Texas inmate set to be executed for killing 2 women in 2003

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A 64-year-old Texas death row inmate is facing execution for fatally stabbing an 89-year-old woman and her daughter more than 16 years ago in their Fort Worth home.

Billy Jack Crutsinger is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening for the 2003 killings of Pearl Magouirk and her 71-year-old daughter Patricia Syren.

Authorities say Crutsinger killed the women then stole Syren’s car and credit card. He was arrested three days later at a bar in Galveston, more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) away.

Crutsinger’s attorney has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, arguing that his previous lawyer had a long history of incompetence in death penalty cases.

A prosecutor has said Crutsinger’s actions were the result of “evil.”