Robert Wayne Harris: The 2000 Mi-T-Fine Car Wash Massacre
Background
Robert Wayne Harris was an American mass murderer responsible for killing five employees at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash in Irving, Texas, on March 20, 2000. The attack occurred only days after Harris had been fired from the business and combined elements of workplace revenge, robbery and the deliberate execution of former coworkers. Harris was also responsible for the earlier murder of Sandra Scott, bringing the total number of people he killed to six.
Harris was born on February 28, 1972, in Dallas County, Texas. His childhood was marked by severe instability and violence. When he was eight years old, he reportedly witnessed his father kill his mother before taking his own life. Harris was subsequently moved among relatives, struggled in school and developed serious behavioral problems. He dropped out during the ninth grade but later obtained a General Educational Development certificate.
His criminal behavior began during adolescence. At approximately 15 years old, Harris assaulted a store employee and burglarized his aunt's home. After his aunt reported the burglary, he struck her in the head with a hammer. Harris spent time in a juvenile correctional facility and later became involved in drug dealing and additional burglaries. In 1991, he committed three burglaries and eventually received an eight-year prison sentence after violating the terms of a court-ordered treatment program.
While incarcerated, Harris accumulated a lengthy disciplinary record that included assaults, threats, sexual misconduct, setting a fire in his cell and refusing prison orders. He was released on parole in 1999 and found employment at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash in Irving. The job placed him in regular contact with the people who would later become his victims.
The Murder of Sandra Scott
Before the car wash massacre, Harris killed 37-year-old Sandra Scott. On November 29, 1999, Scott disappeared after encountering Harris in the Dallas County area. Harris later admitted that he abducted and fatally shot her because he believed she had stolen money from him.
Investigators questioned Harris during the initial investigation into Scott's disappearance, but there was not enough evidence at the time to charge him. Scott's truck was recovered with most of the property removed from it. Her body remained undiscovered until Harris was arrested following the car wash murders. He then confessed and led authorities to her remains.
- Sandra Scott, 37 — Abducted and murdered on November 29, 1999, in the Dallas County, Texas, area. Harris admitted shooting her after accusing her of taking money from him.
Firing from the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash
Harris worked at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash for approximately ten months. On March 15, 2000, a female customer reported that Harris had exposed himself and committed a sexual act in front of her while she was at the business. Police were called, and Harris was arrested in connection with the incident.
The car wash dismissed Harris on March 17, three days before the killings. Investigators later concluded that his anger over the termination contributed to his decision to return to the business. Robbery was also an important part of his plan because he knew the location of the office, the employees' routines and the procedures for accessing the safe.
On March 19, Harris borrowed a vehicle from a friend. He then obtained a 9mm handgun through another acquaintance. Armed with the pistol and a knife, he prepared to return to his former workplace before it opened the following morning.
The March 20, 2000, Massacre
During the early morning of March 20, 2000, Harris arrived at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash on North Belt Line Road in Irving. Because he had recently worked there, his presence did not immediately appear unusual. He confronted manager Dennis Lee, assistant manager Augustin Villasenor and cashier Rhoda Wheeler and forced them into the office at gunpoint.
Harris ordered Wheeler to open the business safe. After obtaining access to the money, he forced the three employees to lie on the floor. He then shot each of them in the back of the head. Harris also used his knife to cut Lee's throat. The attacks were committed at close range and were intended to prevent the victims from surviving or identifying him.
Three additional employees arrived while Harris was still inside the business. He forced them to lie facedown in the lobby and shot each person in the back of the head. Benjamin Villasenor and 15-year-old Roberto Jimenez were killed. The third employee survived but suffered devastating and permanent disabilities.
Another employee, Jason Shields, arrived and discovered bodies in the lobby. When Shields encountered Harris, Harris attempted to present himself as someone who had merely discovered the crime scene. Shields became suspicious after seeing Harris reach for a knife. He fled to a nearby doughnut shop and called 911.
Harris followed Shields to the shop and briefly spoke to the emergency dispatcher, continuing his attempt to appear uninvolved. He then left the area before police arrived. Harris escaped with approximately $4,000 taken from the car wash safe.
