Bio

Michael Roy Toney was born on December 29, 1965, in Shasta County, California. He grew up in a small town called Cottonwood. His early life was difficult. His father left the family when Toney was very young, and his mother worked in local taverns to support him and his siblings. She often brought home various men, some of whom were abusive towards her and the children.

Because of the chaotic home environment, Michael often sought refuge in a shed. He faced severe abuse at a young age. When he was around 9 or 10 years old, one of his mother’s boyfriends restrained him to a chair, duct-taped his wrists, and set his hands on fire. This traumatic experience marked part of his childhood. When he turned 15, another boyfriend of his mother attacked him with a fishing gaff, causing a serious injury to his hip.

Due to the challenges at home, Toney dropped out of school before completing the 10th grade. In search of a better life, he left California and moved to Texas. He settled in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area of Tarrant County. At the age of 38, Toney married a woman named Kim. He had some work experience as a carpenter and laborer before his legal troubles began.

Toney's adult life was filled with difficulties, including multiple arrests before he was ultimately convicted of charges related to a tragic bombing incident in November 1985. Toney died in a car accident on October 3, 2009, just one month after he was released from prison on September 2, 2009, following the overturning of his conviction.

Murder Story

On November 28, 1985, a tragic event occurred in Lake Worth, Texas, resulting in the deaths of three people from the Blount family. Joe Blount, 42, his daughter Angela, 15, and her cousin Michael Columbus, 18, were killed when a briefcase bomb exploded in their home. This explosion also injured two others, Joe's wife Susan and their son Robert.

The case remained unsolved for 14 years until Michael Roy Toney was arrested on December 4, 1997. Toney had been talking with another inmate, Charles Ferris, who later claimed Toney confessed to the bombing. This led to Toney being indicted for capital murder. Toney’s ex-wife initially dismissed the idea that he could be involved but later contacted federal agents to suggest he could be connected to the crime.

During his trial starting in May 1999, several witnesses testified against Toney. His ex-wife claimed to have driven with Toney to a nearby store on the night of the bombing and stated that he had possessed a briefcase that he later returned without. Another witness, a cellmate of Toney, testified that Toney had claimed to have been paid for the murders. However, both an affidavit from Toney's ex-best friend and the cellmate's testimony were later recanted.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence and inconsistencies in witness testimonies, Toney was convicted and sentenced to death on June 10, 1999. For ten years, he maintained his innocence, claiming he had no prior knowledge of the bombing until years after it occurred. In December 2008, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his conviction, ruling that key evidence had been withheld during his trial.

On September 2, 2009, the Texas attorney general's office officially dropped all charges against Toney. He was released from prison just a month before he tragically died in a car accident on October 3, 2009, near Rusk, Texas.