Summary of Offense: Convicted and sentenced to death for the November 28, 1990 robbery and murder of a jewelry store owner.
On November 28, 1990, Ponchai Wilkerson and accompolice Wilton Bethony entered the Royal Gold Jewelry Store in Houston following a month-long crime spree. Wilkerson left the store, returned, pulled a gun from under his jacket, and without saying a word, shot and killed store owner Chung Myong Yi across the counter. Both men then proceeded to smash the jewelry cases and seize the rings and necklaces inside. A customer, friends with Bethony, later identified Wilkerson, along with another witness who identified Wilkerson as running from the store.
Wilkerson's monthlong crime spree included numerous auto thefts, robberies and burglaries - including one in which guns worth $40,000 were stolen - and drive-by shootings that left at least one person dead and three others wounded.
Wilkerson attempted an escape from death row in 1998, and held a prison guard hostage for 13 hours in February 2000. At his execution, Wilkerson spit out a universal handcuff and leg iron key.
Victim: Chung Myong Yi
Manner of execution: Lethal injection
Time of Death: 6:24 p.m.
Last Meal: None
Final Statement: "The secret, as of Wilkerson."
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