Brandon Bernard

Brandon Anthony Micah Bernard[1] (July 3, 1980 – December 10, 2020) was an American man convicted for the 1999 robbery, kidnapping, and murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley. He was sentenced to death for the murders and remained on death row until his execution in December 2020.

Brandon Bernard
Born
Brandon Anthony Micah Bernard[1]

(1980-07-03)July 3, 1980
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 2020(2020-12-10) (aged 40)
USP Terre Haute, Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
EducationKilleen High School (1997–1998)
Height5'10" (177 cm)
Criminal statusExecuted
Allegiance212 Piru Bloods
MotiveRobbery
Conviction(s) Capital murder (2 counts)
Criminal penaltyDeath sentence
Partner(s)Christopher Vialva, Terry Brown, Christopher Lewis, Tony Sparks
Details
VictimsTodd Bagley (aged 26)
Stacie Bagley (aged 28)
DateJune 21, 1999
Imprisoned atUnited States Penitentiary, Terre Haute

Bernard spent most of his childhood in Killeen, Texas. In his early teens, he began committing crimes such as burglary and joined a neighborhood gang. His crimes and rebellious behaviors led him to being kicked out of several schools and prosecuted in the juvenile criminal justice system. In 1999, Bernard and a few of his friends robbed, kidnapped, and murdered two youth pastors. After forcing the pastors into the trunk of their car, Christopher Andre Vialva shot both in the head before Bernard set the car on fire with the bodies inside. Vialva was executed on September 24, 2020, and Bernard was executed on December 10, 2020. The remaining teens received a range of different prison terms; some remain incarcerated.

In the time leading to Bernard's execution, prominent politicians, public figures, and five surviving jurors who convicted him advocated for his sentence to be commuted.

Early life

Brandon Anthony Micah Bernard[2] was born on July 3, 1980, to army nurse Thelma Louise (Johnson) and Kenneth Richmond Bernard in San Antonio, Texas.[1] He had two younger siblings. Because of his mother's transfer to Alaska, the family moved briefly to Fairbanks, Alaska, from 1982 to November 1984 and then moved to Killeen, Texas. He spent the majority of his childhood in Killeen. As a child, Bernard suffered from asthma. In 1986, Bernard attended school at the Seventh-Day Adventist Academy. The family spent the summer of 1987 in Colorado for his mother's medical training. In September 1992, Bernard's intoxicated father sprayed his mother in the face with mace. The couple divorced in 1993.[3]

In 1994, Bernard's cousin Melsimeon Pollock joined the household. Pollock and Bernard began burglarizing houses in early 1995. Bernard's rebellious and criminal behavior resulted in his being bounced between his parents' households, multiple different schools, and five months in a juvenile detention facility in Brownwood, Texas in 1995. Bernard became a member of the organized neighborhood gang known as "212 Piru Bloods". In 1996, Bernard attempted to gain employment but failed to do so. He later completed his GED in 1997 and enrolled as a senior at Killeen High School for the 1997–1998 school year. While attending Killeen High School, he received decent grades and had good attendance. In the summer of 1998, Bernard attempted to join the United States Army, but was rejected because of his juvenile offenses.[3]

Victims

Todd Alan Bagley was born on April 28, 1973 in Ottumwa, Iowa. He had served in the army and had been stationed at Fort Hood. He was assistant health director at Bos Landen Athletic Club. He served as a youth minister at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa and was aged 26 when he was murdered. He was buried in Ottumwa.[4][5]

Stacie Lynn Woodard Bagley was born on April 1, 1971 in Fort Campbell North, Kentucky. Along with her husband she served as a youth minister at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa. She married Todd in January 1996 and was aged 28 when she was murdered. She was buried in Dyersburg, Tennessee.[6][4]

