Death Row Inmate Commits Suicide
FROM THE DOPPLER 10 FORECAST CENTER… A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES UNTIL 7 PM FRIDAY… McLENNAN, WILLIAMSON, AND SAN SABA…AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES TODAY AND FRIDAY WILL RISE TO BETWEEN 105 AND 110 DEGREES...WHILE OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT WILL STRUGGLE TO FALL BELOW 80 DEGREES…PERSONS INVOLVED IN VIGOROUS OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE URGED TO TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER…
Death Row Inmate Commits Suicide Save Email Print
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(January 29, 2008)--State prison officials say a death row inmate evidently killed himself in his cell overnight.

A Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman says corrections officers found Jesus Flores in his Polunsky Unit cell about 4 a.m. Tuesday with throat and forehead lacerations.

Spokeswoman Michelle Lyons says he was pronounced dead an hour later.

Lyons says Flores tried to use his own blood to scrawl a message on his cell wall, but it was illegible.

He was convicted of capital murder in the May 2001 shooting of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Dennis.

Dennis, 35, was shot in the head as he handcuffed Flores after arresting him for car theft.

Flores is the first Texas death-row suicide since October 2006, when Central Texas inmate Michael Johnson killed himself 15 hours before he would have been executed for the Sept. 10, 1995 robbery and murder of 27-year-old Jeff Wetterman, who was working at his parents’ Lorena convenience store and had been married for just three weeks.

Prison officials said guards found Johnson unresponsive in this cell.

According to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson, Johnson used some sort of metal blade or razor to cut his right jugular vein and an artery inside his right elbow.

