Dr. Lane Murray Unit

(Redirected from Murray Unit)

Dr. Lane Murray Unit is a women's prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice located in Gatesville, Texas. The prison is located on Texas State Highway 36, between Farm to Market Road 215 and Farm to Market Road 929. The 1,317 acres (533 ha) unit, which opened in November 1995, is co-located with the Christina Crain Unit, the Hilltop Unit, the Patrick O'Daniel Unit, and the Woodman Unit.[1] The unit is named after Lane Murray, who was the first superintendent of the Windham School District.

Dr. Lane Murray Unit
Dr. Lane Murray Unit is located in Texas
Dr. Lane Murray Unit
Location in Texas
Location1916 North Hwy 36 Bypass
Gatesville, Texas 76596
Coordinates31°28′35″N 97°43′35″W / 31.47639°N 97.72639°W / 31.47639; -97.72639
StatusOperational
Security classG1-G4, Administrative Segregation
Capacity1,341
OpenedNovember 1995
Managed byTDCJ Correctional Institutions Division
WardenAudrey England
CountyCoryell County
CountryUSA
WebsiteDr. Lane Murray Unit
Aerial photograph of the prisons in Gatesville, January 13, 1996, United States Geological Survey
Topographical map of the Gatesville prison units, 1994, USGS - The area now contains the Murray Unit

History

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The State of Texas, in 1997, passed a law criminalizing any sexual relations between a prisoner and prison guard after, in the 1990s, prosecutors were unable to have a prison guard at Murray convicted for coercing inmates into sexual interactions. The prison guard stated that the sexual interactions were consensual.[2]

In 2010 the Murray Unit began to host a faith-based dormitory rehabilitation program.[3]

Notable prisoners

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Current

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Inmate Name Register Number Status Details
Kaitlin Armstrong 19482417 / 02475058 Serving a 90-year sentence; eligible for parole in 2052.[4] Perpetrator of the 2022 Murder of Moriah Wilson, a professional cyclist.[5][6][7][8][9]
Elizabeth Denise Escalona 04827696 / 01814924 Serving a 99-year sentence; eligible for parole in 2042.[10] Elizabeth Escalona savagely beat her 2 year old daughter Jocelyn Cedillo and super glued her hands to a wall, leaving her in a coma for several days. The child suffered bleeding in the brain, bite marks, and broken ribs. Elizabeth pled guilty to one count of felony injury to a child and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. She will be eligible for parole in 2042.
Chante Jawan Mallard 06849879 / 01183569 Serving a 50 year sentence.[11] Eligible for parole in 2027.[12] Perpetrator of the 2001 Murder of Gregory Glenn Biggs in which Biggs struck the windshield of Mallard's car and then Mallard left Biggs to die while Biggs was still lodged in the glass pane.[13][14][15]
Edith Beebe 06478363 / 01162441 Scheduled for release in 2078; eligible for parole in 2033.[16] Convicted of physically abusing multiple children.[17][18][19]
Genene Jones 03193016 / 02302131 Serving a life sentence; eligible for parole in 2037.[20] Originally convicted in the 1980s of the murder of infant Chelsea McClellan when she was working as a licensed vocational nurse at the University Health System.[21] The amount of deaths Genene is responsible for is likely much higher, and in 2020, was convicted in the murder of infant Joshua Sawyer.[22][23][24][25]
Diane Zamora 05713081 / 00814993 Serving a life sentence. Eligible for parole in 2036 [26] Convicted, along with her boyfriend David Graham, in the 1995 murder of Adrianne Jessica Jones.[27][28][29][30][31]

Former

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  • Kimberly Saenz- (Intake) Moved to Mountain View Unit.
  • Karla Faye Tucker - American woman executed February 3, 1998, for killing two people with a pickaxe during a burglary. She was the first woman to be executed in the United States since Velma Barfield in 1984, and the first in Texas since Chipita Rodriguez in 1863.

References

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  1. ^ "Murray Unit Archived July 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
  2. ^ Santo, Alysia (The Marshall Project). "Preying on Texas Prisoners: When Guards Demand Sex." Texas Tribune. June 17, 2015. Retrieved on June 2, 2016. Also at Newsweek as "Texas: The Prison Rape Capital of the U.S."
  3. ^ Pari, Ursula. "Gatesville Prison Operates 'Faith Dorm' Rehab Program Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." KSAT-TV. Monday May 3, 2010. Retrieved on May 4, 2010.
  4. ^ "Kaitlin Armstrong is sentenced to 90 years in prison for the murder of elite cyclist Moriah 'Mo' Wilson". NBC News. 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  5. ^ Plohetski, Ryan Autullo and Tony. "Texas woman in love triangle accused of killing pro cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, police say". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  6. ^ "A Texas woman accused in a pro cyclist's death is arrested in Costa Rica". Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  7. ^ "Suspect in Texas murder of elite cyclist Anna Moriah 'Mo' Wilson arrested in Costa Rica". NBC News. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  8. ^ "Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial underway in slaying of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  9. ^ "Video captures final screams of pro cyclist Mo Wilson after accused killer Kaitlin Armstrong tracked her on fitness app, prosecutor says - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  10. ^ "Elizabeth Escalona, Texas mom who glued toddler's hands to wall after brutal beating, sentenced to 99 years in prison". CBS News. 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  11. ^ "Windshield Woman Gets 50 Years - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2003-06-28. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  12. ^ "Mallard, Chante Jawan, Offender Information Details". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "Man Stuck in Windshield Left to Die". Los Angeles Times. 2002-03-08. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  14. ^ "Woman who left man to die in windshield is convicted". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  15. ^ "Texas Woman Guilty of Murder In Death of Man in Windshield". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  16. ^ "Beebe, Edith, Offender Information Details". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  17. ^ Horswell, Cindy (February 1, 2003). "Mother gets 75 years for abuse". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  18. ^ "Survivor recalls 'worst case of child abuse' in Liberty County history". AP News. 2018-04-15. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  19. ^ Horswell, Cindy (2016-04-03). "Survivor of childhood abuse moves forward by looking back". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  20. ^ "Jones, Genene, Offender Information Details". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  21. ^ "NURSE CONVICTED IN INFANT'S DEATH". The New York Times. 1984-02-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  22. ^ "Former nurse suspected of killing up to 60 children". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  23. ^ Stanglin, Doug. "She was suspected of killing dozens of children. Now, woman dubbed 'killer nurse' gets life sentence". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  24. ^ "Former nurse suspected in the killing of dozens of children gets life sentence". NBC News. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  25. ^ "'Killer Nurse' Genene Jones pleads guilty, gets life in prison". KSAT. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  26. ^ "Zamora, Diane, Offender Information Details". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (1996-09-10). "A Tale of Love and Murder in a Small Town". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  28. ^ Pressley, Sue Anne (1998-02-18). "ZAMORA CONVICTED IN SLAYING". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  29. ^ "Zamora found guilty of murder Former midshipman convicted in death of romantic rival". Baltimore Sun. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  30. ^ "What you need to know about the teenage love triangle that sent the Texas 'Cadet Killers' to prison 20 years ago". Dallas News. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  31. ^ Hollandsworth, Skip (December 1, 1996). "The Killer Cadets". Texas Monthly. Vol. 24, no. 12. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
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