Summary of Offense: Convicted and sentenced to death for the May 20, 1987 robbery and murder of Carl Leevy.

On May 20, 1987, 66-year-old Carl Leevy, a sporting goods representative for Converse, headed home between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. after having played in a golf tournament in Carrollton, Texas. That night, Leevy's wife returned to their home in Dallas, Texas and found her dead husband on the floor in the den. Mrs. Leevy then ran to her neighbor's house and called the police. Blood was coming from his ears, mouth, and nose due to an obvious head injury. A butcher knife and a dirty two-by-four length of wood were lying next to him. The medical examiner found "extensive" fracturing of the skull."

In the den, the desk behind Leevy's body appeared to have been gone through and a file cabinet had bloody glove prints on it. Money was missing from the desk, other items of jewelry was also missing, including a rolex watch and a distinctive Converse ring.

12 hours after the murder, Goss was picked up hitchhiking in Dallas. Goss was wearing a Rolex watch that he wanted to sell and the men went to a pawn shop and completed the transaction. The serial number on the watch matched Leevy's repair bill.

When police learned that Goss' fingerprints matched those recovered from the point of entry of the Leevy home, a warrant was obtained for the arrest of Goss. Police arrested Goss at a residence in South Oak Cliff. Inside this residence, officers found an athletic bag in the living room similar to one missing from Leevy's house. Later searches of this residence revealed new and worn Converse clothing, a Converse bag, a lock blade knife, a ladies gold bracelet and a large blue garment bag which contained a pair of Converse miniature display shoes.

In custody, Goss confessed, stating that he broke into the house with his pocket knife and saw Leevy sleeping in a chair. "He saw me and he yelled, hey. . . I didn't know how to get out. I picked up a board that was laying on a box and . . . I hit him . . . ."

Goss had prior convictions for burglary (1979), auto theft (1979), and burglary (1986 - paroled less than one month before the murder after serving seven months of a seven-year sentence).

Victim:
Carl Leevy

Manner of execution:
Lethal injection

Time of Death:
6:17 p.m

Last Meal:
one apple, one orange, one banana, coconut and peaches

Final Statement:
"I don't think I can say anything that will help, but I hope through your God, you can forgive me," Goss said. "I'm definitely not the person now that I was then. I was sick, afraid, looking for love and friends in all the wrong ways."