1957 - 1999
Summary
Name:
John Michael LambYears Active:
1982Birth:
July 24, 1957Status:
ExecutedClass:
MurdererVictims:
1Method:
ShootingDeath:
November 17, 1999Nationality:
USA1957 - 1999
Summary: Murderer
Name:
John Michael LambStatus:
ExecutedVictims:
1Method:
ShootingNationality:
USABirth:
July 24, 1957Death:
November 17, 1999Years Active:
1982Date Convicted:
March 22, 1983“I’m sorry, I wish I could bring them back. I’m done, let’s do it.”
— John Michael Lamb
John Michael Lamb was born on July 24, 1957, and was from San Jose, California. He was later described as a drifter and handyman who had a criminal record in several states. Before the murder, he had been arrested for offenses including burglary, forgery, drug-related crimes, and receiving stolen property. He dropped out of school in the 11th grade and moved between states before arriving in Texas.
On November 5, 1982, Lamb was released from jail in Searcy, Arkansas, after serving time for receiving stolen property. Soon after his release, he began hitchhiking toward Texas. He later arrived in Greenville, Texas, where he came across Jerry Harrison Chafin, a 30-year-old man from Castlewood, Virginia, who was staying at a motel.
On November 6, 1982, Jerry Harrison Chafin was found shot to death inside a motel room in Greenville, Texas. He had been shot several times, including three wounds to the chest. Investigators found his belongings scattered in the room, and his car, wallet, driver’s license, and credit cards were missing.
Lamb later admitted that he met Chafin at the motel after being released from jail in Arkansas. According to his confession, Chafin invited him into the room. Lamb said he took a gun, shot Chafin, stole his wallet and car keys, and drove away in Chafin’s vehicle. He later used Chafin’s identification and credit card while traveling through Texas and Louisiana.
Five days after the murder, on November 11, 1982, Lamb was arrested in Florida after a chase with police. At the time of his arrest, he was driving Chafin’s car and had Chafin’s wallet, license, and credit cards. Lamb had also robbed a Florida gas station and shot the clerk before being caught.
Lamb was indicted in Hunt County, Texas, for capital murder. On March 22, 1983, a jury convicted him of murdering Chafin during a robbery. The next day, he was sentenced to death. His conviction and sentence were affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1984, and his later appeals were denied. John Michael Lamb was executed by lethal injection in Texas on November 17, 1999. He was 42 years old.
