hank skinner 1997 09 27 andrea reed recantation

8/14/2019 Hank Skinner 1997 09 27 Andrea Reed Recantation

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AFFIDAVIT OF ANDREA JOYCE REED

Dat ed , Sep t ember ) :;> ,

Gray County, Texas

1997 )))

My name i s Andrea Joyce Reed. The a t to rney who represen tsHenry Skinner gave me a copy o f th e wr i t t en s t a t e m e n t t h a t I madeto Off i ce r Conn i e Ogle on January 1, 1994, and the t r a n s c r i p t of mytes t imony a t Hank ' s trial fo r c a p i t a l murde r in For t Wo rt h on r l larch9, 1995. I ca r e f u l l y read both of th ese documents befo re I s ignedt h i s a f f i d a v i t . I s we a r t ha t a l l of the s ta tements in th e a f f i d a v l ca re t r ue.

Severa l of the t h i ngs t ha t I sa id in my wr i t t en s t a t emen tt r i a l t e s ) a re:z: tJ/I-5eatoFled- and " in t i m i d a t e d '-'"by O f f i c e r

fa lse . I l i ed be cause 6' .

Kat ie Gerhard t and t h ed i s t r i c t a t t o rn e y ' s i nves t i ga t o r , B i l l MCMi nn .

This i s what r e a l l y happened. At abo,ut midnight on th e n i g h tof December 31, 19 93 , I was in th e bedroom o f my t r a i l e r house a t705 Henry S t. in Pampa, Texas , wi t h my daughter , J e s s i c a , and son ,Kris , wh e n I hea rd someone pounding on th e wa l l . I asked t h e person

e rd y \vo ice t h a t I. 1....). m h u r t . Pleas e l e trecognized as Hankme in " o r words to

t ha t e f f ec t . l \ t f i r s t , I to ld Hank t o l eave and t h rea t ened to c a l lthe pol ice i f he d id no t d o so . Hank was an o ld f r i e nd , but: I d idnot a ssoc ia t e with him be c ause h e was a n a l coho l ic and d r ug u s e r .

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when I t o l d Hank t o l e a ve , he sa id t h a t he had been s ho t andp leaded w i t h me to he lp him. I tu rned on my porc h l i g h t and openedthe f r o n t d o o r so t h a t I could see him. Hank had a l o t of b lood onhim. I dec i ded to he lp him because I f e l t s o r r y fo r him. I wentback i n t o th e house , p u t my dog in the bedroom w i th my ch i l d ren ,closed th e door to t h a t room and went ou t s ide a g a in . Hank was stills t a nd ing i n th e f ro n t yard . I i nv i t ed him to come i n to th e house ..He s tumbled and f e l l over backwards when he t r i e d to cl imb up theporch stairs. I caugh t him o r helped him to g e t u p . He had to l eanon my arm a s we walked in to th e house . He was wi t h me fo r overth ree hour s befo re he was a r r e s t e d .

Very s h o r t l y a f t e r Hank was taken i n t o c us tody I heardOff i ce r K a t i e G er h a r d t t e l l one of my c u r i o u s n e i g h b o r s t h a t hecould n o t e n t e r my house because it \o,as "a triple homicide cr imescene . " I assumed t h a t t h i s meant t h a t Hank was accused ofmurder ing t h r e e p e o p l e . I d id n o t unders t and how my house could bea cr ime sc e n e because no cr ime was commit ted t h e r e , bu t I fea redt h a t th e p o l i c e be l i e ve d t h a t I was invo lved i n th e o f fen se .

My f e a r of be ing f a l s e ly accused i n c r e a s e d when McMinn andGerhard t t o l d me t h a t they be l i e ve d t h a t Hank had an accompl ice andasked me where t h a t person was . I t o l d th em I d id no t know whatthey ""'erbecause titl

ng abou t , bu t they a ppa re n t ly d id n o t b e l i e v e meask ing the same ques t ion . G e r h a r d t f i n a l l y t o l d me

t l lat I c ou ld be cl larged with be ing al l a c c e s s o r y a f t e r tIle f ac t i fI d id n o t c oope ra t e with them . I d id not u n d e r s t a n d "Illy she madet h a t t h r e a t because I be l i e v e d t h a t 1 ,,",'as c o o p e r a t i n g .

