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Crime planned
Stephen Moody, a 34-year-old former oil field worker, listens in late September 1991 as three fellow ex-convicts hatch a plot to rob purported drug dealer Joseph Franz Hall, 28, of Houston. One of those convicts, Melvin Ellis, later will provide prosecutors with key details of the crime during Moody's trial.
Source: Federal court records -
Robbery and murder
Stephen Moody and an accomplice storm into the Houston home of Joseph Franz Hall. Moody shoots Hall in the chest with a sawed-off shot gun and leaves with an estimated $1,200-$2,000. Hall, a divorced father with a criminal history including drug and weapon charges, dies from his injuries. Hall's girlfriend, who was in the bathroom, climbs out a window and calls 911 from a neighbor's house. Source: Federal court records -
Tip solves murder
Joseph Hall's murder goes unsolved until police receive a tip implicating Stephen Moody. He is indicted for capital murder on Oct. 6, 1992. He already is serving a 40-year sentence for a Houston bank robbery committed after Hall's killing. At left, Moody's mug shot from his Texas Department of Criminal Justice dossier. (Handout)
Source: Federal Court records -
Guilty verdict
A Harris County jury finds Stephen Moody guilty of Joseph Hall's murder and sentences him to death. His accomplice, Calvin Doby, is sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 8, 1993. Source: Harris County court records -
Death row
Read Stephen Moody's TDCJ criminal dossier Stephen Moody, then 36, arrives on Texas' death row. It will be his home for nearly 16 years. During his stay, Moody will be among several death row inmates who stage a hunger strike to protest what they say are inhumane conditions on death row. At left, Moody's criminal sheet from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Source: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Death sentence affirmed
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirms Moody's conviction and death sentence. Over the next 11 years, Moody's attorneys will file a number of appeals on his behalf - ultimately most will be unsuccessful. At left, current day members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. (Photo: TCCA)
Source: Attorney General of Texas -
Appeal denied
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denies Moody habeas corpus relief. Source: Attorney General of Texas -
Moody files new petition
Moody files petition for writ of habeas corpus in a Houston U. S. district court. Source: Attorney General of Texas -
Federal court grants relief
Federal district court denies relief on two of Moody's claims but grants relief on another claim. Moody and state appeal decision. Source: Attorney General of Texas -
U.S. Court of Appeals reverses decision
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reverses the grant of relief by the federal district court. Source: Federal court documents -
Final appeal
Read Stephen Moody's capital case fileU.S. Supreme Court denies Moody's petition for relief. He later decides against filing additional appeals or asking for clemency. Moody, citing "cruel and unusual punishment," petitions a judge in 2009 to set his execution date as soon as possible. Moody's death warrant is filed on April 23, 2009.
Source: Attorney General of Texas and Associated Press -
Moody exonerates partner
Days before his scheduled Sept. 16 execution, Moody claims in a sworn statement his accomplice in Hall's murder is innocent. His co-defendant, Calvin Doby, files an appeal of his life sentence using Moody's statement as evidence. At left, Moody at Texas' death row in July 2009. (Photo: Associated Press)
Source: Associated Press and Houston Chronicle -
Execution countdown begins
Stephen Moody is transferred from the Polunsky Unit, known as Texas' death row, in Livingston, Tx. about 40 miles to the Walls Unit in Huntsville where his execution will take place. He will be the 17th condemned man to die in Texas in 2009 and the 440th person put to death in the state since 1982. At left, office building in front of Walls Unit in Huntsville. (Photo: Doug Collier, Shreveport Times)
Source: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Execution
Read Stephen Moody's final statement After nearly 16 years on death row, Stephen Moody, 52, is executed for the murder of Joseph F. Hall. Five of Moody's family members and friends watch him die. Also on hand to view the execution are Hall's mother, son, brother, niece and ex-wife. Moody is declared dead at 6:28 p.m. At left, a member of Moody's family waits outside during the execution. (Photo: Doug Collier)
Source: TDCJ
