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Department of Public Safety airplane named in honor of agent killed in George West
[font color=green]This story is of personal interest since it occurred near my hometown when I was nine years old. The DPS agent was shot in a roadside park five miles east of George West on US Highway 59 where my family and I would go pick wild Mustang grapes. My father served on the jury that initially convicted two men of the death penalty who were dealing methamphetamine. Due to the appeals of the two death penalties it was necessary for Live Oak County to raise taxes to defend the appellate lawsuits. Additional information about the appeals is available on the Internet.[/font]
CORPUS CHRISTI — An Cessna 208 Caravan airplane was named in honor of Patrick Allen Randel, a Department of Public Safety agent who was killed in 1974, at a ceremony in Austin.
Randel worked in the DPS Narcotics Service and was killed during an undercover operation near George West.
Story abbreviated due to copyright. More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/apr/11/department-of-public-safety-airplane-named-in-of/
[font color=green]Additional background:[/font]
In October 1974 Patrick Randel was a narcotics agent working for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was working undercover to purchase illegal drugs from Doyle Skillern and Charles Victor Sanne in Live Oak County. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on October 23 Randel was seen by fellow DPS agents at he left a motel room in Beeville and got into the agents’ vehicle with Sanne. Randel and Sanne were followed by a second vehicle driven by Skillern. Randel left the state money that was to be used for purchasing the drugs from Skillern and Sanne in the motel room. Approximately one hour later Skillern and Sanne were observed entering Randel’s motel room.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. DPS narcotics agent Hector Sanchez received a telephone call at his home in Harlingen from agent Dennis Vickery. Vickery told Sanchez to go out to Gary Jackson’s house in San Benito and look for an orange Camaro, the vehicle that had been driven by Skillern earlier. The illegal drugs Randel was suppose to be purchasing allegedly belonged to Jackson. Sanchez picked up his partner Tom Daniel and a Harlingen Police sergeant named Chris Trevino.
At approximately 12:05 a.m. Sanchez and fellow officers spotted the Camaro parked at a convenience store. He and Trevino kept the vehicle under surveillance while Daniel stationed himself in his vehicle a short distance away. Trevino called the vehicle in to DPS and learned that it was on the agency’s stolen list. When the Camaro left the convenience store, it was followed by the two vehicles driven by Sanchez/Trevino and Daniel. The officers stopped the Camaro a few miles down Highway 77 near McAllen and discovered it was occupied by Skillern and Sanne. The agents quickly found Randel’s weapon, as well as the drug money, on Skillern and Randel’s credit cards and other items in Sanne’s possession. The two suspects were arrested.
Later that same day Randel was found shot to death in his locked vehicle at a roadside park near McAllen (Correction: it was near George West).
Skillern and Sanne were jointly tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Sanne testified at the trial that he shot and killed Randel but claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Sanne’s death sentence was later overturned on appeal and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, and, in fact, was paroled after Skillern’s execution.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. DPS narcotics agent Hector Sanchez received a telephone call at his home in Harlingen from agent Dennis Vickery. Vickery told Sanchez to go out to Gary Jackson’s house in San Benito and look for an orange Camaro, the vehicle that had been driven by Skillern earlier. The illegal drugs Randel was suppose to be purchasing allegedly belonged to Jackson. Sanchez picked up his partner Tom Daniel and a Harlingen Police sergeant named Chris Trevino.
At approximately 12:05 a.m. Sanchez and fellow officers spotted the Camaro parked at a convenience store. He and Trevino kept the vehicle under surveillance while Daniel stationed himself in his vehicle a short distance away. Trevino called the vehicle in to DPS and learned that it was on the agency’s stolen list. When the Camaro left the convenience store, it was followed by the two vehicles driven by Sanchez/Trevino and Daniel. The officers stopped the Camaro a few miles down Highway 77 near McAllen and discovered it was occupied by Skillern and Sanne. The agents quickly found Randel’s weapon, as well as the drug money, on Skillern and Randel’s credit cards and other items in Sanne’s possession. The two suspects were arrested.
Later that same day Randel was found shot to death in his locked vehicle at a roadside park near McAllen (Correction: it was near George West).
Skillern and Sanne were jointly tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Sanne testified at the trial that he shot and killed Randel but claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Sanne’s death sentence was later overturned on appeal and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, and, in fact, was paroled after Skillern’s execution.
Source: http://www.johntfloyd.com/comments/august08/05a.htm
[font color=green]More information:[/font]
The victim, a state narcotics agent, had been working undercover to set up a purchase of illegal drugs from Skillern and his codefendant Charles Sanne.
