Bio

Orien Cecil Joiner was born on October 27, 1949, in the United States. He was also known by the nickname “O.C.” Later news reports stated that he grew up in Macon, Georgia, and worked as a long-haul trucker before moving to Texas.

By the mid-1980s, Joiner was living in Lubbock, Texas. He operated or worked around trucking and had moved his business interests to Texas. At the time of the murders, he lived next door to Carol Lynette Huckabee and Eva Marie DeForest, two waitresses who shared an apartment in Lubbock.

Joiner was estranged from his wife before the murders. Court records state that he had experienced emotional distress related to the separation and had been hospitalized for psychological or emotional reasons shortly before the killings. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals also noted that he had threatened suicide before the murders.

During the punishment phase of his trial, prosecutors presented testimony about prior violent conduct. Court records state that about three days before the murders, Joiner held his estranged wife captive for more than 24 hours, forced her to undress, assaulted her with a knife, and struck her. The court also noted evidence that he had a quick temper and had displayed a knife in the past.

Murder Story

On December 17, 1986, Carol Lynette Huckabee, 26, and Eva Marie DeForest, 29, were found murdered inside their apartment in Lubbock County, Texas. Joiner lived next door to the victims. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals later confirmed that Joiner was convicted of capital murder for killing more than one person during the same criminal transaction.

Court records state that one victim was stabbed four times in the chest and had lacerations to her neck. The second victim suffered 41 stab wounds to the chest, blunt-force trauma to the head, head lacerations, and a slashed throat. The court also stated that physical evidence suggested both women were sexually assaulted after death.

Joiner reported to police that he had seen two men running from the victims’ apartment. Investigators found no footprints in the muddy area where he claimed the men escaped. A witness reported seeing Joiner near the victims’ apartment with blood on his shirt and blood dripping from his hand. Blood evidence later connected stains on Joiner’s clothing to the victims’ blood types.

Joiner was arrested three days after the murders. He maintained that he was innocent and claimed he had discovered the victims’ bodies, broken a window to enter, and called police. Prosecutors argued that the physical evidence, witness testimony, and inconsistencies in his statements connected him to the killings.

On April 18, 1988, Joiner was convicted of capital murder. His punishment was assessed at death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence on February 12, 1992, and denied rehearing on March 18, 1992.

Joiner continued to appeal after his conviction. In 1995, the Fifth Circuit noted that his conviction had been affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and that the U.S. Supreme Court had denied certiorari.

Orien Cecil Joiner was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on July 12, 2000. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists his execution date and official last statement. He was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. He was 50 years old.