Authorities say Harkey had a deal to sell his stepmother's pecan ranch in San Saba County for more than $570,000, but couldn't agree with Johnson on how much to give Bonnie Harkey. The famously craggy-faced movie star had been buying up property near his hometown since 1981, slowly amassing a 5,050-acre ranch in the eastern part of San Saba County. View the profiles of people named Bonnie Harkey. A change of venue brought the high-profile trial to Burnet County. Trending on Oxygen. Bruce began to spend more time with his nephew Carl, who was now 24. Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. His ex-wife, his eighth wife Kami, said Brucetried to have her killed, too. Kosciusko, MS. Riley, meanwhile, focused on the familys holdings outdoors, tending as always to his pecan trees. A century ago, the Harkey family learned how to make money grow on trees pecan trees. Watching through a pair of binoculars, hed stare, for hours at a time, at the orchards that werent his. The daughter of Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman and the late Beth Chapman told ET Thursday that she lost her home in a fire. The jury deliberated for about an hour Tuesday, and Bruce Harkey received an automatic sentence of life in prison. Karens eleven-year-old son, who had found her and called 911, stood on the front porch clutching a cordless phone. She had been hit in the head and then drowned, said McAfee. Two years after the murders of Bonnie Harkey, 85, and her caretaker, Karen Johnson, the last two suspects involved in their deaths have been sentenced. He stopped short of smothering her when he thought he heard the doorbell; when Bonnie called out to Lillian that Carl was trying to kill her, he convinced his disoriented grandmother otherwise, saying they should all go for a drive. But all she did was laugh. Harkey was charged after authorities discovered he had paid $500 to 29-year-old Carl Wade Pressley, Bonnie Harkeys adoptive grandson, to make her gone this weekend. Harkey promised Pressley and his common-law wife, Lillian King, another $55,000 once Bonnie Harkey was dead. Her closed casket sat in the sanctuary alongside photos of her with Riley and Miss Kitty. House District: 103 Senate District: 42 County District: Board Of Commissioners District 5 School Board District: School Board Dist 5. How much is a full grown pecan tree worth? It didnt matter that Carl had signed away his rightsBonnie still had a life estate in the property. It was almost more than Bruce could bear. If you want to enjoy the unmistakable flavor of chocolates but don't like candy, praline nuts are an excellent option. Where is Harkeyville Texas? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Bruce and I just kind of confined ourselves upstairs and made it into a little apartment, recalled Jennifer. Who is Bonnie Harkey? Theyd take a mouthful of food and spit it out, or theyd talk about her, giggle all the time, act rude. We support the Constitution, Smaller Govt, and Individual Liberty. Bruce said he wanted me to get rid of her and take herhell put money in my bank account., According to Carl, Bruce had come to see him on Friday to propose a deal. Afterward, they returned home, where Bonnie changed out of her Sunday best and into a teal tracksuit. In the meantime, if Riley died first, Bonnie would maintain a life estate over all the property. Her husband, Riley had passed away, and she relied on a caretaker, Karen Johnson, for help around the house and getting around town.. He got married and divorced two more timesa daughter was born in 1982and then returned to Texas, where in 1987 he snagged a plum position in the Texas attorney generals office investigating Medicaid fraud and nursing home abuse. Carl, looking pudgy and sporting a large horseshoe mustache, nervously bounced his legs, his feet shackled, as he sat in his orange-and-white jumpsuit. Season 10 Episode 10 - Videos 1:13 Preview Texas Double Murder Was "Epic Tale Of Greed" 1:46 Preview But Im the mayor of Harkeyville now, Hibler continued. Lived in Riverdale IL | Milwaukee WI. Bruce, Carl said, had been talking constantly about getting rid of Bonnie. You get rid of that kid or Im going back to Waco, he claims she told Riley. SAN SABA, Texas (KXAN) At 85, Bonnie Harkey was loved by her neighbors in San Saba County and affectionately known as the Pecan Queen because of the sprawling and fertile farm of nut-bearing trees that had been in her family for years. (We dont have the budget of big cities, so we had to use the same thing we use to record traffic stops to record a capital homicide confession, explained Wilkerson.) Bruce seethed. Bruce Harkey, 59, said in interviews with The . Despite these outbursts, she continued to write checks for him. House in Tourcoing, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. When the 85-year-old matriarch of a prominent pecan-farming clan in San Saba was murdered, her death shook the townand exposed how obsession and greed can fell a family from within The orchards were in such horrible condition, because Bonnie and Connie didnt know how to run a farm or what to do with pecan trees, Jennifer told me. This was all Harkey before, the whole area, he told me, stretching his hand out. The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. Bruce was infuriated. At least 1 dead, 5 injured in Massachusetts house party shooting, 2-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers player drowns after falling into pool, Tornado strikes Virginia coast, leaving behind trail of damage, AI-generated music growing exponentially, sparking debate. Bonnies caretaker, a fifty-year-old redhead named Karen Johnson, was sprawled facedown just inside the front door, atop the floral doormat. (Jennifer was never arrested, and John escaped public scrutiny when he died of a heart attack three months after the murders.) One of Bruce Harkeys attorneys, Richard Davis, said their testimony was not credible, and he said no evidence linked Bruce Harkey to the killings. Bonnie Harkey, Texas Pecan Queen, Killed By Grandson - 2paragraphs Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Tonight @DatelineNBC reports on the death of Bonnie Harkey, the matriarch of a prominent San Saba pecan farming family. Im ninety-nine percent sure that Carl Pressleys involved., Deputies spent the next few hours trying to track down Carl and Lillian, requesting a DPS Silver Alert for Bonnie and a statewide search for Carls Mustang. She also wrote large checks to foreign telephone scammers. Nobody else did that after the seventies., Perhaps it was Rileys work ethic and stature that first caught the attention of Bonnie Sawyer Compton. The newlyweds moved into an apartment in town; Bruce went to class and worked at a Texaco station. One of Dwight's cousins moved to San Saba, attended The Father House, and went to the Christian Women's . Anything in this world that was wrong in Bruces life, he blamed Bonnie.). Bonnie Harkey, 85 was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after the body of her housekeeper was found at the pecan matriarch's home. A Tree Is Known By Its Fruit - Texas Monthly Top 3 Results for Bonnie Harkey. Was I enamored with or happy about Bonnie Harkey? Searchers tramped past a barn, an old metal shack, through the high grass of the riverbank, and along Tommy Lee Joness fence line, where horses grazed sedately on the other side. The sentencing hearings for Carl and Lillian took place a couple of weeks later at the San Saba County courthouse. 10,853 followers. Left: The entrance to the Harkey homestead off U.S. 190. There are no secrets around here, and if there is a secret, someone will make up a story to fill in the gaps, explained Boyd. But then what happened? Bonnie Harkey and Karen Johnson Find-A-Grave: Bonnie Katherine Sawyer Harkey Bruce Harkey on Trial for Capital Murder Woman Kidnapped, Buried Alive, Was Victim Of Murder- For-Hire-Plot Co-conspirators are sentenced in San Saba County double-murder A Tree Is Known By Its Fruit The death of the 'Pecan Queen' Bonnie Harkey, Texas Pecan Queen, Killed By Grandson But her violent death in March shook the quiet Hill Country community about two hours northwest of Austin, both for its brutality and for the fact that members of her own family were charged in what authorities a far-reaching murder-for-hire scheme over the Harkey family fortune. BURNET, Texas (AP) - A Central Texas man faces life in prison for plotting the death of his stepmother so he could sell her lucrative pecan farm and make hundreds of thousands of dollars. I was in the backseat, and I leaned forward and said, So, do we call you Mom now or what? he said. I still have the scar where my brother kicked me. Read More. Our world has changed, and many people in it have become motivated by greed and grown up with a sense of entitlement, she wrote in theNews & Staron April 5. What are the 12 general lab safety rules. Rencontre avec Vincent Huguet (EDHEC Master 1998) co-fondateur et co-CEO de Malt. Bonnie, a staunch Baptist, persuaded Riley, a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, to attend San Sabas First Baptist Church with her, where Betty Ann and her husband, Craigan, also attended. Bonnie Harkey's . He willed it to Connie, while the other two groves were to go to John and Bruce, so that all three kids would have their own orchards someday. Bonnie doted on the strawberry-blond little boy, proudly displaying his photos on her mantel. They have also lived in Caryville, TN and Statesville, NC. Proud of his planning, Riley trumpeted what he had done around town. He sat right on that chair by the door and talked about