Pearl “Sissy” Stevenstar, a 20-year-old woman, was brutally murdered on October 1, 2000, by her half-brother, Terry Lee Hankins. Stevenstar was fatally beaten with a jack stand, and her remains were later discovered stuffed into a plastic ice chest hidden in a car at her father's auto repair shop. The circumstances surrounding her death were deeply disturbing, as court documents later revealed that Stevenstar was the mother of Hankins' child and was pregnant again by him at the time of her murder.
Hankins' crimes extended beyond the killing of Stevenstar. Just days after murdering his half-sister, he shot and killed their father, Earnie Lee Hankins, on October 8, 2000. The elder Hankins' decomposing body was found in a recliner inside his mobile home, surrounded by air fresheners in an apparent attempt to mask the odor. Nearly a year later, on August 26, 2001, Hankins murdered his estranged wife, Tammy Bryce, and the following day, he killed her two children, Kevin Galley, 12, and Ashley Mason, 11. These horrific acts led to his arrest and subsequent conviction.
Hankins was ultimately sentenced to death for his crimes. His confession to police about the murders of his father and half-sister led to the gruesome discovery of their remains. During his trial, prosecutors described the case as highly unusual and deeply disturbing. Hankins did not testify in his own defense, but a note he had written on a bank envelope was found, in which he admitted to murder, incest, hatred, fraud, theft, jealousy, and envy. His appeals were exhausted, and he was executed by lethal injection on June 2, 2009.
The case of Pearl Stevenstar's murder was part of a broader pattern of violence committed by Hankins, who was described as a “non-caring monster” by those who knew him. His execution marked the 16th in Texas that year, and his crimes left a lasting impact on the community and those affected by his actions.
