Bio

John Wheat was born on May 22, 1944. He grew up in a typical American family, but not much is known about his early life or upbringing. As a young man, Wheat had various jobs and eventually became a church maintenance man. He lived in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked in a local church and was known in his community.

Wheat lived in an apartment complex called Les Jardins. He became acquainted with his neighbors, especially Angela Anderson, a single mother. Angela lived in the same complex with her three children: Edwardo, Ashley, and Lacey. Angela would sometimes ask Wheat to babysit her children while she worked the night shift.

Wheat's involvement with Angela’s family seemed to be friendly at first. He helped out when he could, and the children were familiar with him. However, a turning point came on July 29, 1995, when something serious was alleged against him. Angela's daughter, Ashley, told her mother that Wheat had behaved inappropriately. Concerned for her children’s safety, Angela wrote a note to Wheat stating she would report him to the police.

This note changed everything. Wheat read the note and became furious. The next morning, things took a drastic and tragic turn. Wheat's life before this incident is marked by his role as a maintenance worker and a babysitter but is overshadowed by the violence that followed.

Murder Story

On July 30, 1995, John Wheat committed a shooting rampage in Fort Worth, Texas. He was angry after Angela Anderson, a neighbor and mother of three children, wrote him a note saying she would call the police. She accused Wheat of molesting her daughter, Ashley.

After reading the note, Wheat got a .22 caliber pistol and a .45 caliber semiautomatic gun. He went to Angela's apartment, where she was trying to hide. He shot at her multiple times as she fled upstairs. Wheat chased her into another apartment and shot her again while she hid in a closet.

Wheat then returned to Angela’s apartment. He found her three children—Edwardo (8), Ashley (6), and Lacey (19 months)—in a back bedroom. He shot each of them in the head. After killing the children, Wheat took a carbine rifle from his apartment and began shooting at other residents in the complex. He wounded a security guard and a police officer when they arrived at the scene.

Soon, Wheat surrendered to the police and laid down his weapons. The bodies of the children were found in their apartment. Edwardo and Ashley had already died from their injuries, while Lacey was still breathing but later died at the hospital.

Wheat was arrested and later tried. In February 1997, he was convicted of the murder of Lacey Anderson and sentenced to death. His execution took place on June 13, 2001. He expressed regret for the events but maintained that he did not harm anyone intentionally.