Vaughn Ross (September 4, 1971 – July 18, 2013) was a Texas murderer. He was a graduate student at Texas Tech University before being convicted for the January 31, 2001, murders of Douglas Birdsall, 53, and Viola Ross McVade, 18, in Lubbock County, Texas.[1][2][3][4]

Vaughn Ross
Born(1971-09-04)September 4, 1971
DiedJuly 18, 2013(2013-07-18) (aged 41)
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Capital murder
Criminal penaltyDeath (September 27, 2002)
Details
Victims2
CountryUnited States
Location(s)Lubbock, Texas

Background

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Viola was the sister of Ross's girlfriend. Douglas Birdsall had been the associate dean at the Texas Tech library. Ross shot both victims. Later the same day, a mountain biker came across the murder scene and found both Douglas's and Viola's bodies in a car.[5] DNA on a latex glove found in Birdsall's car and a sweatshirt Vaughn was wearing had blood of Douglas Birdsall; these were two things that linked Ross to the double murder.[5] In 2002, Ross was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection by a jury.[6]

Ross received attention in Sweden after he agreed to be part of a special theme week about the death penalty in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.[7] Aftonbladet covered his case and his last week alive before his execution and reported live from outside the prison on the day of the execution.[8]

Ross left a final statement before being executed which was revealed to Aftonbladet reporter Carina Bergfeldt.[1] He is buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Vaughn Ross final statement. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  2. ^ Cooper, Robbie (2013-07-17) EXECUTION WATCH: Vaughn Ross (TX) Archived 2013-08-05 at the Wayback Machine. UrbanGrounds. Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  3. ^ Lubbock man scheduled to be executed for double murder |myFOXlubbock.com | FOX 34 News Lubbock, Texas Archived 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine. myFOXlubbock.com (2013-07-17). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  4. ^ "Death Row Information".
  5. ^ a b Vaughn Ross Execution: Ex-grad student set to die for killing 2 in Texas – Crimesider. CBS News (2013-07-13). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  6. ^ Jury deliberates fate of Ross | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock Online (2002-09-24). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  7. ^ Om en vecka ska Ross dö | Nyheter | Aftonbladet. Aftonbladet.se (2013-07-11). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
  8. ^ Bergfeldt, Carina (2013-07-18) I dag ska Vaughn Ross dö | En vecka med döden. Bloggar.aftonbladet.se. Retrieved on 2013-07-19. Archived July 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine