Metallica Inspired Murderer To Die

$pvcxGhxztCasey · Jan 24, 2005

A Texas death row inmate who chanted the chorus to METALLICA's "No Remorse" after fatally shooting a man in the head in Corpus Christi and robbing him of $13 twenty years ago faces lethal injection Tuesday evening (Jan. 25), according to The Associated Press.

"I've completely lost all faith in the court system, not necessarily the local district attorney's office, but I'm talking about the appeals courts in all these things," says Nolan Horton, whose son was killed the evening of Aug. 11, 1984, in Corpus Christi. "I don't understand it. I don't know how some of these people got there. They just make stupid, crazy decisions."

Twice last year, Kunkle was spared from the Texas death chamber by court rulings on the day he was scheduled to die. The most recent halt came Nov. 18, when the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the execution about 40 minutes after Kunkle could have been strapped to the death chamber gurney for injection.

"Ecstatic," Kunkle replied when asked to describe his feeling. "Praise God."

In December, the Supreme Court lifted the order it issued the previous month, although one justice, John Paul Stevens, wrote he believed the sentence was imposed unconstitutionally. Two days later, a judge in Corpus Christi set Kunkle's new execution date.

Kunkle, 38, who has declined requests in recent weeks to speak with The Associated Press, was 2 1/2 months past his 18th birthday when he was arrested for Horton's slaying. He's spent more than half his life on death row.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week refused the halt the punishment. His attorneys Monday had new efforts in the state and federal appeals courts.

One of his lawyers, Danalynn Recer, told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that Kunkle is remorseful for the crime and is "anguished by the effect this is having on his family, particularly his mother."

"He's very concerned about how devastating it's going to be for her," Recer said. "And he's scared."

Troy Kunkle (photo), who has the METALLICA logo tattooed on his left arm, was first scheduled to be executed in July, but the Supreme Court issued a stay as the justices considered a writ filed by Kunkle's lawyers. The writ asked the justices to decide if Texas courts have been applying an unconstitutional standard that did not allow juries to consider mitigating circumstances, such as mental illness, during capital murder trials.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Kunkle, who was 18 at the time, and his friends, Lora Lee Zaiontz, Russell Stanley and Aaron Adkins, were visiting Corpus Christi from San Antonio in 1984. They saw Steven Horton, 31, walking along Paul Jones Avenue and offered him a ride. They demanded his wallet, which contained $13.

Kunkle, according to the state's report, then told Stanley to kill Horton. When Stanley refused, Kunkle took the .22-caliber pistol and shot Horton. At the time of the killing, Kunkle reportedly quoted lyrics from METALLICA's song "No Remorse", from the album "Kill 'em All", when he said, "Another day, another death, another sorrow, another breath."

All four reportedly had taken LSD and were drinking. They were eventually convicted of murder. Besides Kunkle, only Zaiontz remains incarcerated, prison officials said. The others were released.

On legal notepads in court, Kunkle wrote METALLICA lyrics, alleging the lyrics from "No Remorse" inspired him to kill. This disturbed the band's lead singer, James Hetfield, when he learned how Kunkle reacted to the verse, according to KZTV10.

Hetfield, in 1984, said, "I guess this kid took it into his own ways. Of course, we're upset but I mean we had nothing directly to do with it."

Leslie Poynter Dixon, a former assistant district attorney in Nueces County who prosecuted the case, last week recalled a hearing about whether the METALLICA song could be used as evidence.

"As this album [METALLICA's 'Kill 'Em All'] was being played for the judge so he could make his decision on whether it would be admitted, Mr. Kunkle was playing an air guitar," said Dixon, now the district attorney in Van Zandt County in East Texas. "That really struck me. It suggested to me that Mr. Kunkle had no regard for human life — even his own — because this was his trial and the state was seeking the death penalty."
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Like someone on Blabbermouth said, "Ride The Lightning, motherfucker".

$13? I can find 45 more reasons to rob and kill someone.

Cale. · Jan 25, 2005

bah. Music is just something to people to blame murders on, just like people blame violence on video games. And even if that was his inspiration it should be taken with a grain of salt. It doesn't give someone the right to kill.

No mercy for what we are doing
No thought to even what we have done
We don't need to feel the sorrow
No remorse for the helpless one

War without end
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath

Blood feeds the war machine
as it eats its way across the land
We don't need the feel the sorrow
No remorse is the one command

War without end
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath

Only the strong survive
No one to save the weaker race
We are ready to kill all comers
Like a loaded gun right at your face

War without end
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath
No remorse No repent
We don't care what it meant
Another day Another death
Another sorrow Another breath

Attack
Bullets are flying
People are dying
with madness surrounding all hell's breaking loose
Soldiers are hounding
Bodies are mounting
cannons are shouting to take their abuse
With war machines going
Blood starts to flowing
No mercy given to anyone hear
The furious fighting
Swords are like lighting
It all becomes frightening to you
Know death is near
No remorse
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Evil Angel · Jan 25, 2005

I fail to understand why this artice is birectly balming Metallica's song for the death when it has no relation at all

peripeteia · Jan 25, 2005

erm....remember the Marilyn Manson/Columbine incident?

its just people and their insecurity. when they cant find anything to explain why a person behaves in a certain way, they use music.

Mechanical Christ · Jan 25, 2005

Recently there was a case of how a Marilyn Manson fan was found guilty of murder. 16-year-old Marilyn Manson fan Luke Mitchell was found guilty on Friday (January 21) of the murder of 14-year-old Jodi Jones in the High Court of Edinburgh, Scotland, according to the BBC.

And the most fucked up thing about the two is that the artistes don't even have anything to do with it. It's how the person interprets it.

Neil · Jan 25, 2005

Anyone could go out and scream the lyrics to their favorite song as they break the law, but that doesn't mean that the song had anything to do with it...

Razan · Jan 27, 2005

Originally posted by Neil@Jan 25 2005, 01:16 PM
Anyone could go out and scream the lyrics to their favorite song as they break the law, but that doesn't mean that the song had anything to do with it...
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Totally agree.

Some people could acctually be displaying their hate instead of directing it all into music which helps...music is helpful.

Branden · Jan 27, 2005

...Argh, I'm getting really sick of these deranged murderers and their obsession with bands...

Atsuzen · Jan 29, 2005

:wth: Creepy and weird, murderers these days.

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Metallica Inspired Murderer To Die

$pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

Cale. Banned

Evil Angel Ambient

peripeteia Ambient

Mechanical Christ Ein heißer Schrei LPA Super Member

Neil Super Duper Member LPA Super Member

Razan SUGAAAR!

Branden hey! LPA Super Member

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Metallica Inspired Murderer To Die

$pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

Cale. Banned

Evil Angel Ambient

peripeteia Ambient

Mechanical Christ Ein heißer Schrei LPA Super Member

Neil Super Duper Member LPA Super Member

Razan SUGAAAR!

Branden hey! LPA Super Member

Atsuzen Super Member LPA Super Member

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