Ponchai Wilkerson

Ponchai Wilkerson (15 July 1971^[1] – 14 March 2000) (also Ponchai Kamau, Kamau Wilkerson, Ponchai "Kamau" Wilkerson) was a convicted murderer executed by lethal injection by the U.S. state of Texas. He was convicted for the 28 November 1990 murder of jeweller 이중명 Yi Chung Myong 李鍾冥. He was convicted by a jury on 16 July 1991 and ten days later sentenced to death by the same jury.

Early life

Ponchai Kamau Wilkerson (โพนชัย กาเมา วิลเกอร์สัน), of African-American and Thai descent,^[2] was born in Houston, Texas. Not much is known about Wilkerson's early childhood; he later grew up in the Fort Bend-Houston area east of Missouri City, Texas, attending public schools in the Fort Bend Independent School District. Ponchai dropped out of Willowridge High School in 1988.

Criminal activities

On 28 November 1990, Wilkerson and Wilton Bethony entered Yi Chung Myong's jewellery shop Royal Gold Jewellery Store in Houston, Texas. They had been on a crime spree for a month. Wilkerson left briefly twice, and pulled a Glock pistol from his jacket upon returning the second time and fired the gun once without warning at Yi Chung Myong's temple from a distance of 30 cm (12 inches).^[3][4] During the trial, Wilkerson would state that he had fired the gun in self defence after becoming alarmed with jeweller's movements behind the counter. They then smashed the display cases and grabbed rings and necklaces.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentenced on 12 December 1994. He also appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court of the United States, who both denied his appeals.

During Thanksgiving Day, 1998, Wilkerson and seven other death row inmates were involved in an attempted prison break where death row inmate Martin Gurule was the only one who managed to escape the facility but drowned in a nearby river.^[5]

Wilkerson exhausted his final appeal to Judge Jan Krocker in February 2000, a dramatic scene involving community activist Njeri Shakur (member of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement and the Allen Parkway Village Residents Council) shouting at Judge Krocker led to a contempt charge against Shakur; she served 30 days in the Harris County Jail albeit several demonstrations outside the Harris County Courthouse. Shakur became friends with Ponchai when on death row, along with Deloyd Parker, Jr. (the founder of the S.H.A.P.E. Community Centre).

On 21 February 2000, Wilkerson and fellow death row inmate Howard Guidry took guard Jeanette Bledsoe hostage at the Terrell Unit (now Allan B. Polunsky Unit) outside Livingston, Texas^[6] after Wilkerson apparently opened his cell door's lock.^[7] Members of the National Black United Front and the S.H.A.P.E. Centre demanded that Wilkerson release the hostage. Thirteen hours later, the guard was released unharmed.

On the day of his death execution, Wilkerson refused to leave his cell at the Terrell Unit prison near Livingston, Texas. Guards were forced to use Mace-like gas and carry him to and from the death van that took him to the Hunstville Unit.^[8] He did not give a last supper^[4] or any instructions on the disposal of his body. When asked if he had a final statement by the warden he responded "This is not a capital punishment case!"

After the drugs were administered, Wilkerson spit out an inch-and-a-half universal handcuff and leg restraint key. It was unknown how Wilkerson obtained the key. Wilkerson was pronounced dead at 6:24 P.M.

References

• Clark County Prosecutor