Timothy Gribble

Timothy Lane Gribble (August 27, 1963 – March 15, 2000) was an American murderer, rapist and self-confessed serial killer who admitted to raping and strangling three women across Texas between 1985 and 1987. Sentenced to death on two occasions for one of the murders, Gribble was executed at the Huntsville Unit in 2000.

Prior criminal record Gribble's first recorded offense occurred at age 18, when he was arrested for false imprisonment after accosting a woman in Texas City on April 10, 1981. Facing 10 years imprisonment if convicted, he instead accepted a plea deal with the prosecution that mitigated the sentence to 10 years probation and a $750 fine.

After spending two years behind bars, Gribble was released. Circa 1985, he married a mother of two named Tammi, with whom he reportedly never was violent. The couple, who were in dire financial straits, attempted to make a living via his father's business in Hitchcock, but he eventually had to take on additional jobs as a carpenter and roofer. He was considered a reliable and helpful person by friends and neighbors, whom he frequently helped with various favors and odd jobs. Gribble told investigators that she had asked for a ride to Austin, and had even paid $10 for gasoline along the way.

On September 9, 1987, Gribble was remodelling the roof of 36-year-old Elizabeth "Libby" Jones, an IBM employee who worked at the Johnson Space Center. When Jones failed to appear at work that day, one of her colleagues dropped by her home in Clear Lake Shores to check on her, but found the house locked. He then strangled Jones with a cloth sash and left her body near a tree before leaving the area.

Arrest, investigation and trial A few days after Jones' disappearance, her ex-husband hired a private investigator to interview Gribble, who had already been questioned as a suspect by police. Under pressure, he admitted that a wine bottle and some cigarette butts found at the crime scene were his, but before he could be brought in on charges of sexually assaulting Jones’ ex-wife, Gribble fled the state.

In November, Gribble contacted his wife and gave her instructions on how to find Weis' body, which she then passed on to police. Not long after, a woman's partially decomposed body was found and positively identified as Weis' via her dental records. In October 1988, a jury of nine men and three women found Gribble guilty in the murder of Libby Jones. His defense counsel conceded that their client was guilty of the killing, but requested that the conviction be of murder rather than capital murder. Despite this, Gribble was given the death sentence.

Retrial and death After spending two years on death row, Gribble was given a new trial following a decision by the Supreme Court, Penry v. Lynaugh, which prohibited mentally ill offenders from eligibility for capital punishment. According to his attorney, there were circumstances in Gribble's case that indicated he suffered from mental illness, which had not been presented at his original trial. Nevertheless, Gribble was again convicted and sentenced to death, after the jury deliberated less than two hours.

Gribble would later appeal his sentence to the Supreme Court of Texas in 1995, but his death sentence was again upheld. On March 15, 2000, Gribble was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit. Gribble's last words were: Prior to his execution, he gave a handwritten statement to the prison chaplain, James Brazzil, in which he apologized for his crimes and criticised the use of the death penalty.