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TDCJ

Ricky Lewis killed a man and raped the victim's girlfriend in Smith County.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -

A Texas convict with a lengthy criminal history was set for execution Tuesday evening for fatally shooting a man and raping the slain man's fiancee during a home break-in more than 22 years ago.

Rickey Lynn Lewis already had been in and out of prison five times in less than seven years when he was arrested three days after the killing of 45-year-old George Newman and attack on Newman's fiancee in 1990 at their home in a rural area of Smith County, about 90 miles east of Dallas.

Lewis, 50, would be the second Texas inmate executed this year. The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to review Lewis' case and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted against a clemency request.

No additional appeals were planned, Seth Kretzer, Lewis' lawyer, said.

"We did our best," he said.

Appeals focused on whether Lewis, a ninth-grade dropout who worked as a laborer, was mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty under Supreme Court rulings. The claims included a suggestion from Lewis' attorneys that the court reconsider a denial it made in his case in 2005. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused that recommendation on Monday.

Newman's fiancee, Connie Hilton, said her barking dog woke her the night of Sept. 17, 1990. She got out of bed and saw a man in the hallway with a shotgun. Newman responded to her scream and was shot in the face. The dog was also killed.

The Associated Press normally does not name rape victims, but Hilton, 63, agreed in an interview to be identified. She has written a book that includes her experiences as a crime victim and uses it in her work with a prison ministry organization.

Hilton tried hiding in a bathroom, was struck at least twice in the head and then assaulted for over an hour by Lewis while two partners, who never were identified or found, stole items from the house. She later would testify she was ordered: "Quit whimpering," felt a gun barrel on her and was told someone would find her in the morning.

She was left in the kitchen, hands and feet bound, as Lewis and his partners fled in her truck. She managed to free herself, crawled to Newman to find him dead, then climbed out a window to seek help.

Lewis was arrested three days later after he was seen with some of the stolen items. DNA evidence linked him to the attack.

"There's still a lot of fear in the back of my mind because the other two men never were caught," Hilton said. "You never know if there's going to be retaliation.

"He's never told anyone and as far as I'm aware of, nobody knows. On the other hand, if he were to tell who was with him, that would confirm his guilt, and he's not going to do that."

She planned to be at the Huntsville prison Tuesday evening but wasn't certain if she would be in the death chamber to watch Lewis die.

"I'm curious to know if he's going to say anything or show remorse," she said. "But just knowing it's over will help the healing a lot."

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1996 upheld Lewis' conviction but reversed his death sentence, finding jurors had faulty instructions when considering his sentence. At a new punishment trial the following year, Lewis again was sentenced to die.

Lewis' mother, who has since died, testified a 10-year-old Lewis shot his father to protect her. Testimony indicated Lewis' father had abused him as a child.

Records showed Lewis first went to prison in 1983 for burglary, was paroled and returned to prison as a parole violator. He continued to be a repeat offender and parole violator. His arrest on capital murder charges for Newman's slaying came six months after his most recent release.

Evidence showed two months before the Newman shooting he stole a truck and led police on a chase. Then four days before the attack, he used a sawed-off shotgun during a store robbery in Tyler.

At least 11 other Texas inmates have executions scheduled through July, including three more this month.