it one day for a long time, about how he had it all fixed and there wouldnt be any problems, Oliver told me recently. Assist all periodontal surgeries, perform all post-operative follow-up appointments, assist patients . Autopsy reports indicate Bonnie Harkey may have been buried alive. Who owns the Harkey pecan Farm? - Rattleinnaustin.com In an interview, Harkey said he is innocent and that his nephew is a liar. San Saba County Not much damage and we enjoyed 'bumping into each other' at the Christian Women's monthly meetings. He paused, then gave a heavy sigh. She, like the three hundred other assembled mourners, was still reeling from the shock of her friends violent end. After reconstructing Bonnies movements that morning, the search team was stumped. mostly concerned himself with fire ants, which can hamper the grafting process and damage expensive irrigation equipment. Teenage flirtation gave way to sobering reality with an unexpected pregnancy, however, and the two were married in August 1969, on a Friday evening at the start of Bruces senior year. Hed planned to smother Bonnie with a pillow at naptime and then sneak out, but when Karen spotted him as she answered the door, he panicked, tackling her in a bear hug and throwing her to the floor, where he suffocated her beneath his body weight. The Harkeys were one of the first families to settle the area, before pecans were an industry. They didnt care if they were in public or not. (John by this time had settled outside Fort Worth and had three children of his own.) I think part of their attitude goes back to being a Harkey, said Teresa Cook, Bonnies niece. Harkey was, recalled family friend Donna Bush, "one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew." The way it looked, making sure it was well manicured. Yet while their life appeared to be in perfect order, Bonnie and Rileys marriage was not always a happy one. But they werent real tears.. Read our feature on the case from January. Bonnie Harkey, 85 was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after the body of her housekeeper was found at the pecan matriarchs home. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. Why don t pecan trees produce every year? 1:20 Cold Justice Kelly Siegler Meets with . It didnt help that Bonnie was showing signs of dementia. Dateline NBC will air a report on the Harkey family on April 23 at 10pm. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. It also uncovered a dark tale of family, greed, and hate. He sped down U.S. 190 in his white truck, passing neatly tended rows of pecan trees and the cattle auction barn, then crossed the San Saba River and rumbled down the caliche road to the two-story house. He is the living epitome of evil.. If I waste my time and energy hating the people that have claimed I did, Im takin away time from loving my wife and my children. Located in east central San Saba County, San Saba was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. including 3 cats, a dog, a gecko and a pet snake. Rileys wife, Joan, had recently walked out on him and their twoboys after a troubledmarriage, packingup her Ford stationwagon and hightailing it to the desert of Nevada. IE 11 is not supported. Brown wondered if Karen had died of natural causes and if Bonnie, confused upon discovering her body, had simply wandered off. Her ex-husband, a traveling salesman, had left her for another woman, and Bonnie had moved from Ocee to the city with their daughter, fourteen-year-old Connie. After that, Price and Sergeant John Wilkerson moved Carl to the sally port of the jail, where they could use a patrol cars dash cam to record the interrogation. When I reached out to Bruce for his side of things, he sent me a letter. Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France Who owns the largest pecan orchard in the world? Bonnie Sharkey - Phone, Address, Public Records | PeopleFinders How much money can you make with pecan trees? They'd made a fortune in pecans, but a double murder would expose a vicious power struggle. An English cabinetmaker who was captivated by the wrinkly nuts, Risien offered a $5 prize to whoever brought him the finest specimens. Afterward, one San Saban whod witnessed all the proceedings expressed his towns pleasure in the outcome. One of those girls was Judi Bishop, one year older and from Goldthwaite, a town 22 miles north. He stayed for about two hours and cried, recalled Shawn Oliver, Clydenes son. Murder In The Family: Bonnie Harkey "The Pecan Queen" and her caretaker I try to be careful when driving. A DPS helicopter dispatched from Waco made slow circles overhead, scanning the ground with heat-imaging cameras. Shelled walnuts are available in halves, chunks and halves of topping (native nut). When Bonnie Harkey, the 85-year-old matriarch of a prominent