Crimes

On the afternoon of June 21, 1999, Brandon Bernard, 18; Christopher Vialva, 19; Terry Brown, 15; Christopher Lewis, 15; and Tony Sparks, 16, approached Todd and Stacie Bagley, two youth pastors, and asked them for a ride at a gas station with plans to rob them. Once the Bagleys agreed to give them a ride, Vialva held the couple at gunpoint and forced them into the trunk. While in the trunk for several hours driving around, the Bagleys spoke through an opening in the backseat and urged their abductors to accept Jesus into their hearts and spare their lives. The perpetrators then robbed the Bagleys by using their ATM card to withdraw cash, stealing money, stealing jewelry, and seeking to pawn Stacie's wedding ring. Soon after, the teens pulled to the side of the road at Belton Lake recreation area[7] and poured lighter fluid inside the vehicle while the Bagleys sang "Jesus Loves Us". Vialva then shot both of the Bagleys in the head, killing Todd instantly. Bernard then set the car on fire, and according to Stacie's autopsy report, she died of smoke inhalation.[8][9][10]

Bernard's trial was held in 2000, one year after the murders. Since the crimes took place at Fort Hood, the trial was held in a federal, not a state, court. He was convicted on two counts of murder and sentenced to death.[11]

Execution and aftermath

In the time preceding his execution, there was controversy over whether Bernard should have been sentenced to death and executed, in part because of President Donald Trump's lame-duck status.[12][13] Bernard's legal team filed appeals on the basis that his prosecutor withheld the information that he was a low-level gang member, making him less likely to be a future offender. This revelation, combined with concerns that Bernard's attorneys did not adequately defend him at trial, convinced five out of the nine living jurors who voted to convict Bernard to advocate for his sentence to be commuted to life in prison.[14] Former federal prosecutor Angela Moore, who had initially argued for upholding the death sentence on appeal, also pressed for Bernard's sentence to be commuted to life. She cited new studies that showed 18-year-olds lack an adult's ability to control their impulses, as well as studies that showed black teenagers are "systematically denied the benefit of their youth." She also noted Bernard's exemplary record in prison; in 20 years, he had never been cited for a disciplinary rules violation.[15] Lawyers Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr, who have represented Trump in the past, requested that the Supreme Court delay the execution by two weeks, but were only successful in prolonging proceedings for three hours.[16]

Bernard was executed by lethal injection at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. While preparing for the execution, Bernard spoke his last words saying he was "sorry" to the couple he murdered, citing those words as "the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day." The chemical used during the lethal injection was pentobarbital.[17] He was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. EST on December 10, 2020.[10] Shortly following Bernard's death, both Kim Kardashian and Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the government's decision to execute Bernard.[5][16][18]

See also

References
  1. Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997
  2. "Case Summaries for Modern Federal Death Sentences". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. Altatis, Conan (December 10, 2020). "Brandon Bernard biography: 13 things about Christopher Vialva's accomplice". CONAN Daily. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. "Todd Bagley (1973–1999) – Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com.
  5. Opsahl, Robin. "Todd and Stacie Bagley: What we know about the Iowa couple killed in Brandon Bernard's case". Des Moines Register.
  6. "Stacie Lynn Woodard Bagley (1971–1999) – Find A..." www.findagrave.com.
  7. writer, Katelyn Robertson | Herald staff. "Killeen men's appeal in 1999 murder case denied". The Killeen Daily Herald.
  8. Magdaleno, Charles Trepany and Johnny. "'He was such a reformed person': Kim Kardashian mourns Brandon Bernard's execution". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  9. "Feds put first Black inmate to death since execution restart". AP NEWS. September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  10. "US carries out rare execution during presidential transition". AP NEWS. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  11. "Advocates are fighting to stop the federal execution of Brandon Bernard, the ninth of this year". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  12. "Brandon Bernard: First execution of Trump's final days goes ahead". BBC News. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  13. "US carries out rare execution during presidential transition". AP NEWS. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. Lynch, Sarah N. (December 11, 2020). "U.S. executes Brandon Bernard, over objections from several jurors in his trial". Reuters. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  15. Moore, Angela. "Op-ed: I helped put Brandon Bernard on federal death row. I now think he should live". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. Carrega, Christina (December 12, 2020). "Two Black men have been executed within two days. Two more are set to die before Biden's inauguration". CNN. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  17. Bravin, Jess (December 11, 2020). "Brandon Bernard Executed Despite Protests". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  18. "Kim Kardashian Calls System 'So F***ed Up' After Brandon Bernard's Execution". TMZ. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
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