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Thread: Dillion Gage Compton - Texas Death Row

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    Dillion Gage Compton - Texas Death Row




    Compton’s first death row mugshot




    Male inmate kills female corrections officer at Texas prison


    ABILENE, Texas -- A male inmate killed a female corrections officer at a prison in west central Texas early Saturday, authorities said.

    Mari Johnson, 55, was found unresponsive about 3 a.m. near the kitchen area of the Robertson Unit, a prison in Abilene, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said. Life-saving measures were initiated and Johnson then was taken to Hendricks Medical Center in Abilene where she was pronounced dead, he said.

    The name of the inmate and circumstances surrounding the killing were not immediately released. Clark said the agency's Office of Inspector General was investigating and that no additional details would be released yet.

    "Correctional officers have one of the most difficult jobs in all of state government protecting the public from dangerous individuals," Brad Livingston, the department's executive director, said. "This is a tragic reminder that carrying out that mission can lead to the ultimate sacrifice."

    Johnson had been with the prison system since August 2009.

    Dale Wainwright, chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, said the loss of a corrections officer's life was "difficult to put into words."

    "I ask the public to remember their acts of unselfishness, remember their many acts of courage, and remember the dedication and commitment demonstrated every day by correctional officers," he said.

    The Robertson Unit, about 140 miles west of Fort Worth, has a capacity of nearly 3,000 inmates.

    Gov. Greg Abbott called the slaying senseless and an "unfathomably tragic event."

    "Texas will ensure the perpetrator receives swift justice, and TDCJ has been instructed to take all necessary measures to enhance the safety of their staff to prevent such tragedies," Abbott said in a statement.

    Johnson's death comes a year after the last on-duty slaying of a Texas corrections officer. Timothy Davison, 38, was attacked by an inmate in July 2015 at the Telford Unit near Texarkana in far northeast Texas. The inmate, Billy Joel Tracy, 38, already was serving a life prison term and now is awaiting trial for capital murder.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/male-inm...-texas-prison/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Investigators Identify Inmate Suspected in Prison Guard's Death

    By Johnathan Silver
    The Texas Tribune

    An inmate who worked in the kitchen area of the French Robertson Unit 10 miles northeast of Abilene killed correctional officer Mari Johnson, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice alleged in a statement Monday.

    Inmate Dillion Gage Compton, 21, attacked Johnson when she entered a storage area, according to the department. Johnson, 55,was found unresponsive early Saturday and later pronounced dead. She began working for the department in 2009.

    Compton is serving a 25-year prison sentence related to a 2011 conviction in Dallas County of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14, according to the agency.

    When he was 17, Compton was in the youthful offender program at the Clemens Unit in Brazoria County, according to a 2012 Austin American-Statesman article.

    He told the Statesman he was pursuing a job in the computer industry and discussed being placed in solitary confinement for a week after fighting.

    "I'm not going back there," he said in 2012. "It was pretty hot."

    Following the attack on Johnson, Compton was transferred from the Robertson Unit, a maximum security, all-male facility, to "an undisclosed maximum-security TDCJ unit," according to the agency.

    Investigators with the department's inspector general's office are continuing to gather evidence in Johnson's death, and plan to eventually present their findings to the Jones County district attorney's office. The office is investigating the incident as a homicide.

    Johnson's death comes almost exactly a year after rookie prison guard Timothy Davison, 47, was beaten to death by an inmate inside the Barry B. Telford Unit in New Boston in northeastern Texas.

    Davison was escorting Billy Joel Tracy, 37, on the morning of July 15 when the handcuffed inmate freed one hand from his restraints and began beating the officer. After pulling him to the ground, Tracy began beating Davison with a two-foot "pry bar" tool that guards carry to unlock the small meal tray openings in cell doors.

    In 2007, correctional officer Susan Canfield, 59, was killed during an escape attempt at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville.

    Johnson's death raises questions, including whether she was alone and working without backup, said Lance Lowry, president of the state's correctional employees union. Staffing, which TDCJ has struggled to maintain, has played a role in attacks on correctional officers, he said.

