Chapter Three: How Many Women Did He Execute? 

Although Betty Lou Beets and Karla Faye Tucker were both clearly guilty of the murders for which they were executed, their cases proved very controversial for very different reasons. 

Betty Lou Beets was a great-grandmother; she allegedly killed two of her husbands.  But she was also an alleged victim of domestic violence in each instance, which certain women’s rights groups considered to be a mitigating factor in her case.  Moreover, her legal representation was corrupt.  Her attorney could have testified in her defense which probably would have earned her a lighter sentence.  But since such testimony would have caused him to lose the book rights to her life, the attorney refused.  Ms. Beets was executed by Gov. Bush. 

Karla Faye Tucker proved to be the most controversial execution of George W. Bush’s career, although she was clearly guilty of a heinous double-murder.  Ms. Tucker’s attractiveness, sincere conversion to Christianity, and compassionate conduct on death row generated hundreds of clemency pleas for the bright, articulate woman.  None was forthcoming, and Ms. Tucker was executed by Gov. Bush.  Notoriously, Gov. Bush mocked the executed woman in a later conversation with conservative columnist Tucker Carlson.