Bio

Kavin Wayne Lincecum was born in 1963 in the United States. He lived in the Ledbetter area of Texas and stayed near relatives. Lincecum already had a criminal record before the Coppedge murders. He was on parole for a 1981 robbery when the crime happened. He had also worked as a laborer. His lawyers later claimed that he had a troubled childhood and emotional problems. 

They argued that he had been left by his mother and raised by relatives. These claims were reviewed during appeals, but they did not change his conviction or death sentence. By August 1985, Lincecum was living in Texas after being released on parole. On August 11, 1985, he left his home near Ledbetter and walked to Brenham. Later that day, he came across Kathy Coppedge and her son Casey near a church parking lot.

Murder Story

On August 11, 1985, Kathy Ann Coppedge and her son, Casey Coppedge, attended services at Brenham Presbyterian Church in Brenham, Texas. After church, they walked to Kathy’s blue Buick in a parking lot across the street. Lincecum approached them as they were getting into the car. He forced his way inside and drove away with Kathy and Casey in the vehicle.

Lincecum drove toward the Burton area and stopped on a rural gravel road. He searched Kathy’s purse and took her money. He then moved Casey to the back seat. Casey pleaded with him not to hurt his mother, and Lincecum told the boy he would not.

Lincecum ordered Kathy out of the car and attempted to sexually assault her. Kathy fought back and stabbed him in the left side with his knife. Lincecum took the knife back, folded it, and strangled her. The medical evidence later showed that she was likely strangled for several minutes.

After attacking Kathy, Lincecum tied Casey’s hands with a strap from Kathy’s purse and placed him in the trunk. He also tied Kathy’s hands and placed her in the trunk. He then drove the car to another location and abandoned it. The weather was extremely hot that day, with temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Kathy and Casey were found dead in the trunk later that night.

Court records state that Kathy most likely died from strangulation. Casey was probably still alive when he was placed in the trunk and died from suffocation. News reports later described Casey’s death as caused by suffocation after his mother’s body was placed in the trunk with him.

After leaving the car, Lincecum took Kathy’s rings and watch. He later gave the jewelry to his girlfriend, Rita Mathis. The stolen property became important evidence after investigators connected it back to Kathy Coppedge.

The case remained unsolved for several months. On December 3, 1985, Lincecum was arrested after an unrelated armed robbery near LaGrange. Information from that arrest helped investigators connect him to items taken from the Coppedges.

Lincecum was later convicted of capital murder for killing Kathy Ann Coppedge during the course of kidnapping, robbery, and attempted sexual assault. The jury answered the Texas death-penalty special issues in a way that required a death sentence. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and death sentence on September 16, 1987.

He continued filing appeals in state and federal court. In April 1992, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of federal habeas relief. His final stay request was denied in December 1992.

On December 10, 1992, Kavin Wayne Lincecum was executed by lethal injection in Texas.