Arizona’s most notorious death row inmates past and present have incredible stories, including this one where a footprint in spilled sugar helped link an escaped murderer from Oklahoma to a robbery and murder in Arizona.
JEFFERY TIMOTHY LANDRIGAN
Date of birth: March 14, 1964
Sentenced: October 25, 1990
Execution: October 26, 2010
Sex, Murder, and Spilled Sugar:
It was December 13, 1989, when 'Michael' received several phones calls from his friend Chester Dyer regarding a man, Jeffery Timothy Landrigan, whom he had picked up. In the first, call, He asked if 'Michael' was coming to join them. In the second, he told him he was having sex with Jeff. In the last call, he asked 'Michael' if Jeff could have a job.
When Dyer failed to come to work the next day, a co-worker and friends went to his apartment and found him dead, fully clothed and faced down on his bed.
Police found lacerations on his face and puncture wounds on his upper back. They also found an electrical cord hanging from his neck.
In the apartment, police also found a half-eaten sandwich next to a screwdriver, bloody shoe prints on the tile floor and an incredibly detailed sneaker print in a pile of sugar that had spilled on the floor.
The apartment had been ransacked, but the only thing that appeared to be missing was Dyer's paycheck.
Landrigan was arrested five days later on unrelated charges wearing a shirt that belonged to Dyer. Although denying he ever met Dyer, Landrigan’ s fingerprints were found at the scene, and the impression found in the sugar matched his shoes right down to a small cut on the sole. Investigators say a small amount of blood leaked into the sneaker and was matched to Dyer.
The Trial:
Landrigan was an escapee from an Oklahoma prison having been convicted of assault and battery and second-degree murder. At the time of Landrigan’s trial, his father was already on death row in Arkansas. At the time of Dyer’s death, Landrigan had been on a 42-day amphetamine binge.
During the sentencing phase of his trial after his June 28, 1990, conviction attorney’s tried to lessen the effect of his prior murder conviction, but Landrigan would have none of it. He told the court, "I was the one who pushed her aside and jumped him and stabbed him. He didn't grab me. I stabbed him."
Landrigan would not allow any testimony from his family during his sentencing hearing.
In another statement to the court, Landrigan denied having sex with Dyer but stated he was ready to face death. He said, "This never happened. I think the whole thing stinks. I think you want to give me the death penalty, just bring it on. I'm ready for it."
He was sentenced to death on October 25, 1990.
Although petitions and appeals continued, Landrigan wrote to the court in August of 2005 saying, "As of today, I want to withdraw my petition to drop all appeals ... (I) want my execution day to be set as soon as possible."
The Execution:
Boomer Sooner
After one last delay in an argument over the drugs to be used in the execution, Landrigan was executed on October 26, 2010.
Last Meal:
Steak
Fried Okra
French Fries
Strawberry Ice Cream
Dr. Pepper
Last Words: "Well, I'd like to say thank you to my family for being here and all my friends. Boomer Sooner."