San Saba family, was brutally murdered in 2012, her death spelled the end of a legendary pecan dynasty. The care of the orchard was very important to him, remembered Millicans wife, Kristen, who grew up across from one of Rileys groves. We didnt know he had stolen them, said Shawn Oliver. These nuts have a praline-flavored coating, making them a crunchy, but no less sweet, alternative to the thick, chewy praline burger. It was Riley, a man with a long, bushy goatee and square head, who purchased the initial 113.9-acre tract for a farm in Harkeyville in 1885, and it was on this farm that his grandson and eventual heir, Olga Bryan Harkey, was born, in 1898. Bruce Harkey in the visitors room at the Byrd Unit, in Huntsville, in September 2014. Who is Sherlocks Sponsor Alfredo on Elementary? He tried to have me killed. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. 4d. Wild pecan trees, Carya illinoinensis, haveflourished throughout the South for millennia, and thousands grow along the rivers of Central Texas; when the explorer lvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca was held captive by Indians on the Guadalupe in 1532, he christened it the river of nuts. But human cultivation of pecans in Texas began in San Saba in 1874, with the arrival of Edmund E. Risien. Preview. Outdoorsy types can enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and swimming. While his grandmother was still alive, Pressley sold the rights to his share for about $70,000 to Bruce Harkey and his brother, the district attorney said. Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Bonnie H Harkey from Charlotte, North Carolina | VoterRecords.com He had been playing video games in another room, he said through tears, and hadnt heard any commotion. Over the years, he had started to wonder whether Eric might have lived if Bonnie hadnt been the one watching him. Carl then went to find Bonnie and asked if they could pray together in her bedroom. In the days before the murders, hed proclaimed to everyone he encounteredat the San Saba Printing Company, at the Corner Caf, at J&Js Tractor Companythat he planned to spend the weekend at Johns house, in Fort Worth, playing golf. Local columnist Lindy Lieban Schulz voiced the collective unease. The co-worker and Bruces boss became so alarmed that they alerted the authorities, and a Texas Ranger and an ATF special agent began to record Bruces conversations. The judge disagreed, sending Bruce to federal prison for five years. View Details. She was a super sweet lady who would do anything for anybody, Boyd said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Since pecans are pollinated only by the wind, excessive rainfall during spring bloom prevents pollination, as noted above, and poorly pollinated flowers produce small nuts that later abort. But Carl was inconsolable, the days events washing over him with sudden, horrifying clarity. Stepson Guilty in Texas Pecan Farm Killings | newswest9.com Most famous for its abundance of pecans hence being known as The Pecan Capital of the World this Hill Country destination is packed with specialty shops selling all sorts of pecan-related goodies. Bonnie, who had been watching Eric, rushed him to the hospital, but by the time she got there, the baby was dead. New twist in San Saba murder-for-hire the Millican family Get rid of Bonnie this weekend, Carl said Bruce told him. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Carl and Lillian agreed to testify against Bruce, and jurors also heard from two inmates, including one former Aryan Brotherhood member, who claimed that Bruce had tried to hire them from jail to kill both Carl and Spinks. The Millicans, their lease having expired, were no longer caring for the orchards, and as I passed by the historic groves, the trees looked unkempt, thirsty from the drought and in need of a trim. Bruce pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and at his sentencing, his lawyer tried to argue that he had simply been all talk. How many acres do you need for a pecan orchard? As a boy, Carl had suffered from ADHD and often butted heads with his mother; as a young man, hed developed a love for motorcycles and meth, which had worn his bottom teeth down to little yellow stubs. (The official cause of death was aspiration asphyxiation.) Just before daybreak, Carl and Lillian arrived at the San Saba County jail, a compact limestone building that is the oldest continuously operating jail in the U.S. When Bonnie and Karen got home, he texted Lillian, who was to come back and ring the doorbell, serving as a distraction while he tiptoed into Bonnies bedroom. Top: The foyer where Karen Johnson was found dead. No longer a single mother, Bonnie found herself joining clubs, making friends, and sliding into the comfortable life she had always wanted.