But he dont care about anybody but himself.. He tried to have me killed. 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. 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. 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. I want to stay here as long as I can.. Portraits of several generations of Harkeys, including white-haired matriarch Bonnie Harkey. San Saba, Texas known to many as the Pecan Capital of the World snuggles up to the banks of the San Saba River. Bruce began to spend more time with his nephew Carl, who was now 24. 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. This idea consumed him. The sentencing hearings for Carl and Lillian took place a couple of weeks later at the San Saba County courthouse. The sergeant did his best to reassure him: Your grandmothers forgiven you for everything else.. The town has recently focused its energies on tourism, redeveloping its downtown, but the pecan industry remains alive and well. The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. 4d. 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. I do not take any medicine that would cause unsafe driving. 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. Why hadnt Bruce and Carl just waited? If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. And, Im the only one left alive that knows the truth, he wrote, his ballpoint indenting the paper. How many acres do you need for a pecan orchard? Not much damage and we enjoyed 'bumping into each other' at the Christian Women's monthly meetings. Watching through a pair of binoculars, hed stare, for hours at a time, at the orchards that werent his. View 10 photos $931,099 5 Beds 3 Baths 2153 sqft. Bruce looked forward to the day when hed take care of the orchards himself. All I wanna do is get this cleared up and go home. He remains hopeful that his case will be overturned on appeal. Harkey was, recalled family friend Donna Bush, one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew.. Premature loss of nuts For many years, lack of pollination causes the greatest loss of nuts. According to one newspaper account, Riley and Israel Harkey, two brothers from Arkansas, drove the first wagon train into the county while serving as Indian scouts for the Republic of Texas; they became so enamored of the loamy soil in the San Saba River Valley that they returned in 1855 with their parents and six other siblings. As he saw it, Bonnie was staying on his birthright, said Kami. It also uncovered a dark tale of family, greed, and hate. They brought their own refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker and remarried the next fall. 1. He called Sheriff Brown. Bonnie quit her job at the telephone company, and she and Connie moved into the Harkey house. View 19 photos $1,262,694 Friendly beer nerd. The he denies any wrongdoing comes as no surprise to investigators. Brown wondered if Karen had died of natural causes and if Bonnie, confused upon discovering her body, had simply wandered off. But his narcissism did little to endear him to the residents of San Saba. 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. If you asked him what time it was, hed tell you how to build a watch, said Steve Boyd, a former Texas Ranger who succeeded Allen Brown as sheriff in 2013. Spinks, after looking over the deal, found that the terms were not beneficial to Bonnie and refused to sign off on it. Riley, meanwhile, focused on the familys holdings outdoors, tending as always to his pecan trees. According to Carl, he approached another potential hit man about killing Bonnie and Spinks but found the $10,000 asking price too steep. How many pecan trees do you need to produce pecans. I thought Bruce was my best friend. (Farming is gambling, and I didnt think that was the most prudent thing to do with an eighty-four-year-olds money, when she might need it for hospital care, Spinks said. According to local news station KXAN, "One Sunday, while Bonnie was at church, her grandson Carl. By the time they arrived, it was evening, and Carl told Bonnie that he wanted to show her a real nice fishing hole.. Bonnie Harkey - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Her husband, Riley had passed away, and she relied on a caretaker, Karen Johnson, for help around the house and getting around town.. If he was coming to worship and study, that was fine, but we didnt want that anger, explained Pastor Sam Crosby. Bruce isdenying all allegations from prison although he does have a history of being accused of solicitation of murder. These nuts have a praline-flavored coating, making them a crunchy, but no less sweet, alternative to the thick, chewy praline burger. Handsome, with sandy-brown hair, Bruce busied himself with a slate of extracurricular activitiesSpanish club, student council, Future Farmers of Americaand soon figured out how to charm girls with his mischievous smile. It's not clear if that agreement could be legally enforced. Bruce Harkey in the visitors room at the Byrd Unit, in Huntsville, in September 2014. 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. In 1996, shortly after his forty-fourth birthday, Bruce married his eighth wife, a twenty-year-old named Kami Jones, and the couple drove out frequently to visit Bonnie and Riley. Jun 1986 - Dec 200115 years 7 months. Like Bruce, Carl had a rap sheet, which included charges for trespassing and domestic violencein 2005 hed allegedly tried to run over his stepfather with a tractorand he also had an eye for pecans: after realizing that a truckful of nuts could net him several thousand dollars, hed begun filching them from Bonnies barn. A contract was immediately drawn up. House District: 103 Senate District: 42 County District: Board Of Commissioners District 5 School Board District: School Board Dist 5. You get rid of that kid or Im going back to Waco, he claims she told Riley. He thought everything would be fine and dandy because the two boys knew what they were getting and Connie would get a pecan orchard too.. Some of those secrets still haunt some of the people involved., Just outside of San Saba sits the small town of Harkeyville, named for the Harkey family and its generations of pecan farming. Sheriff Allen Brown was already out on patrol when the 911 call came in. Scanner chatter is a rich source of gossip in this tiny Central Texas city of 3,099, and ears perked up that Sunday as paramedics and law enforcement officers rushed four miles west of town to Harkeyville, where a 1927 red-brick house sat among three hundred acres of pecan orchards. I dont want nothin to do with it. They ate out all the time, they got into online gaming, explained Wilkerson, who obtained Bruces bank records during his investigation. 