In the autumn of 1980, a chilling pact made between three men in Houston, Texas, would lead to the senseless death of Diana Trevino Oliver, a 27-year-old woman whose life was stolen to seal their bond of silence. Her murder was not born of passion or rage, but of a cold, calculated decision to ensure loyalty following a contract killing.
The series of events began with James Emery Paster, a career criminal who, along with accomplices Stephen Albert McCoy and Gary LeBlanc, had been hired
to murder a man named Robert Edward Howard in October 1980. After successfully carrying out the hit for $1,000 and a motorcycle, Paster grew concerned that one of his partners might talk. To ensure their silence, he devised a sinister plan: they would all be bound together by committing more murders, with each man taking a turn. As LeBlanc would later testify, Paster declared, "[We] was all in it together and somebody was going to have to do another killing...so nobody can testify against somebody else."
In mid-November 1980, this grim "blood oath" claimed its first victim. The trio abducted Diana Trevino Oliver, forcing her into their car. They drove her to a remote, desolate field in Harris County, where she was sexually assaulted. Following the horrific assault, Stephen McCoy murdered her. Her body was discovered on November 19, 1980, bearing wounds from both a knife and a gun. Another account suggested she was killed with an improvised garrote. This brutal act was merely the first step in Paster's plan to entangle his accomplices in a web of shared guilt.
The trio's reign of terror continued. On New Year's Eve 1980, they abducted, assaulted, and murdered 18-year-old Cynthia Darlene Johnson after finding her stranded on the side of a road. This second murder further solidified their deadly pact. However, their crimes did not remain hidden for long. The investigation into the string of murders eventually led authorities to the three men.
The unraveling of their conspiracy came when Gary LeBlanc, facing the possibility of the death penalty, agreed to testify against Paster and McCoy. His testimony was crucial in securing convictions against his former partners. In exchange for his cooperation, LeBlanc received a 35-year prison sentence.
James Emery Paster was convicted of capital murder for the death of Robert Howard and sentenced to death on September 22, 1983. During the punishment phase of his trial, Diana's sister took the stand to testify about the profound emotional impact her death had on their family. Paster was executed by lethal injection on September 20, 1989. Before his execution, he confessed to two additional murders for which he was never tried.
Stephen Albert McCoy was also found guilty of capital murder and rape, specifically for the death of Cynthia Johnson, and was sentenced to death in July 1984. He was executed by lethal injection on May 24, 1989. His execution was reportedly botched, with witnesses describing a violent physical reaction to the drugs. The case of Diana Trevino Oliver stands as a harrowing example of how one man's ruthless paranoia led to a cascade of violence, ending the lives of innocent victims to cover the tracks of a crime for hire.
