The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX

Local News

April 27, 2007

Man executed in deaths of Amarillo couple





The convicted killer of an elderly Amarillo couple was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening.

Ryan Heath Dickson’s final statement was quick but fell only on the ears of media members and TDCJ representatives as no witnesses were in attendance.

“I’d like to say I love my mother, brother, sister, grandmother, cousins and nieces and my brothers and sisters I have never met,” Dickson said. “I do apologize to the Surace family.

“I am responsible for them losing their mother, their father and their grandmother. I never meant for them to be taken. I am sorry for what I did and take responsibility for what I did.”

Dickson, 31, was only 18 years old when he and his half-brother — a juvenile at the time — entered the grocery store owned by Carmelo Surace, 61, and his wife, Marie Rosalie Surace, 60.

They were attempting to steal beer when Carmelo Surace confronted them. Dickson pulled a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle out from his coat and shot the store owner in the chest.

Dickson, who was said to be a member of the Varrio Sixteen Locos street gang, then shot Marie Surace in the face even after she placed all the cash in the register — about $52 — on the counter.

Dickson and his half-brother then took the money and an unspecified amount of beer before going off to party with friends.

Prosecutors said Dickson told authorities he hoped the killing would earn him a teardrop tattoo to impress his colleagues in the gang.

However, Dickson blamed Carmelo Surace for confronting him.

“I didn’t go in there and pull a gun and start shooting people,” Dickson said in a recent interview from death row in Livingston.

He contended the store owner must have spotted the weapon hidden in his jacket, tried to wrest it away from him and was shot in the tussle.

“Nobody would have gotten shot,” he said. “I would have grabbed some beer and ran out. They would have been out about $20 and we’d be at home getting drunk. That’s what would have happened.”

He also insisted Marie Surace was shot by accident as she reached under a counter for a gun.

Dickson, who fled the store empty-handed, received death sentences for each slaying. Thursday’s punishment was for Carmelo Surace’s murder.

His brother testified against him and is serving a 15-year prison term.

Former Potter County District Attorney Rebecca King, who prosecuted the two capital murder cases against Dickson, disputed his story of the shootings, especially Marie Surace’s death. The woman was trying to make a phone call, she said.

“He came up after he shot the man,” King said. “She had a phone in her hand.

“She was on her knees. He shot her. Totally cold.”

At least nine other Texas inmates have execution dates in the coming months.

Scheduled next is Jose Moreno, 40, set to die May 10 for the abduction and fatal shooting of a San Antonio man 21 years ago.

Text Only
Local News
  • 5-23 Pinto.jpg Fresh Face at City Hall

    May 22, 2012 1 Photo

  • New Waverly VFD saves house

    Emergency responders quickly extinguished a fire before it caused serious damage to a home in southern Walker County on Tuesday afternoon.

    May 22, 2012

  • Crawfest back for 7th year

    For the past seven years, Walker County residents have been cracking claws for a cause.

    May 22, 2012

  • Museum photo contest back

    The Sam Houston Memorial Museum has announced it is now accepting entries for its 2012 photo contest.

    May 22, 2012

  • 5-23 Region VI.jpg Region VI education participants receive certificates

    Through the Adult education program, Region VI provides instruction in Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), General Education Development (GED) preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL), to individuals that did not complete high school, desire to increase academic skills, would like to obtain a General Education Development (GED) certificate or who simply desire to become more proficient in speaking English. 

    May 22, 2012 1 Photo

  • Otto Award Award for criminal justice legislation

    May 22, 2012 1 Photo

  • Sheriff’s Office releases crime map to public

    May 22, 2012

  • SHSU graduates join Army as officers

    Fifteen ROTC cadets at Sam Houston State University, including 12 criminal justice majors, were officially commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army during a ceremony last week.

    May 20, 2012

  • STAFS donors remembered

    The Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility honored 27 individuals, including six veterans and a cancer victim whose final weeks were documented in a KTRK news story, for donating their bodies for research at the facility during the 2011-2012 academic year.

    May 20, 2012

  • SHSU honors staff

    Four Sam Houston State University employees who have demonstrated excellence in service, commitment, meritorious performance and a high level of motivation have been selected as recipients of the 2012 Staff Excellence Award.

    May 20, 2012

Twitter News
Follow me on Twitter
Facebook
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Secret Service Boss: 'I Apologize' Giant Bull Head Draws Drivers to South Dakota Astrodome Fades As Houston Decides Fate Egyptians Vote in Historic Presidential Election Franciscan Files Tell Stories of Priest Abuse Wildfire Destroys 2 Homes Flight Diverted After Suspicious Note Joplin Remembers Deadly Tornado, 1 Year Later Panel Recommends Against Routine Prostate Test Fired Lingerie Employee Claims Discrimination Joplin Marches to 'Remember' Tornado Victims Facebook Shares Continue Negative Slide Cuba Waiting for Cyber Age to Come 8 Hurt in Oklahoma Shooting After NBA Playoff Sheriff: DNA Links Suspect to Missing CA Teen US Airways: Diverted Flight Has 'Landed Safely' Revived Focus on Regulation After JPMorgan Loss
House Ads
Section Teases