The day before the killing Skillern and Sanne had become concerned that Randel might be a state informant. Nevertheless, the three had met in Randel's motel room, where other narcotics agents eavesdropped on the conversation from an adjoining room.
Sanne and Skillern showed the officer a sample of the drugs they intended to sell. The officer then asked them how they wanted to handle the deal, and one of them replied, "Let's go some place where we can talk business."
Leaving the State money that was to be used for the transaction in the motel room, Randel drove off in his car with Sanne as passenger, while Skillern followed in another automobile. Approximately an hour later, Skillern and Sanne returned, and Sanne was seen entering Randel's motel room. They then drove off.
A few hours later Randel was found shot to death in his locked car at a roadside park twenty to twenty-five miles distant from the motel. About four hours later, Skillern and Sanne were arrested. Skillern had the State purchase money and Randel's gun in his possession, while Sanne was in possession of Randel's credit cards and other effects.
Skillern and Sanne were indicted for intentionally causing the death of Randel in the course of committing and attempting to commit a robbery, a capital offense.
At an initial trial, at which neither testified, Skillern and Sanne were found guilty; in the sentencing hearing, the jury assessed a life sentence for Sanne (who had a minor criminal record) and a death sentence for Skillern (whose criminal record included a prior killing).
On direct appeal, the convictions were reversed because of a failure to sequester the jury. At retrial Sanne took the stand and confessed to firing the gun that killed Randel. According to Sanne, Randel struck him on the face and unexpectedly pulled a gun on him, following which Sanne shot him six times in the chest and abdomen. (Under this version of the crime, Skillern's own personal participation was at most limited to a planned robbery and did not encompass the unexpected killing of Randel by Sanne.)
On this second trial, the jury again found both defendants guilty, and in the sentencing phase the death penalty was assessed against both defendants. The convictions and Skillern's death sentence were affirmed on direct appeal, but Sanne's death sentence was reformed to life imprisonment.
Doyle Skillern was executed in 1985 in Texas under the Law of Parties even though he did not shoot Randel, was waiting in a car nearby when the murder happened and did not know Sanne was going to shoot Randel. The shooter is serving a life sentence, but is eligible for parole.
The day before the killing Skillern and Sanne had become concerned that Randel might be a state informant. Nevertheless, the three had met in Randel's motel room, where other narcotics agents eavesdropped on the conversation from an adjoining room.
Sanne and Skillern showed the officer a sample of the drugs they intended to sell. The officer then asked them how they wanted to handle the deal, and one of them replied, "Let's go some place where we can talk business."
Leaving the State money that was to be used for the transaction in the motel room, Randel drove off in his car with Sanne as passenger, while Skillern followed in another automobile. Approximately an hour later, Skillern and Sanne returned, and Sanne was seen entering Randel's motel room. They then drove off.
A few hours later Randel was found shot to death in his locked car at a roadside park twenty to twenty-five miles distant from the motel. About four hours later, Skillern and Sanne were arrested. Skillern had the State purchase money and Randel's gun in his possession, while Sanne was in possession of Randel's credit cards and other effects.
Skillern and Sanne were indicted for intentionally causing the death of Randel in the course of committing and attempting to commit a robbery, a capital offense.
At an initial trial, at which neither testified, Skillern and Sanne were found guilty; in the sentencing hearing, the jury assessed a life sentence for Sanne (who had a minor criminal record) and a death sentence for Skillern (whose criminal record included a prior killing).
On direct appeal, the convictions were reversed because of a failure to sequester the jury. At retrial Sanne took the stand and confessed to firing the gun that killed Randel. According to Sanne, Randel struck him on the face and unexpectedly pulled a gun on him, following which Sanne shot him six times in the chest and abdomen. (Under this version of the crime, Skillern's own personal participation was at most limited to a planned robbery and did not encompass the unexpected killing of Randel by Sanne.)
On this second trial, the jury again found both defendants guilty, and in the sentencing phase the death penalty was assessed against both defendants. The convictions and Skillern's death sentence were affirmed on direct appeal, but Sanne's death sentence was reformed to life imprisonment.
Doyle Skillern was executed in 1985 in Texas under the Law of Parties even though he did not shoot Randel, was waiting in a car nearby when the murder happened and did not know Sanne was going to shoot Randel. The shooter is serving a life sentence, but is eligible for parole.
Source: http://notinmyname.livejournal.com/13997.html
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