Bio

David O'Neal Hyde was born on June 18, 1962. In early March 1991, he and his half-brother, Jackie (Jake) Johnson, moved from Mesa to their parents' home near the Joyland Market in Phoenix, Arizona.

Murder Story

On March 8, 1991, John Lee Sr. and his daughter, Ginger Lee, were working at Joyland Market in Phoenix, Arizona. The market usually closed between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. When the Lees did not return home, family members went to the store and found both victims dead inside at about 11:15 p.m.

Both victims had suffered multiple lacerations, bruising, and fatal blunt-force injuries to the head. The medical examiner testified that the wounds were consistent with a blunt and sharp instrument, including an axe, cleaver, long knife, or the hilt and blade of a Bowie knife. A large Bowie knife was later found in Hyde’s possession, but the Arizona Supreme Court noted that no physical evidence directly linked him to the crime scene, and seven latent fingerprints found at the store were not identifiable.

The evidence also suggested that a theft had occurred. A receipt was found in the register for items that had been rung up but not totaled. The cash register drawer and John Lee’s pockets contained no paper money, and Ginger Lee’s purse was missing.

Police initially received an anonymous tip naming Jackie Johnson and another man. After further investigation, officers focused on Johnson and Hyde. They learned that the half-brothers had left Arizona for Wichita, Kansas. Wichita police located them, and Hyde was arrested in his car at about 3:15 a.m. Phoenix time on March 16, 1991. Johnson was later arrested inside the home where they had been staying.

On March 17, 1991, Phoenix detectives interviewed Hyde in Wichita. During questioning, he first gave statements placing himself at the market and describing a struggle involving Johnson and Ginger Lee. The next morning, after again receiving Miranda warnings, Hyde recanted and said he had not been inside Joyland Market at the time of the murders.

The State also used testimony from a jailhouse informant, who claimed Hyde described the crime after being transferred to Phoenix. According to that testimony, Hyde and Johnson entered Joyland Market while discussing their need for money, a struggle began after Johnson tried to take Ginger Lee’s purse, and both victims were beaten during the robbery.

Hyde and Johnson were tried separately. Johnson’s case was tried first, and he was acquitted of both murders and burglary. Hyde’s jury later found him guilty of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of first-degree burglary. On July 23, 1992, Judge John H. Seidel sentenced Hyde to death for each murder conviction and to an aggravated 15-year sentence for burglary. The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences on July 9, 1996.

The case changed years later because of DNA testing. In May 2002, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Tom O’Toole granted Hyde a new trial. Phoenix New Times reported that the judge found new DNA evidence probably would have changed the verdict or sentence. The blood on Hyde’s jacket, which had been argued at trial as possibly belonging to the Lees, was later identified as Jackie Johnson’s blood instead.

The judge also criticized the strength of the remaining evidence. Phoenix New Times reported that the court found no credible eyewitness testimony placing Hyde at the scene, called his statements contradictory and suspect, and found that the State had heavily relied on the blood evidence. The judge also found that Hyde’s trial attorney had provided ineffective representation.

After the new-trial order, prosecutors planned to retry Hyde. The retrial was delayed. In 2004, prosecutors offered a plea agreement. Hyde did not admit guilt but entered a no-contest plea to reduced charges of second-degree murder and burglary. On August 11, 2004, Judge Gregory Martin sentenced him to time served and ordered his immediate release.