Texas Convicted Murderer Executed in Texas for 1996 Killing of Twin Sisters

On Tuesday, 61-year-old Garcia Glen White was executed at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville. White, convicted of the brutal 1989 murders of twin sisters Annette and Bernette Edwards, received a lethal injection of the drug pentobarbital while strapped to a gurney. His execution marks the conclusion of a nearly three-decade legal battle following his 1996 capital murder conviction by a Harris County jury.

Facts of the Case
Between November 29 and December 2, 1989, the bodies of Annette and Bernette Edwards, both 16, and their mother, Bonita Edwards, were discovered in their Houston apartment by Bonita’s boyfriend, King Solomon. After several failed attempts to contact Bonita, Solomon enlisted the help of a maintenance worker to enter the apartment, where he found the victims. Houston Police officers arrived at the scene and discovered Annette lying face down, partially nude, with signs of sexual assault. Bernette was gagged with a towel and had severe stab wounds. Bonita, the girls’ mother, was also found stabbed to death. The crime scene showed no signs of forced entry, but the home had been ransacked, with blood stains in multiple rooms.

The murders went unsolved for nearly six years. In 1995, while investigating an unrelated murder, police received a tip from Tecumseh Manuel, a close associate of Garcia White. Manuel informed officers that White had admitted to the killings. When White was arrested, he initially denied involvement. However, after being shown Manuel’s interview, White confessed to his role in the murders, claiming that he and an accomplice, Terrence Moore, had gone to the Edwards apartment to use drugs and have sex with Bonita. White claimed Moore became angry when Bonita refused to share the drugs and stabbed her. White said Moore then attacked the twins, and he himself assaulted one of the girls.

White later admitted fabricating the involvement of Moore, who had died four months before the murders took place. White’s confession implicated him as the sole perpetrator of the triple homicide. DNA testing confirmed White’s involvement when semen found on a bed sheet in the apartment matched his DNA. Further evidence, including blood samples, linked White to the murders of Annette and Bernette Edwards.

Prior Criminal History
During the punishment phase of White’s trial, jurors were presented with evidence of White’s violent criminal past, which included two previous murders. In 1989, White killed Greta Williams during an argument, and in 1995, he murdered Hai Pham during a convenience store robbery. These prior murders were critical in convincing jurors to impose the death penalty, as Texas law permits evidence of prior violent acts during sentencing to determine whether a defendant poses a continuing threat to society.

Procedural History
Following his indictment for capital murder on May 28, 1996, White’s trial concluded with a guilty verdict on July 18, 1996. Five days later, the jury sentenced him to death for the murders of Annette and Bernette Edwards. White’s conviction was upheld by the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas in 1998. He did not appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

White filed multiple applications for habeas corpus relief, seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence based on new DNA evidence and other claims. All of these efforts were ultimately denied by state and federal courts. In 2009, White filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which was rejected in 2011. White’s final appeal to the Fifth Circuit was denied in 2013, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his case in 2014.

After years of legal battles, White’s execution was initially set for January 28, 2015, but was delayed as his attorneys filed further appeals. With all avenues of appeal exhausted, White’s execution was rescheduled, and the sentence was carried out on October 1, 2024.