Bio

Larry Ray Swearingen was born on May 21, 1971, in Montgomery, Texas. He grew up in a small town called Montgomery.

Swearingen attended local schools in Montgomery, where he finished his education up to the 11th grade. After school, he worked various jobs. He had experience working as an electrician, mechanic, and laborer.

As a young adult, Swearingen had some run-ins with the law. He had a prior prison record for burglary, where he was sentenced to two years. Initially, he was given probation but later had it revoked due to new legal issues.

Swearingen lived in a trailer home in Montgomery. He was married to a woman named Terry Swearingen. At the time of his eventual arrest, he was residing in this trailer.

His life took a drastic turn when he became involved in a crime that would lead to serious consequences. At the time, he was about 27 years old. Swearingen's background reflects a mix of ordinary life experiences combined with legal troubles that painted a complex picture of his early years.

Murder Story

On December 8, 1998, Larry Ray Swearingen kidnapped and murdered 19-year-old Melissa Trotter in Montgomery County, Texas. He had met Trotter a few days earlier at Montgomery College. They were seen leaving the college library together around 2:00 PM on the day she disappeared.

Swearingen's anger reportedly grew after Trotter rejected his sexual advances. He strangled her using a piece of his wife’s hosiery. After killing Trotter, he left her body in a secluded area of the Sam Houston National Forest, where it would not be found for about 25 days.

Investigators later found Trotter's body lying on its back, with signs of strangulation and some disarray with her clothing. An examination revealed that she had likely been raped, and evidence suggested she had been in Swearingen's home and vehicle.

Swearingen became the main suspect in Trotter's disappearance shortly after she vanished. He was arrested on December 11, 1998, for unrelated charges. While in custody, he made statements to friends about being in trouble and expressed concerns that the police were after him.

When Trotter's body was discovered on January 2, 1999, various forensic evidences linked Swearingen to the crime. He was indicted for capital murder, and the trial included evidence of his prior criminal history, which included unadjudicated rapes and an assault on his ex-wife.

Larry Ray Swearingen was convicted of capital murder on June 28, 2000, and was sentenced to death on July 11, 2000. After his conviction, he made several attempts to appeal his sentence, which were ultimately denied. He was scheduled for execution on January 27, 2009.