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I t o l d my f i r s t l i e when Gerhardt and McMinn ;ep ;d(;W H'd d ' h! ' , ! ,odh ' .o t i n to my house . I was afral . to a ml.t t a t ' \n\l L tc 1m nsl. e

because I did not want to say anything t ha t cou ld l a t e r be used tosuggest th a t I offered a murderer a place to hide from the pol icewho were t ry ing t o a r re s t him. I to ld McMinn and Ge rha rd t tha t heen t e red th e h ouse without my consent and I d id n o t know how.Gerhardt sa id tha t she did not bel ieve me . She asked me wh y I d i d,not t r y to leave my house and get he lp . I to ld her t ha t I did not

want to l eave my kids alone with Hank. She warned me t ha t I couldbe charged wi th a crime i f I i n v i t ed him i n to my house knowing tha tthe police were trying to ar res t h im.

My wr i t ten statemen t to Ogle l e f t the fa l se impression that Ionly trea ted Hank ' s wounded h and b ecause he e ntered my houseaga i ns t my wi ll and t h rea t ened to k i l l me . I d i d no t admit t ha t Tin v i ted h im in because I was a f r a id t h a t th e p o l ic e wo u ld a r res t mefo r he l p ing a wanted man .

I f a l s e ly c la imed in my wr i t t e n s t a t emen t t h a t Hank warned me,"do n ' t ca l l anyone or I'll k i l l . you" wh e n he saw me pick up th ete lephon e . Hank did t e l l me n o t to ca l l a nyo ne , bu t he did nott h r ea t en to k i l l me .

I f a l s e l y claimed in my wri t t e n s t a t e ment th a t I bel i eved t h a tHank wa s capabl e of killing me becau se o f h i s i n t o x i ca tedcondi tion. The t ru th i s th a t he was much to o dru n k o r high on d rug st o phys ica l ly car ry out s u ch a t h r e a t . I k now wh a t Hank i s capab l eo f do in g whe n he i s in t ox ica t ed because I s aw him ; .n a Y ) j o ~ i . t-ion:;t:;.;J,t, }?1y' 01"/1//0,


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s t r ang le Twila Busby u n t i l her neck broke, repeatedly h i t herthe head with an ax and p r e c i s e l y s t a b her two sons to death .

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I a l so lied in my wr i t t e n s t a t emen t about two smal l d e t a i l sbecause I d id not wa n t th e p o l i c e to be l i eve t ha t I v o l un t a r i l y d idanyth ing fo r Hank. I sa id t h a t Hank took h is s h i r t o ff and hung i tover a cha i r in my l iv ing ro om. The t ru th i s t hat I help ed h i mremove h is sh i r t and I pu t it on th e cha i r . I sa id t ha t Hank washed.blood of f o f h is watch. The t r u t h i s th a t I wa s h ed o ff t h e b lood .

When I de s cr ibed in my w r i t t e n s ta tement how Hank sa id t h a t h ethought th a t he t r i ed t o k i ck Twila to d e a t h because he found h e rin bed with her ex - husband, I l e f t ou t the fa c t t ha t Hank gav e mea r id i cu lous desc r ip t ion o f T w i l a ' s ex-hu sba n d t ha t d id not fit hima t a l l . Th i s i s one of the r easons why I be l i eve t ha t h is s ta tem e n tabou t k ick ing Twila to dea th wa s j u s t a drunken fan tasy l i ke t heo the r v io l e n t s t o r i e s th a t h e t o ld me to exp l a i n how he wa si n ju r ed. .'

I informed Ogl e th a t I d id n o t want my daughte r , J e s s i c a , tobe a witnes s be cause it would be a t rauma t i c e x p e r i e nce f o r h e r .Ogle to ld me th a t i t was up to th e d i s t r i c t a t t o r ney . I v e r yupse t when I rece ived a letter f r om John Ma nn no t i f y i ng me th a tJe s s ica wou ld be subpoenae d as a witnes s . I s en t her out of town tos t ay wit h a re la t ive sho r t l y a f t e r I re c e iv e d t ila t l e t t e r . McMilln

wa rned me th a t I wo u ld be a r r e s te d i f I d id no t t e l l him wh e re s hewas . I to l d McMinn th a t it was h i s j ob to f in d h is wi t n e s s e s - n o tmi ne, McMinn f i n a l ly prom i s ed t h a t my daughter would no t hav e to bea wit ness i f I t e s t i f i ed "as i ns t r uc t ed by J ohn Mann, "

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When I arr ived in Ft. Worth fo r the t r i a l , Gerhardt and McMinn.to ld me t h a t I could .not go anywhe r e o r do any t hing wi thout a

police o f f i c e r or pro secu tor b e ing p re s e n t . I was no t a l lowed toea t a l on e in a res t aurant , rec e iv e v i s i t o r s a t my hote l , make 9..7/>15 ' 5 T tVpho n e ca l o r a walk by mys e l f . Ge rh a rd t ev en t r i ed to sleep--

~ o m I relt l ike a prisone r . I wa s t o l d th a t a l l o f th i s wa s

done for my own sa f ety, but tha t expl anat ion made no sense becauseHa nk wa s in j a i l and no one had threatened me . I was more a f ra id ofthe cops who we re s upposed ly protec t ing me t h an I was of Hank onthe night of the murder.

