Man Executed for 1988 Killing of Off-Duty Cop
- Share via
Vincent Edward Cooks, a parolee who killed a Dallas police officer during a robbery almost 14 years ago, was executed in Huntsville.
Cooks did not make eye contact with relatives of Gary McCarthy, but he seemed to maintain his contention that he was not the killer. “By them executing me, they aren’t going to make it right,” he said.
McCarthy, 33, was gunned down Feb. 26, 1988, while working an off-duty security job at a Dallas market. Prosecutors said they were confident they got the right man.
Cooks was the 17th Texas inmate to die by injection this year, making the state’s 2001 total the lowest since 1996.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them dive into all-things Menendez Brothers, the good, the bad, and the still unknown.
NPR climate editor Sadie Babits talks about why the media has long overlooked the climate crisis, and how that’s starting to change.
