Published: August 24, 2006 11:51 pm      

State puts convicted killer to death

Fuller executed for role in robbery, murder of East Texas man

Never acknowledging the family of his victim, Justin Fuller, 27, said only a few words to friends and family before his execution Thursday night inside the Huntsville “Walls” Unit.

“I would like to tell my family thank you for your support, and my friends,” he said from a gurney in the execution chamber. “And let everyone know that you must stay strong for each other.

“Take care of yourselves,” he finished. “That’s it, warden.”

With that, he steadied himself for his final breath. Glancing over at his family and friends, he said, “I love you,” before drawing a final ragged breath and sputtering.

Fuller was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m., eight minutes after the lethal dose began. Fuller was executed for the April 1997 abduction, robbery and murder of Donald Harrison Whittington III near Tyler.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Whittington, 22, was bound and blindfolded inside his apartment and driven to his bank where $300 was withdrawn from his account using his bank card. He was then driven to a local lake where he was shot three times with a .22 caliber weapon.

Fuller allegedly robbed Whittington for his failure to return some rings to a friend and killed Whittington so he couldn’t identify him.

After witnessing his execution, Donald Whittington Jr., said he had no sense of closure.

“I saw it, but it was too easy. My son went through much more than that,” Whittington said. “He showed no remorse during court, and he showed no remorse being injected. I still never got the answer to my question — why?

“The way they executed him, it was nothing,” he continued. “It was like he fell asleep. My son was my friend. We had a beautiful relationship. We never suspected nothing like this.”

Fuller’s family also witnessed the execution Thursday night, but showed little or no emotion, remaining composed throughout. Fuller’s mother Eddie whispered, “I love you,” to her son and held onto her husband Ellis until her son was pronounced dead.

Fuller was the 19th person executed by the state of Texas this year, a number total to the executions carried out in 2005. If all scheduled executions are carried out, the state will execute 27 people by the end of the year.