Bio

Norman Lee Newsted was born on May 05, 1954. In 1984, Newsted lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had experienced various problems in his life, including prior legal issues. Before the crime that led to his execution, he had been convicted in Nevada for robbery and kidnapping.

On February 20, 1984, Newsted hailed a taxi at Tulsa International Airport. He asked the taxi driver, Lawrence Donnell Buckley, to take him to an address he believed was his sister's home. However, they had trouble finding the location. 

In trial testimony, it was revealed that they had stopped at a church to ask for directions. Newsted made a phone call from there, after which events took a tragic turn. He was arrested soon after, with details of his behavior and actions leading up to the incident raising concerns about his mental state.

This background sets the stage for the events that would change the course of many lives and eventually lead to Newsted's execution by lethal injection on July 8, 1999.

Murder Story

On February 20, 1984, Norman Lee Newsted murdered Lawrence Donnell Buckley, a 26-year-old taxi driver. Newsted arrived at the Tulsa International Airport and hailed Buckley, who had been driving a cab for a couple of months. Newsted asked Buckley to drive him to his sister's house, but they had difficulty finding the right address.

They stopped at the Calvary Temple Assembly of God to ask for directions. While at the church, Newsted used a phone to call his sister. After the call, he returned to the cab and shot Buckley twice in the back of the head. The next day, the cab was discovered partially submerged in a creek near the church, with Buckley’s body inside.

Investigators arrested Newsted at his sister's house, where they found Buckley's empty wallet. Newsted claimed he shot Buckley in self-defense, alleging that Buckley had tried to rob him. After his trial, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. On July 8, 1999, he was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma.