Almost three decades after he murdered a Houston police officer, a condemned killer today stood before a judge who set a date for his execution.
Robert Mitchell Jennings, who’s now a 58 year-old man with graying hair, was only 30 when he shot and killed an officer named Elston Howard inside an adult bookstore in 1988.
Howard happened to be writing a ticket to a clerk when Jennings and another man walked into the store for a robbery. He shot the officer four times.
Howard was sentenced to die the following year, but ever since then his appeals have bounced up and down the court system – including a hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court – in a case that has frustrated his family and fellow police officers.
“He’s basically been on death row longer than Elston Howard was alive,” said Ray Hunt, the president of the Houston Police Officers Union. “He was 26 years old whenever he was gunned down by this murderer and basically assassinated in that bookstore in 1988. And this is a long time coming for the family.”
Decades ago, the officer’s family complained the legal process was taking too long. But Jennings’ attorneys argued in appeals – among other points – that his trial lawyer conceded in his closing arguments that his client deserved execution.
None of the appeals were ultimately successful. And in response to a federal judge’s order, his execution date was set for September 14 - 10, 283 days after the death of Officer Elston Howard.
Among those in attendance in court for the sentencing were the victim’s mother and Houston’s interim police chief, Martha Montalvo. The two women have become friends in the decades since the officer’s death.
“When I had my two children – first my son and then my daughter eight years later – she was the lady who took care of them for me,” Montalvo said. “As a matter of fact, when my daughter was born, she was going to retire and I asked her to stay on for my daughter.”
A website bearing remembrances of Howard includes several entries from his daughter, submitted over a period of years.
“I hope I am making you proud and I hope that I grew up to be the daughter that you wanted me to be …” wrote Tyesha Howard Boudreaux. “I never stop thinking about you. And I will never let your memory fade.”
"I want my unborn son to be like my daddy...” reads another of her messages. “I want my husband to be like my daddy... There is no one else like my daddy... And I thank you for loving me..."
The victim’s mother and the interim police chief smiled and hugged each other outside the courtroom after the execution date was set.
“They felt tormented by this and been wanting closure for quite a long time,” said Hunt. “So this is the day that they’ve been waiting for.”