| Bathtub killer set to die today |
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| Written by Jason Joyce | ||||
| Monday, 09 February 2009 09:11 PM | ||||
 Dale Devon Scheanette, also known as the “Bathtub Killer,” is set for an execution by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. today for the 1996 capital murder of Wendie Prescott in her Arlington apartment. (Courtesy Photo: Texas Department of Criminal Justice) Dale Devon Scheanette, also known as the “Bathtub Killer,” is set for an execution by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. today for the 1996 capital murder of Wendie Prescott in her Arlington apartment. After raping and strangling her, Scheanette left the body face down in a half-filled bathtub, where she was later discovered by concerned family members. TimelineSep. 17, 1996 – Christine Vu is found strangled and tied up in her bathtub. Police later find fingerprints and DNA that link Dale Devon Scheanette to the scene.Dec. 24, 1996 – Wendie Prescott is found strangled and tied up in her bathtub. Fingerprints and DNA from Scheanette are found at the scene. Sept. 21, 1998 – A third sexual assault is committed. Police later link the crime to Scheanette through fingerprints and DNA. Oct. 2, 1998 – A Dallas police officer is sexually assaulted after she arrives home from work. Scheneatte’s DNA is found to be a match to samples from the woman’s residence. Dec. 18, 1998 – A sexual assault is committed against a woman in her Lancaster apartment. Scheaneatte’s DNA is later matched to samples from the victim. Feb. 23, 1999 – A UTA student is sexually assaulted in her sorority house. DNA collected during her medical examination is later matched to Scheanette’s DNA. Oct. 26, 1999 – A woman is sexually assaulted in her apartment after falling asleep for the night. DNA collected from investigations is matched to Scheanette. Sept. 5, 2000 – Scheanette is arrested by Arlington Police. Jan. 6, 2003 – Scheanette goes on trial for the Christmas Eve rape and murder of Wendie Prescott. Jan. 8, 2003 – A Tarrant County jury returns a verdict of guilt after deliberating for approximately an hour and a half. Jan. 15, 2003 – Scheanette is sentenced to death by a Tarrant County jury for the 1996 rape and murder of Wendie Prescott. Feb. 10, 2009 – Scheanette has exhausted all appeals and is scheduled for execution at 6 p.m. The same jury subsequently sentenced him to death a week later on Jan. 15, 2003. While his conviction stemmed from one murder, the lead prosecutor on the case, Greg Miller, said the case was one of many Scheanette had been connected to across the Metroplex, including another murder in Arlington, a series of sexual assaults in Grand Prairie and Lancaster and the 1999 rape of a UT Arlington student at the Delta Sigma Theta sorority house. “He was indicted on all seven cases,” Miller said. “He was convicted on the one capital murder charge, but all seven were presented during sentencing.” While Scheanette was never convicted in the sexual assault at UT Arlington, jurors reviewing evidence during the sentencing phase of Scheanette’s trial heard testimony from the victim about her rape. According to past Shorthorn stories, the sexual assault occurred on Feb. 23, 1999, when the suspect cut the phone lines and broke into a sorority house on West Fourth Street and Summit then confronted the victim with a gun. After the assault, the victim went to a nearby fraternity house to call for help. Investigators with the University Police were eventually able to link Scheanette to the assault through DNA, said Detective Tommy LeNoir, an investigator with the Arlington Police who worked on the Arlington murders. “Dale Scheanette is what we call criminally sophisticated,” he said. “Dale Scheanette stalked his victims and planned his actions.” For Miller, Schaenette’s impending execution serves as a reminder of why capital punishment is part of the penal system. “In all the years I’ve been doing this, Scheanette’s the worst I’ve encountered,” Miller said. “If you can’t give Dale Scheanette the death penalty, I don’t know who you could.” Views: 2697 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 April 2009 08:11 PM ) | ||||
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