Click Here For TDCJ Web Site
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Posted by: KTH Location: Waco on Jan 31, 2008 at 10:01 AM
My only concern is that Flores has abused the right of the government to carry out justice by taking it upon himself to do justice, which is pure vigilantism. If more people do that, we have only a system of anarchy and there are no assurances of our rights being protected by the state. Now, I certainly wish that the state would carry out justice more swiftly so that folks like Mr. Flores would not believe that they have to take it into their own hands. He should have been executed, seems to me, about 7 years ago...
Posted by: concerned Location: mexia on Jan 30, 2008 at 01:46 PM
what irritates me is this.... they sit in prison eating usually good food, watch color tv's get medical and dental and eye care, get educated, there are americans working everyday that dont get all of that....... i have no sympathy for them.... if our troops defending our country are living with less.... and there are plenty of hard working people living with less, why in the world should they get more? PUNISHMENT?? LOTS would love that form.........show compassion for the victims NOT THE CRIMINALS !
Posted by: Bob Location: Kempner on Jan 30, 2008 at 10:42 AM
Amy from Baytown, I could care less about that animal or his family! He made the DECISION to do what he did and was put on death row based on that DECISION. The fact that he killed himself just shows what a coward he is. People like you who always try and justify peoples actions make me SICK!. There is no room in society for people like this!
Posted by: Time for a change Location: Belton on Jan 30, 2008 at 10:22 AM
The guy deserves NO sympathy from anyone! He killed an INNOCENT person. Bottom Line! He just saved tax payers some money. Wish others would do the same. Regardless of the victim being a police officer, or an elderly woman walking to her car,...the punk KILLED an innocent, non-deserving person. We would have much fewer crimes if criminals were actually punished; (public hanging is a start) instead of them getting three meals a day, TV, free medications, controlled temperatures, clean clothing, and then get paroled in a few years with a slap on the hand. They aren't afraid of recourse because jail is a breeze. Our justice system is a joke. Overcrowding of our jails makes for a very lenient sentence. As for the bleeding hearts out there; see if you feel compassion for the offender once they have done something to you or your family and have destroyed your life!
Posted by: MONEY Location: WACO on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:48 AM
SEEMS TO ME LIKE IF I WAS GONA KILL MYSELF WHY WOULD I USE MY OWN BLOOD TO WRITE A MEESAGE ON A WALL WHEN I HAVE PAPER AND A PENCIL TO WRITE WHAT I NEEDED TO. SEEMS LIKE TE GUARDS MAY HAVE RETALIATED OR WHAT NOT. WHAT YOU HEAR ABOUT POLICE BRUTALITY IS TRUE BUT OFTEN IGNORED BY THE SYSTEM. MY SYMATHYS TO BOTH FAMILIES
Posted by: ginny Location: central texas on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:48 AM
these bleeding hearts need to think about the cruel and unusael punishment the victim or victims got. these less than animals should not be allowed to sit on death row for years and get appeal after appeal. did the victim get to apeal? NO!!. give them death and give it to them NOW!!!!
Posted by: THAT GURL Location: WACO on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:43 AM
AMYS INTENTIONS ARE GOOD AND MUCH NEEDED IN SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES. THE DEVIL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND HES TEMPTING ALL OF US TO DO THE WRONG THING.IT WAS MR FLORES' CHOICE TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE AS IT WAS HIS OWN CHOICE TO KILL THAT OFFICER. HIS JUDGEMENT DAY HAS COME AND SO WILL ALL OF OURS. SO BEFORE YOU POINT YOUR FINGERS AT WHO DID WHAT REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE 3 FINGERS POINTING RIGHT BACK AT YOU. ITS A TRAGIC LOSS AND DEATH IS NOT THE ONLY WAY OUT. LIVE AND LET LIVE
Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 30, 2008 at 08:47 AM
I HAVE A GOOD IDEA,AMY WHY DON'T WE START A NEW SYSTEM TO WHERE THE DEATHROW INMATES START LIVING WITH YOU
Posted by: jesse Location: cove on Jan 29, 2008 at 09:59 PM
thank you mr. flores thank you!! god thanks you for doing what is right! maybe more like you will listen to god and take care of business!!!
Posted by: concerned Location: mexia on Jan 29, 2008 at 08:30 PM
i hope a few more on death row follow by example........ i will donate sharp instruments anytime........
Posted by: TOBIE Location: waco on Jan 29, 2008 at 07:57 PM
I was at the library today and was caught on film. I think they have done a wonderful job with the place. I've going there since I was a little kid and will continue to as it is a very friendly environment.
Posted by: Content Location: Temple on Jan 29, 2008 at 04:51 PM
Well at least we can say it is a much cheaper way of going about it!! I am not one for the Death Penalty but because they are going to hell anyway, they should just go ahead and kill themselves!!!
Posted by: William Location: Sacramento CA on Jan 29, 2008 at 04:28 PM
Lets give more death row inmates sharp knives so they can do us all a favor and off themselves, saves us money and we don't have to hear about how inhumane it is to give them a lethal injection from the bleeding hearts.
Posted by: amy Location: baytown on Jan 29, 2008 at 02:32 PM
my sympathies go out to the Flores Family, as well as the family of the salin officer. The Death Penalty creates two victim's families, not just one. I cannot help but to wonder if his young man (he was only born in 1982) suffered from mental illness along with the difficult conditions on death row? there is no such thing as a waste of flesh and no need to disrespect animals, either. We need to look at compassion and reconciliation for a better society. Violence begets violence. We should try something different as this system isn't working so well. I hope Mr. Flores' family does not read the comments made by Bob from Kempner.
Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 29, 2008 at 02:11 PM
BOB AND BETTY YOUR ON THE RIGHT TRACK. AS FOR THE OTHER RESPONSE,WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE AN INSIDE JOB. MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE COWARDS AND THAT WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE AND THAT'S WHAT HE ALREADY PROVED BY KILLING THAT OFFICER WHO WAS JUST DOING HIS JOB TO PROTECT YOU AND OTHERS.
Posted by: ceta Location: waco on Jan 29, 2008 at 01:42 PM
sounds like an inside job not a suicide.god is always in control.my condolences goes out to both famil's
Posted by: Betty Location: Waco on Jan 29, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Exactly Bob. Well said.
Posted by: Bob Location: Kempner on Jan 29, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Good! One less useless waste of flesh that we as taxpayers have to deal with. My condolences go out to the officer that was murdered by this animal.
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