Clowning and Chaos at Coble Killing

Convicted murderer Billie Wayne Coble was executed by the state of Texas last night, but his lethal injection was far from ordinary.

Coble earned his death sentence for killing his in-laws and their son, a former police sergeant, during a days-long fight with his estranged wife regarding their impending divorce. 

Moments before his death, Coble joked with bystanders and said, "That'll be $5." But the mood in the witness area wasn't light at all as a fight broke out between Coble's relatives and others who were there to observe the execution. Coble's son and grandson were arrested after shouting obscenities and punching other members of the execution audience.

Because Texas no longer allows special last meal requests, Coble was given the same food as others in his unit. For his last meal, Coble was served scrambled eggs, oven-fried potatoes, biscuits, country gravy, mixed fruit, grape jelly, catsup, baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet peas, pinto beans, and sliced bread, with a choice of water, tea, or punch to drink.