Bio

Travis Trevino Runnels was born on December 17, 1972, in Dallas, Texas.

He attended school in Dallas but did not advance much academically. By the time he reached high school, he only completed the 11th grade. His education ended without him obtaining a diploma. After leaving school, Runnels had several jobs, primarily working as a laborer. This kind of work included manual labor, which often exposed him to tough conditions.

His first conviction was for burglary of a building when he was just 21 years old in 1993. This led to a probation sentence but was later revoked when he committed another burglary the same year. He continued to be in and out of trouble with the law. In 1997, he was convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to a long prison term.

By January 2003, he was serving a 70-year sentence in the Clements Unit prison in Potter County, Texas, for aggravated robbery.

Murder Story

On January 29, 2003, Travis Trevino Runnels murdered Stanley A. Wiley, a 38-year-old prison employee. The incident occurred in the Clements Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where Runnels was serving time. He attacked Wiley, who was working as an Industrial Supervisor in a boot factory. Runnels used a knife to cut Wiley's throat. The cut was severe and caused significant injury.

After the attack, Stanley Wiley was rushed to the prison infirmary and then transferred to a hospital in Amarillo. Despite medical efforts, he was pronounced dead around 11 a.m. that day. Runnels, who was 30 years old at the time of the murder, was arrested shortly after the incident.

Runnels had a history of violent behavior and prior felony convictions. He was serving a 70-year sentence for aggravated robbery when he committed the murder. On November 16, 2005, Runnels was sentenced to death for his actions. 

Travis Trevino Runnels, 46, was executed by lethal injection on December 11, 2019, in Huntsville, Texas, for the 2003 murder of a prison employee.