continued its
recent practice of misreporting that Texas prisoners are currently
engaged in "an ongoing legal battle over the state's use of expired
drugs to kill prisoners." According to the Tribune, using the lethal
injection drug, pentobarbital, after its "use-by" date "could make the
process more painful." But according to the Tribune's own findings,
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice received a fresh batch of
pentobarbital on 5 January 2023 and confirmed that batch was put into
use. No new expired drug claims have been filed since Robert Fratta's
execution on 10 January. The Tribune stated that Green was "involved"
in this issue, without offering specifics. Many other news outlets
have uncritically repeated the Tribune's editorial spin on this
purported controversy.

Six members of the victims' families - J.T., Jerrett, Jazzmen's
father, Roy Montgomery; his wife, and Lovetta Armstead's mother and
sister - attended Green's execution. Green used his last statement to
apologize to them and ask them to forgive him not for his sake, but so
they could "heal and move on."

"I apologize for all the harm I have caused you and your family. We
ate together, we broke bread together, we laughed and cried together
as a family. I'm sorry I failed you. There's nothing I can do."

Green ended by saying, "I never stopped loving y'all. See y'all on the
other side. God bless you. I'm done, Warden." The lethal injection was
then started. He was pronounced dead at 7:07 p.m.

David Carson
(Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents,
Dallas Morning News, Texas Tribune.)