Sho r t l y before I t e s t ifie d a t the t r i a l , Assis tan t Dis t r i c tAttorney Tr acy Blades gave me a document in a c lea r plas t ic folderand told me, "read i t . This i s your par t . 11 She expla i ned t ha t thedocument was a "condensed" ve r sion of my s ta t ement to Ogle. I tplaced severa l things tha t I said way out o f cont e xt, but I cannotre ca l l wha t they we r e .

testimony was go Lng to be helpful to th e Sta te . I did notunders tand how anything t ha t Hank did o r said a t my house on thenight of the murders could poss ib ly show whether he was gui l ty orinnocent .

When Mann asked me how Ha nk was able to get in to my houseaf te r I to ld him to leave , I fa lse ly a nswered, "I don' t even know."I repea t ed what I told the police o n the night of the murder

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because I was afra id to admit tha t I lie d to them and I did notbel ieve t ha t the t r u th could make a d i f f e r e nce . I l ied again f o r

the same reason when Mann asked me wha t Ha nk did with h is sh i r t andwat ch.

1. fa l s ely t e s t i f i ed tha t Hank wa lked t o th e bathroom byh ims e lf when I went to make a te lephone call becau s e I wa s s t i l laf ra id to admi t tha t I did any th ing t o help h i m. The t ru th is tha tI had t o help Hank walk from th e k i t c hen to t he ba throom be f ore Iwent t o ma k e t he ca l l because he was so i n tox i c a t ed tha t he c ou l dnot keep h i s ba l ance .

I fa l se l y te s tifi ed t ha t Hank warned me t ha t he wou ld k i l l mei f I t r ied to ca l l a nyone . I l ied to t he jury a bou t t ha t t h r ea tbecause I said t he same th i ng in my wr i tt e n statemen t to Ogle andI was af ra i d to adm it th a t it was fa l s e . The t ru th is t ha t Hanktold me no t to make a c a l l withou t threa tening to k i l l me.

I gave t he j ur y the f a lse impres s ion tha t Ha nk I s s tatementsabout f ind i ng Twila in be d wi t h her ex - husband and k i l l ing he r werenot re l a t ed to each other . The t ru t h i s t ha t Ha nk said t ha t he

.though t he t r i e d t o k ic k Tw i l a t o dea t h because he f ound he r in bedwith her e x - husband. The quest ions th a t John Ma nn asked me did notal I a ... me to expla i n th i s to t he j ury.

I fa lsely t e s t i f i ed th a t out o f a l l of t he s to r i e s tha t Ha nkto l d me on t he night of t he murder, the only one tha t he made mes wea r'" not to r eveal was h i s s tory a bout ki cking Twila to death. Thet r u tll i s t ha t he s wo re me t o secl-e cy or made me p romi se no t t.o t e l leac h time tha t he gave me a di f r e ren t s to ry about what happened . I

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am no t sure why I l i e d about t h i s on ~ h e witness s tand , b u t I mayhave repeated what was in the condensed version of my statement toOgle tha t Blades prepared fo r me. It i s a lso poss i b l e t h a t I gavethe answer tha t I thought John Mann wanted to hear.

After Hank was sentenced to death, I read news s to r i e s aboutthe t r i a l and began to unders tand the impo r tan ce o f my t es t imony.The l i e s t ha t I t o l d t o p r o t e c t myself made it appear as i f Hankbroke in to my house , he ld me hos tag e and confessed to th e murders .The t r u th ' s i nv i t e d a harmle ss drunk in to my house andhat Il i s t ened to th ree hou rs of mean i ngl es s gibber i s h. I have no ideawho ki l led Twila Busby and her sons, but I pray that I get anotherchance to t e l l t he t ru th a bou t what I do know to a jury because Ido not wan t t o be r espons ib l e f o r th e execution of a man who may b ein nocen t .

Sworn before me on t h i s the 27 st,.day of Septembe r , 1997ARY PUBLIC

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hank skinner 1997 09 27 andrea reed recantation

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