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October 30, 2024 57 mins
"I’d like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me. And the rest of the world can kiss my ass.”

After the murder nun in Amarillo, Texas, police are convinced they found their killer. Johnny Frank Garrett was tried, sentenced, and executed for the murder of Sister Tadea Benz, but this case is not as straightforward as it seems. From the misconduct of a medical examiner, calls for clemency from Pope John Paul II, omitted evidence, and a second murder that police knew was tied to Sister Tadea's, this is a case where nothing is as it seems. The murders of two women were a rabbit hole that concluded with the realization that Johnny Frank Garrett was executed for a crime he probably didn't commit. This is the story that inspired a movie and three people who were victims of a killer and the justice system.

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Actual Innocence: Johnny Frank Garrett and Bubbles The Clairvoyant. (n.d.). http://www.skepticaljuror.com/2010/04/fine-folks-of-amarillo-wanted-justice.htmlAmarillo youth, 17, arrested in rape-slaying of Catholic nun. (n.d.). Amarillo Daily News, 1a–3a. http://www.thelastworddocumentary.com/upfiles/l59.pdfAmnesty International. (n.d.). EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AMR 51/04/92 [Report]. https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/amr510041992en.pdfAssociated Press. (1992, February 12). TEXAS EXECUTES KILLER OF A NUN. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/12/us/texas-executes-killer-of-a-nun.htmlBates, C. (1981, November 5). Slaying evidence goes to D.C. Amarillo Daily News. http://www.bloodshedbooks.com/upfiles/l64.pdfBrown, C. (2019, March 7). Pathologist Accused of Falsifying Autopsies, Botching Trial Evidence : Forensics: His recent indictment on charges of falsifying reports and having sloppy habits has attorneys scrambling to pinpoint any wrongful convictions. - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-12-mn-286-story.htmlCarrillo, K. J., & Carrillo, K. J. (2023, August 9). The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War politics drove thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/mariel-boatlift-castro-carter-cold-warComplaint No. 26861-C. (2004). In bloodshedbooks.com (APD 1981-00015340). Amarillo Police Department. http://www.bloodshedbooks.com/upfiles/l30.pdfCooper, L. (2014, August 2). Clear the name of a man who was killed on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.Change.org. https://www.change.org/p/rep-louie-gohmert-clear-the-name-of-a-man-who-was-killed-on-death-row-for-a-crime-he-didn-t-commitFuqua, L. M. (2021, December 12). A convent nun murdered on Halloween — True crime - true crime addiction - medium. Medium. https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/a-convent-nun-murdered-on-halloween-true-crime-938b61d3afbfGarrett’s Death Row Letters. (n.d.). http://www.bloodshedbooks.com/tour.php?category=Garrett%27s+Death+Row+Letters#Goldfarb, K. (2018, April 26). Was Johnny Frank Garrett a sadistic Nun-Killer or an innocent man put to death?All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/johnny-frank-garrettJEAN PAGEL ASSOCIATED PRESS. (n.d.).
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