Draft:Gregg Braun

Gregg Francis Braun
Born	(1961-03-08)March 8, 1961 Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Died	July 20, 2000(2000-07-20) (aged 39) Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Oklahoma, U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by lethal injection
Criminal status	Executed
Convictions	Oklahoma First degree murder Kansas Murder New Mexico Capital murder
Criminal penalty	Oklahoma Death Kansas Life imprisonment New Mexico Life imprisonment
Details
Victims	5
Date	July 19, 1989 – July 23, 1989
Locations	Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas
Imprisoned at	Oklahoma State Penitentiary

Gregg Francis Braun (March 8, 1961 – July 20, 2000) was an American convicted spree murderer who committed a total of five murders across four states in the United States. Braun, whose father was a prominent lawyer, first killed two women, Barbara Jane Kochendorfer (December 15, 1961 – July 19, 1989) and Mary Mel Esa Raines (January 31, 1961 – July 19, 1989), in Kansas after he kidnapped them from two different convenience stores on July 19, 1989.

The next day, July 20, 1989, Braun murdered a male store owner named Edley Perry Spurrier (September 10, 1935 – July 20, 1989) in Texas. On July 21, 1989, Braun murdered Gwendolyn Sue Miller (January 9, 1958 – July 21, 1989) during a $80 flower shop robbery in Oklahoma. The final murder took place on July 23, 1989, when Braun shot Geraldine Baze Billy Valdez (February 25, 1941 – July 23, 1989) to death in New Mexico, before he was caught for that particular killing.

Except for the murder of Spurrier for Texas, Braun was tried in New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma for the murders of all the four women. Braun was given multiple life sentences for the homicides in both New Mexico and Kansas, but in Oklahoma, Braun was ultimately sentenced to death, and executed on July 20, 2000, by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

Murders

Barbara Kochendorfer and Mary Raines

On July 19, 1989, in Garden City, Kansas, Braun kidnapped and murdered two women, 27-year-old Barbara Kochendorfer and 28-year-old Mary Raines during separate convenience store robberies. Both victims were found on the same rural road, having been shot twice in the back of the head with a .25 caliber handgun. Kochendorfer was found nude, and dirt was discovered on her back, suggesting the perpetrator stood on her while shooting her. Raines was found lying face down in the mud.

E.P. Spurrier

On July 20, 1989, the spree continued in Pampa, Texas, where a robbery and execution-style shooting matched the pattern of the Kansas crimes. The victim, E.P. "Pete" Spurrier, was killed during a robbery of his photo development store.

Gwendolyn Miller

One day after Spurrier's murder, Braun committed his fourth murder which ultimtely lead to his death sentence. Braun robbed a floral shop in Ardmore, Oklahoma taking money from the store and a customer, Mary Manning. He forced three women including Miller onto the back room floor where he shot each woman in the head with another .25 caliber weapon. The store owner, Gwendolyn Miller, succumbed from her injury while the other two woman survived.

Execution

Death warrant

After exhausting his appeals at both the state and federal levels, on May 18, 2000, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals officially set Braun's execution for July 20, 2000. This decision was made after the U.S. Supreme Court had previously refused to hear a final appeal filed by Braun, effectively bringing his legal options to an end. The date was set for the murder of Gwendolyn Sue Miller, the crime for which he had been sentenced to death.

Lethal injection

Gregg Braun was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in the early morning hours of July 20, 2000. His execution came a day before the 11th anniversary of the murder of Gwendolyn Sue Miller. His final meal consisted of a chef salad with Italian dressing, barbecue beef or pork, and a hot fudge brownie sundae. He was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m., six minutes after the lethal mix of drugs was administered. His final statement was a three minute slurred apology towards his five victims one by one stating, “I'm sorry I murdered you. I'm sorry I took your lives. I pray for our Lord Jesus Christ to bless your lives and to save you. I'm so sorry I killed you”. He then turned to the victims families whom he also named individually, and apologized to the people he had injured during his spree. Braun concluded his statement by aplogizing to the victims' families as well as his own family. Braun was the second to last person executed in Oklahoma in 2000 and the fifty-fifth overall.

See also

• Capital punishment in Oklahoma
• List of people executed in Oklahoma
• List of people executed in the United States in 2000