Victims of the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash Massacre
- Dennis Lee, 48 — Manager of the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash. Murdered on March 20, 2000, inside the business office on North Belt Line Road in Irving, Texas. He was shot in the back of the head and suffered a knife wound to his throat.
- Augustin Villasenor, 36 — Assistant manager of the car wash. Murdered on March 20, 2000, inside the office of the Irving business after being forced to lie on the floor.
- Rhoda Wheeler, 46 — Cashier at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash. Murdered on March 20, 2000, after Harris forced her to open the safe and surrender the business's money.
- Benjamin Villasenor, 32 — Car wash employee and brother of Augustin Villasenor. Murdered on March 20, 2000, in the lobby after arriving for work while Harris was still inside.
- Roberto Jimenez, 15 — Teenage employee of the car wash. Murdered on March 20, 2000, in the lobby of the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash in Irving. He was the youngest person killed in the attack.
- Unidentified surviving employee — Arrived at the car wash with Benjamin Villasenor and Roberto Jimenez. Harris forced the employee to the floor and shot the victim in the head. The employee survived but was left with permanent disabilities.
Flight and Arrest
After leaving the car wash, Harris returned the borrowed vehicle and claimed that he had merely discovered the victims. He visited the home of an acquaintance, disposed of evidence and acquired different clothing. He then checked into a motel while preparing to leave Texas.
Investigators quickly identified Harris as a suspect because of his recent termination, his familiarity with the business and witness information from the scene. Police arrested him on March 21, 2000, at the home of a friend, one day after the massacre.
Harris confessed to the car wash killings during questioning. He also admitted murdering Sandra Scott in November 1999 and directed investigators to the location of her body. Harris reportedly stated that he had intended to travel to Florida and kill a former girlfriend had he succeeded in escaping from Texas.
Evidence and Prosecution
The prosecution presented evidence showing that the attack had been planned rather than committed during a sudden emotional outburst. Harris had borrowed a vehicle, obtained a firearm and returned to the car wash before regular business hours. His knowledge of the safe and employee schedules allowed him to take control of the workplace before customers arrived.
The execution-style positioning of the victims was also central to the case. Each person had been forced to lie down before being shot in the back of the head. Prosecutors argued that Harris killed the employees to eliminate witnesses and to retaliate against the business for firing him.
Harris was tried for capital murder in September 2000. The jury found him guilty after deliberating for approximately 11 minutes. During the punishment phase, defense attorneys presented evidence concerning his traumatic childhood, psychological problems and limited intellectual abilities. Mental-health specialists diagnosed him with conditions that included depression, antisocial personality disorder and Tourette syndrome.
Prosecutors maintained that Harris understood the difference between right and wrong, deliberately prepared for the murders and took calculated steps to escape afterward. On September 29, 2000, the jury recommended that he receive the death penalty.
Appeals and Execution
Harris remained on death row for nearly 12 years. His attorneys challenged the conviction and sentence through state and federal appeals. Among their arguments was the claim that Harris had an intellectual disability and was therefore constitutionally ineligible for execution. Courts rejected the claim after reviewing psychological testing and expert testimony.
Robert Wayne Harris was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, on September 20, 2012. He was pronounced dead at 6:43 p.m. Harris was 40 years old.
Aftermath
The Mi-T-Fine Car Wash massacre devastated the families of five employees who had arrived for an ordinary day of work. Two brothers, Augustin and Benjamin Villasenor, were killed during the same attack. Roberto Jimenez was only 15 years old. The surviving employee endured permanent disabilities caused by the gunshot wound.
The murders demonstrated how Harris used his familiarity with the workplace to trap his former coworkers. He knew when employees would arrive, where the money was kept and how the business operated before opening. His preparations, the close-range shootings and his efforts to destroy evidence showed that the massacre was a calculated act of revenge and robbery.
Although Harris was convicted and executed for the car wash murders, the discovery of Sandra Scott established that his violence had begun months earlier. Her murder and the five killings in Irving resulted in a confirmed total of six victims between November 29, 1999, and March 20, 2000.
