Patrick Murphy sits in a cell on death row in Huntsville, Texas. He is one of the last surviving members of the Texas 7, a group of escaped convicts who broke out of prison in December 2000. Murphy was convicted for his role in the murder of police officer Aubrey Hawkins during a robbery that followed the escape.
Murphy did not fire the shot that killed Hawkins. He was acting as a lookout, monitoring police radio, when the officers arrived at the scene. Hawkins was shot multiple times and run over as the group fled. Under Texas law, Murphy was still found guilty of capital murder as an accomplice.
Murphy spent 35 years in prison before his escape attempt. He was just 15 months away from parole eligibility when he joined the breakout. He had been serving a 50-year sentence for burglary and rape, a crime he says he deeply regrets.
His son, also named Patrick, did not know his father growing up. He first learned about him when the Texas Rangers and FBI showed up at his mother’s house after the escape. The son visited his father in prison and later attended the scheduled execution, saying he wanted closure.
Murphy converted to Buddhism while on death row. He asked for a Buddhist spiritual adviser to be present in the execution chamber. The state only permitted Christian and Muslim advisers, so his lawyers filed a civil rights lawsuit. The Supreme Court granted a stay of execution hours after the scheduled time had passed.
The decision sparked anger among supporters of the victim. Hawkins’ colleagues said they were tense and hoped the execution would bring closure. Murphy’s son called the delay nonsense, saying the family would have to go through the process again in about 100 days.
Murphy said he had made peace with what was coming. He admitted he feared death but said he had accepted it. He also said he regretted the harm he caused, especially to the young woman he raped years earlier.
The stay of execution did not mean Murphy would avoid the death penalty. It meant the state could not carry out the execution unless a Buddhist priest was allowed in the room. Legal experts expected a new execution date to be set within months.
Murphy said part of him was ready to die. Another part, he admitted, was not. He said he believed in reincarnation and hoped the next life would be better.