    State leaders' request for budget cuts across state agencies won't help, the union president said.

    "The state legislature gutted the agency in 2011, and they're asking for four percent," he said, comparing New York State's 60,000 inmate population and 20,000 correctional officers to Texas' 148,000 inmates and fewer than than 25,000 officers in prisons.

    "We can't cut anymore," Lowry said. "This is where the buck stops. We just lost an officer."

    Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday afternoon issued a statement in which he said the state of Texas was mourning for Johnson, saying that she "was senselessly murdered."

    Abbott added, "Texas will ensure the perpetrator receives swift justice, and TDCJ has been instructed to take all necessary measures to enhance the safety of their staff to prevent such tragedies."

    https://www.texastribune.org/2016/07...er-killed-cor/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Corrections officer murdered at Abilene prison unit remembered

    By John Grobe
    KTXS News

    MANSFIELD, Texas - Law enforcement from across the country said goodbye Friday to a corrections officer murdered at an Abilene prison unit.

    Friends, family members and co-workers of 55-year-old Mari Johnson filled the First Baptist Church in Mansfield for Friday's funeral service, with some officers coming from as far as New York and California.

    "She was quick to give a smile to the weary, an ear to the hurting or even a plate of food to the hungry. She had a special way about her," said Ronald Fox, warden of the French Robertson Prison.

    Johnson started working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 2009. For the last two years, she worked closely with Fox.

    "She was a person who deeply liked and cared about others. She will be greatly missed and always remembered," Fox said.

    Those in attendance had the chance to look back at the life of a fellow officer who was taken from them too soon.

    "Mari Johnson's end of watch, July 16, 2016, in the line of duty," Fox said while getting emotional.

    Johnson was killed nearly one week ago. Her body was found in the kitchen area of the prison. Authorities arrested Dillion Gage, an inmate at the prison, in connection to her death.

    After the ceremony Johnson's body was buried at the Skyvue Funeral Home in Mansfield.

    Johnson was a beloved mother and grandmother who leaves behind a large legacy.

    http://www.ktxs.com/news/corrections...bered/40841892
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Related:

    Former corrections officer: Robertson Unit understaffed


    By Will Jenson
    KTXS News

    ABILENE, Texas - There was fallout Wednesday night at the French Robertson Prison Unit one month after a corrections officer was killed on the job.

    The disciplinary actions came from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after a serious incident review.

    The TDCJ suspended a high-ranking member of the Robertson Unit staff and recommended the termination of three other employees after 55-year-old corrections officer Mari Johnson was murdered.

    Johnson was found unresponsive last month near the kitchen. She later died at the hospital. Inmate Dillion Compton is accused in her death.

    “You'd walk in there, and all you could think is I want to go home to my kids. I want to go home to my family,” said a former corrections officer at the Robertson Unit of four years.

    She asked us not to reveal her name, but she told us she left last year because she didn’t feel safe.

    She said she worked alongside Johnson and always feared for her safety because she said they were so short-staffed, stating that sometimes there'd be 144 inmates on a floor with just one correctional officer.

    “It was scary because you didn't know if you were going to have help if a fight broke out or if somebody tried to attack you,” she said.

    The TDCJ confirmed assistant warden Jimmy Webb was suspended for seven days and placed on probation for four months.

    The TDCJ also recommended the dismissal of Major Eddie McQuade, a corrections officer, as well as two food service managers, Gregory Cruse and Patrick Roach.

    According to the TDCJ, investigators determined some staff members did not follow procedures related to making security checks, counting inmates and using equipment.

    That corrections officer we spoke to said the wrong people are taking the fall.

    “Those wardens didn't care about us, and they still don't, and for a warden to only get seven days suspension, I don't think that's fair,” she said. “He should have gotten more. He should have gotten fired.”

    We reached out to TDCJ Wednesday night to get reaction to her allegations.

    Spokesman Jason Clark responded with the following statement.

    “Staffing did not play a role in the homicide," Clark said. "The Robertson Unit is not short staffed. The agency works to ensure that there is appropriate correctional staffing is in ‎place and critical positions are filled.

