Bio

Robert Wayne Vickers was born on April 29, 1958. He grew up in Arizona. Vickers faced many challenges during his early life. He had a difficult childhood and was first arrested while he was still in the sixth grade. Vickers was known to have a history of violent behavior even as a teenager.

He became involved in crime at a young age, committing a series of burglaries. In just thirteen days, he committed twelve burglaries in Tempe. He later confessed to committing more burglaries in California. At the age of 19, he was sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison for grand theft.

While in prison, he earned a reputation for being violent. He was often involved in fights with other inmates. One of his fights resulted in a serious stabbing that led to an additional 10 to 15 years being added to his sentence. Vickers showed a talent for creating weapons from everyday items, which contributed to his violent reputation.

During his time at the Catalina Mountain School, a facility for troubled youth north of Tucson, he was known for stabbing other boys with pencils. This early history of violence set the stage for a troubled life in and out of the prison system. After being sentenced for burglary, Vickers was surrounded by an environment that often encouraged aggressive behavior, which affected his mental health.

Vickers spent years in the Arizona prison system, where he continued to show violent tendencies. He was known for his ability to escape from handcuffs and for attempting to escape from prison multiple times. His life in prison was marked by numerous disobediences and attacks against both inmates and guards.

Murder Story

Robert Wayne Vickers committed two murders while he was an inmate in Arizona. His first murder occurred in 1979, when he killed his cellmate, Frank Ponciano. Vickers was angry because Ponciano had not woken him for lunch and had drunk his Kool-Aid. In response, he strangled Ponciano with a bedsheet. After strangling him, Vickers used a sharpened toothbrush to stab Ponciano multiple times and carved the word "Bonzai" onto his back, which he misspelled. He then used a cigarette to burn Ponciano's foot to prove to a guard that Ponciano was dead.

Vickers' second murder happened on March 4, 1982, while he was on death row for the previous murder. That evening, Vickers was assigned to do clean-up chores. Instead, he went to the cell of Wilmar "Buster" Holsinger, another death row inmate. Vickers was upset because Holsinger made a vulgar comment about Vickers' niece. In retaliation, Vickers crafted a firebomb using hair gel and an ice cream container. He lit the device and threw it into Holsinger's cell, causing a flash fire. Holsinger suffered severe burns and died from tracheobronchial injuries as a result of the fire.

After the incident, Vickers showed little remorse. When asked about Holsinger's condition, he replied, "He should be. He's on fire." The attack also endangered other inmates in the pod from smoke inhalation.

Vickers was ultimately convicted and faced execution for the murder of Holsinger. He was executed by lethal injection on May 4, 1999. Throughout his time in prison, Vickers gained a reputation for his violent behavior. He was known for making weapons from common items and had numerous incidents of assault against guards and other inmates.