Bio

Clifton Charles Russell Jr. was born on August 5, 1961. He was the son of a white mother and an African American father. 

Russell did not meet his biological father until he was seven years old. He had a troubled relationship with his stepfather, whom his mother married later. In his late teens, he suffered a severe beating from his stepfather. This beating required surgery to repair the injuries to his face. Russell's childhood experiences caused him emotional challenges, and he often used an alias, Charles Lacey.

At the time of his arrest, Russell was described as a stocky man, weighing 212 pounds and standing six feet tall. He had brown hair and brown eyes, along with a tattoo on his forearm. There were reports that he had a poor attitude, especially towards white people. One arresting officer noted that Russell appeared calm and showed no remorse.

He was 18 years old when he committed a crime that would lead to his conviction and eventual execution.

Murder Story

On December 2, 1979, Clifton Charles Russell Jr., at the age of 18, committed a violent crime in Taylor County, Texas. He and an accomplice, William Battee, abducted 41-year-old Hubert Otha Tobey at a self-serve gas station. The two men attacked Tobey, using a knife to stab him multiple times, which included a fatal wound to his jugular vein. They also struck him with a concrete block. After the killing, they disposed of Tobey's body near an abandoned house in Southeast Abilene.

Russell and Battee were apprehended in Hobbs, New Mexico, just days later, while driving Tobey's car, which was found with bloodstains inside. Russell was charged with capital murder and robbery. His trial began in 1980, resulting in a death sentence. The prosecution presented evidence of Russell's violent past and lack of remorse during his arrest.

Russell maintained that he had problems stemming from a troubled upbringing, but the jury determined that he posed a future danger to society. He was sentenced to death and spent 15 years on death row before his execution by lethal injection on January 31, 1995, at the age of 33. His accomplice, Battee, received a 60-year sentence for his role in the crime.