Ellis County Killer to be Executed Tonight

Pepper steak is being served this evening at the Huntsville “Walls Unit”, where convicted killer Kent Sprouse is scheduled for a 6 p.m. lethal shot of pentobarbital.

The injection, which was formerly meant for cop killer Randall Wayne Mays, is one of four the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has been able to obtain to get through the month’s executions, after a shortage threatened to shift death dates last month.

With six more executions scheduled between now and June 18, TDCJ Director of Public Information Jason Clark explained that the Texas prison system is still exploring options to keep the executions on track.

“The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has obtained a new supply of pentobarbital which will allow the agency to carry out executions that are scheduled for the month of April,” Clark said in an emailed statement. “The drugs were purchased from a licensed pharmacy that has the ability to compound. We continue to explore all options including the continued used of pentobarbital or alternate drugs to use in the lethal injection process.”

The shot that will be used to kill Sprouse would have been the last had the supply not been recently refilled. Originally, it was intended for Mays, who was granted a stay of execution two days before he was scheduled to die on March 18.

Sprouse has been on death row for the past 12 years after being convicted of the capital murder of Pedro Moreno and Officer Harry Melvin Steinfeldt III in Ellis County.

According to a case summary written by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Sprouse stopped at a gas station in Ferris on Oct. 6, 2002 and entered the store with a shotgun hanging from his shoulder. When he returned to his vehicle outdoors, Sprouse fired on two men standing at a pay phone.

Another customer, startled by the shot, asked Sprouse if he was “okay”, to which Sprouse responded that the gun was not real. He asked the man, Brad Carroll, if he would help him get his car started.

“Carroll agreed and pulled his truck in front of [Sprouse’s] car to use booster cables,” the summary states. “While [Sprouse] was working on his car, Carroll noticed several boxes of buckshot in [Sprouse’s] vehicle, determined that the gun was real, and decided to leave.”

As he drove away, Carroll heard another shot and saw a bleeding man lying on the ground when he turned to look. Sprouse was pointing the shotgun in the man’s direction, the summary states.  

“Just after he left the property, Carroll saw a police officer’s car pull into the station,” the summary states. “He then heard two more shotgun blasts and pistol fire.”

According to the summary, another man, Brandon O’Neill, who was waiting to fill up with diesel, witnessed Sprouse working on his vehicle while Pedro Moreno filled his truck up with gas.

“O’Neill noticed that [Sprouse] appeared to speak to Moreno, but Moreno did not respond,” the summary states. “[Sprouse] then reached into his vehicle, pulled out a gun, and shot Moreno.”

After the shooting, officer Harry Marvin Steinfeldt III responded to the scene and saw Moreno on the ground, then turned toward Sprouse’s car, who then fired twice. Steinfeldt returned fire after he hit the ground, hitting Sprouse at least once, but not fatally injuring him. Sprouse then walked around to the side of the food mart, where he was taken into custody by officer Brad Lindsey.

“In the ambulance on the way to the hospital to receive treatment for the wounds he suffered in the exchange of gunfire, [Sprouse] gave his name and address to the officer accompanying him,” the summary states. “[Sprouse] then stated several times without prompting that he had killed an undercover officer at the gas pumps and had shot a second officer in uniform.”

Both Moreno and Steinfeldt died as a result of the injuries sustained in the gunfire.

“Several witnesses stated that [Sprouse] showed no emotion and was rather nonchalant throughout the incident,” the summary states.

Medical personnel who treated Sprouse described his demeanor as belligerent and uncooperative and stated they had determined he had used meth within 48 hours of arriving at the hospital.

One nurse testified that he had repeatedly stated “two cops got whacked,” the summary states.

In response to the case against him, Sprouse called several witnesses who testified that he is not only non-violent, but who were also of the opinion that he had a mental illness and claimed to see things that weren’t there, such as “dead people” and people who talked to him through the television.

“Dr. Jaye Douglas Crowder, a psychiatrist appointed to examine Sprouse, testified that he interviewed [Sprouse] several times, as well as [Sprouse’s] friends and family members,” the summary states. “Crowder testified that [Sprouse] was psychotic each time he was interviewed. He also stated that [Sprouse] had an extensive history of psychotic behavior and delusional thinking. Crowder opined that, on the day of the offense, [Sprouse] was psychotic, paranoid, believed people were persecuting him, and did not understand the wrongfulness of his conduct.”

The state, in return, called a doctor and psychiatrist who testified that the defendant had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the offense and that he did not exhibit any signs of psychotic behavior. The latter was supported by statements from two correctional officers from the Ellis County Jail, who testified that they’d never seen Sprouse “agitated, pacing or talking to himself,” the summary states.

After the state and defense put on their evidence, a jury found Sprouse guilty of capital murder on Feb. 26, 2004. He was sentenced to death the following day. After years of appeals, Sprouse’s execution day was set on Nov. 19, 2014. He is 42 years old.