    "As I have said before, an investigation into the events surrounding the incident is ongoing with intent of providing additional clarity into how it took place and what additional measures may be implemented in the future to keep staff safe while working with dangerous offenders.

    "What is clear is that the actions of offender Compton alone are what caused the tragic death of officer Johnson and he will ultimately be held responsible as this case moves forward in the criminal justice system.”

    Clark's statement comes as little information has been released since the accusation against Compton. KTXS has requested documents relating to charges against Compton related to Johnson's death.

    http://www.ktxs.com/news/former-corr...affed/50396255
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    He's not going anywhere soon. He has a conviction for sexual assault of someone under 14 and has a projected release date of 2035.
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    State seeks death penalty for man accused of killing correctional officer

    A man accused of killing a Texas Department of Criminal Justice officer was indicted for capital murder by a Jones County grand jury Friday, and according to Jones County District Attorney Joe Edd Boaz, the State will be seeking the death penalty.

    TDCJ says Dillion Gage Compton, 22, killed Marianne Johnson on July 16. Johnson was found unresponsive near a kitchen at the French Robertson Unit in Abilene.

    Leni Atkinson, Johnson’s sister, said Compton was allowed to work with her in the kitchen alone.

    “It's just disheartening to know that she died in just a vicious manner," Atkinson said.

    According to the Special Prosecution Unit, Compton struck Johnson with a hard object or prevented her from breathing.

    Atkinson said she hasn’t been contacted by TDCJ since the incident occurred. She believes they should also be held accountable.

    “As far as I'm concerned, no, I don't think TDCJ has done their due diligence in making this right for any of us," Atkinson said.

    The assistant warden of the Robertson Unit was suspended for seven days and placed on four months' probation because of the incident. One correctional officer and two food service managers were also fired.

    However, Atkinson said more improvements need to be made to make the prison a safer working environment, including more staff, better training for correctional officers, and better pay.

    "I have to leave it up to God and the justice system to make this all right," Atkinson said.

    http://www.ktxs.com/news/state-seeks...icer/358113704
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    Capital murder suspect accused of killing corrections officer transferred to Abilene

    By Travis Ruis
    Big Country Homepage

    ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - The man accused of killing a corrections officer back in 2016 has been transferred to the Taylor County Jail, according to jail records.

    Dillion Gage Compton, 21, was transferred on Friday.

    Compton is set to soon stand trial in the death of Officer Marianne Johnson from July 2016.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Compton.

    Officer Johnson was found unresponsive in the kitchen area of the French Robertson Unit in Abilene around 3:00 a.m. the morning of July 16, 2016.

    A press release said Compton, "who was assigned to the kitchen area, allegedly attacked Officer Johnson when she entered a storage area near the kitchen."

    The TDCJ said Compton was serving time at the French Robertson Unit in Abilene after he was convicted on an Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 14 charge issued out of Dallas County in December of 2011.

    https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/c...ene/1347103788
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    1,400+ potential jurors summoned to Jones County Capital Murder trial, death penalty sought

    By Erica Garner
    Big Country Homepage

    ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - More than 1,400 potential jurors were summoned to a Capital Murder trial taking place in Jones County this week.

    Jury selection for the trial of Dillion Gage Compton, 21, accused of killing an Abilene corrections officer, was moved from the courthouse to Anson High School due to the large pool.

    12 jurors and and at least one alternate should be selected sometime during the beginning of this week and once the panel is finalized, the Capital Murder trial will begin.

    Compton is standing trial for the death of Officer Marianne Johnson. The proceeding could take weeks to complete due to the high-profile nature of the crime. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

    Officer Johnson was found unresponsive in the kitchen area of the French Robertson Unit in Abilene around 3:00 a.m. the morning of July 16, 2016.

    A press release says Compton, "who was assigned to the kitchen area, allegedly attacked Officer Johnson when she entered a storage area near the kitchen."

    The TDCJ says Compton was serving time at the French Robertson Unit in Abilene after he was convicted on an Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 14 charge issued out of Dallas County in December of 2011.

