Tammy Galley Hankins, a 34-year-old white female, was tragically murdered on August 26, 2001, in Mansfield, Texas. Her death was part of a series of brutal killings carried out by her estranged husband, Terry Lee Hankins. Tammy, along with her two children, Kevin Galley, 13, and Ashley Mason, 11, were found shot to death in their mobile home. The bodies were discovered by relatives who went to check on them after not hearing from them for several days.
All three victims had been shot in the head, and the slayings were believed to have occurred on the previous Sunday.
Terry Lee Hankins, a 26-year-old white male, was arrested after a five-hour standoff with police. He was initially charged with the murders of Tammy and her children. During his confession, Hankins also admitted to killing his father, Ernie L. Hankins, 75, and his half-sister, Pearl Sevenstar, 20, almost a year earlier. Ernie's body was found in his mobile home, while Pearl's body was discovered wrapped in plastic in the front seat of a car at an auto storage lot owned by Ernie.
Hankins' motive for the killings was not immediately clear, but he had a history of violence and mental instability. He had taken over his father's towing and automotive business after Ernie's death and had told neighbors that his father had moved out of state. Hankins was known to be depressed and heavily drinking after the loss of the business. He was charged with capital murder and held in the Tarrant County jail on a $1 million bail.
The case against Hankins was strong, with evidence including a note found in the mobile home where Tammy and her children were killed. The note, written by Hankins, confessed to multiple crimes, including murder, incest, hatred, fraud, theft, jealousy, and envy. Hankins did not testify at his trial, and his appeals were exhausted. He was executed by lethal injection on June 2, 2009.
