James Garrett Freeman
American convicted murderer executed in Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Garrett Freeman (November 12, 1980[1] – January 27, 2016[2]) was an American man who was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed for murder in Texas.
James Garrett Freeman | |
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| Born | November 12, 1980 Lissie, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 2016 (aged 35) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | To avoid arrest |
| Conviction | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (November 7, 2008) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Justin Hurst, 34 |
| Date | March 17, 2007 |
Freeman, who was often called by his middle name,[3] originated from Lissie, an unincorporated area in Wharton County, Texas. He was a welder, but was unemployed at the time he committed murder. He had no record of violence. On March 17, 2007, Freeman engaged in a high-speed chase with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) officers. At the Lissie Cemetery, where the chase ended, he fired at TPWD staff with an AK-47 and a Glock pistol. Justin Hurst, a TPWD game warden who had turned 34 that day, was struck twice and killed.[4] Freeman was shot four times and survived.
Freeman, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)#999539,[1] was convicted and sentenced to death. While on death row he was in Polunsky Unit.[5] He was executed at Huntsville Unit on January 27, 2016,[6] nine years after the murder.
The Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA) of the TPWD, located in Brazoria County, Texas,[7] was renamed after the victim in 2007. It was formerly the Peach Point WMA.[8]