    Compton is no longer in the French Robertson Unit and is being held in maximum security at an undisclosed location.

    https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/c...ght/1365678042
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jones County capital murder trial to begin on Monday morning

    By Olivia DiVenti
    KTXS News

    ABILENE, Texas — The Jones County District Attorney is getting ready for a capital murder trial that is set to begin in Anson on Monday morning.

    Dillion Gage Compton is charged with killing correctional officer Marianne Johnson back in 2016.

    Authorities have spent the last month assembling a jury out of the 1,400 people summoned to jury duty for the trial.

    This particular jury will potentially be the difference between life or death for Compton.

    At about 3 a.m. on July 16, 2016, 55-year-old correctional officer Marianne Johnson was found unresponsive while on duty at the French M. Robertson Unit in Abilene.

    Johnson was transported to Hendrick Medical Center, where she would later be pronounced dead.

    Shortly after Johnson's death, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice charged Compton with Johnson's murder.

    Compton had been allowed to work in the kitchen with Johnson at the time of the murder.

    Authorities believe that the two of them were alone in the kitchen when Compton either hit Johnson with a hard object or somehow prevented her from breathing, ultimately leading to her death.

    Compton was at the French M. Robertson Unit serving a 25-year sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child.

    The Jones County District Attorney will be pursuing the death penalty for Compton.

    The trial is set to begin at the Jones County Courthouse on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. and KTXS News will have live coverage of the trial throughout the week.

    It has been 29 years since a capital murder case has been heard in Jones County.

    https://ktxs.com/news/local/jones-co...monday-morning
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #10
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    Defense: Slain correctional officer was sexually involved with inmate for 6 months before murder

    By Erica Garner
    Big Country Homepage

    ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - The Capital Murder trial of an inmate accused of killing a corrections officer at an Abilene prison began Monday with a bold claim - defense attorneys say the inmate and officer were having an affair for months prior to the murder.

    Officer Marianne Johnson was found dead in a storage room in the kitchen of the French Robertson Unit in Abilene in July of 2016.

    Inmate Dillion Gage Compton, a convicted child predator, was located at the scene and promptly arrested and charged with Capital Murder.

    During opening statements, both prosecutors and defense attorneys had a similar version of events leading up to the murder.

    Officer Johnson was on kitchen duty the night of July 16. She entered a storage area to get supplies and encountered Compton - an inmate both legal teams says was a "trustee", one of the most trusted offenders at the facility, thus giving him extra freedom, such as access to the kitchen area and subsequent storage room.

    Soon after encountering Compton, Johnson was found dead.

    Another prison employee went to check on Johnson after realizing she was missing, and when this employee entered the storage room, Compton was still inside.

    The prison employee made Compton leave, and Johnson's body was initially overlooked because she had been moved out of sight from the doorway.

    Upon further inspection, her body was found inside the room, handcuffed to a pole.

    Prosecutors say there were obvious signs of struggle on her body, such as bruising and scratches. Her throat was also crushed, and her pants were pulled down and her breasts were exposed.

    Compton's DNA was found underneath her fingernails, prosecutors argue.

    They claims DNA evidence and other information from the medical examiner reveals Johnson's death was nothing but intentional.

    However, Compton's defense attorney's paint a different picture of what happened. They say Compton and Johnson had been having a sexual relationship for 6 months prior to the murder, but Compton was feeling conflicted about it and wanted to get off kitchen duty because that's where she worked.

    The night of the murder, defense attorney's believe Johnson and Compton were having consensual sex in the storage room when they heard someone coming, prompting Johnson to "freak out" over the possibility of being found and losing her job.

    Johnson then, according to the defense, suffered cardiac arrest and died, and the bruising and other wounds on her body were from Compton's attempts to resuscitate her.

    Defense attorneys plan to call multiple inmates to the stand who are expected to testify about the friendly nature of Compton's and Johnson's relationship.

    Compton's Capital Murder trial is expected to continue throughout the month of October. He faces the possibility of death if convicted, so the punishment phase of the trial could last for an additional 2-4 weeks.

    KTAB and KRBC will provide periodic updates from court.

    https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/c...der/1490083527

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