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 Heakins Harkey - Facebook Allen, I just got a phone call from my wife saying thatshejust got a phone call about you coming to arrest me, my brother, and her. Over generations, a family feud was brought on by a lust for land. In May the brothers had persuaded Carl to sell them his future rights to the Prichard Orchard for a measly $75,000, even though the property was valued at more than $500,000. So, Bruce Harkey asked Pressley to kill everybody at the house, McAfee said. Bonnie H Harkey is listed at 1340 Sardis Rd N Charlotte, Nc 28270 and is affiliated with the Republican Party. During the interrogation, Price asked Carl a question. Bonnie Harkey Profiles | Facebook The Harkeys had long been one of San Sabas most prominent families, and their property sat next door to a stretch of pastureland owned by another notable native son, the actor Tommy Lee Jones. Humans lose their hearts, their souls, and their ability to act like anything other than monsters., In August I went to visit Carl at the Telford Unit, in New Boston. The relationship devolved rather quickly, recalled Spinks. Carl said his uncle Bruce Harkey paid him to do it. I do drive slowly more times than I should because I would not want to hurt anyone. Bonnie Harkey was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after Johnsons body was found at Harkeys home. (The official cause of death was aspiration asphyxiation.) Proud of his planning, Riley trumpeted what he had done around town. Read More. I drove to San Saba in late summer. Mesa, Az. Riley did die, in July 1997, after succumbing to advanced bone cancerthe result, a few townspeople speculated, of exposure to the chemicals he sprayed on his pecan trees. If there was a club in town, she belonged to it, said Betty Ann Johnson, a San Saba resident and Bonnies friend of forty years. House in Tourcoing, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. No, I never did like her, never did get along with her, he acknowledged. Both testified at Bruce Harkeys trial about the murder-for-hire arrangement. Top: The foyer where Karen Johnson was found dead. (John by this time had settled outside Fort Worth and had three children of his own.) Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France Finally, when their daughter was four, Kami worked up the courage to walk out. She never said anything about it, but I could tell by the way she acted.. There was drought and sudden freeze and poor soil drainage. It also uncovered a dark tale of family, greed, and hate. Bonnie Harkey was still living on the farm, and her guardian believed she deserved more than the $44,000 the brothers were offering from the sale of the land, McAfee said. Where is Harkeyville Texas? But they werent real tears.. 4:12 Cold Justice An Exclusive Look Into the Case of Steven Phelps. They would laugh at her and criticize her food, her sister continued. By this time he and Jennifer had moved to his grandfathers house in town, and to anyone who would listen, he complained loudly about Millicans work, finding fault with everything from the way he trimmed branches to how he irrigated. Find contact info for Bonnie Sharkey - phone number, address, email. Who is the biggest pecan producer in the world? 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. He became the head of the San Saba County Pecan Growers Association, and around town, farmers sought him out for advice. He explained their animosity. 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. Bruce called me in the mornings, in the evenings, on the weekends. By 1884, the town had four churches, two schools, a sawmill and a gristmill, a bank, a paper, and a population of 800. But then what happened? They'd made a fortune in pecans, but a double murder would expose a vicious power struggle. Bonnie entertained often, volunteering her home for garden club and church functions, serving up sandwiches, cakes, and other dainty refreshments on fine china. Bonnie, with her hazel eyes and red-tinted hair,as well as her knowledge of motherhood, was instantly attractive to Riley. What are the top 5 pecans producing states? San Saba County But Carl was inconsolable, the days events washing over him with sudden, horrifying clarity. There were weevils and caterpillars and webworms. Bruce and John, however, with their inheritance in sight, had already begun some wrangling over the property. A change of venue brought the high-profile trial to Burnet County. He genuinely thought he was fixin to get a not-guilty verdict, recalled Spinks, who was present. Several of the older ones had died. 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. Recounting the scary incident, Bonnie shared that she and her . Bruce Harkey convicted of murder-for-hire plot in pecan farming family FULL EPISODE: Queen of the County One time she wrote about sports. 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 pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. 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. Bonnie says she lost just about everything in the blaze at the home . Bruce, upset about being left again, told a co-worker at the nursing home that he was contemplating Kamis murder. Bruce Harkey was convicted Tuesday of capital murder for a 2012 scheme to kill his 85-year-old stepmother, Bonnie Harkey, and her housekeeper, Karen Johnson. Invisible to a farmer, the devastating fungus would stealthily invade through the roots, withering the leaves in an instant and killing the tree seemingly overnight. He was just incessant. He often criticized her. The baby seemed healthy, but shortly after his delivery the couple learned that his epiglottis was not fully formed, which meant that after feedings Eric had to be held or laid on his stomach so that he wouldnt choke on spit-up. What had happened to Karen? 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. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, By Associated Press - Wednesday, April 30, 2014. After talking the matter over with her pastor, Bonnie finally agreed. They were separated immediately for questioning, and it wasnt long before Carl admitted that they had taken Bonnie for a drive in his car. Bruce seethed. When the caretaker came to the door, Pressley sneaked up behind her, killed her and then kidnapped his grandmother. Pressley was in police custody hours later, confessing to the crimes., He did say he was sorry repeatedly, said Sgt. John joined with Bruce in court to try to remove Connie as guardian; they failed, but then Connie died suddenly, in March 2011 at age 62, after a bout with pneumonia. Afterward, they returned home, where Bonnie changed out of her Sunday best and into a teal tracksuit. Carl also had a temper, one so volatile that First Baptist Church barred him from the premises after he showed up at Bible study one Wednesday to demand money from Bonnie. Who owns the biggest pecan farm in the world? I do have family who want the property I live on and I have heard many times they want to get rid of me., Betty Ann stopped by the house twice a day and hired caregivers who could be with her around the clock. Lillian Kings mother, who knew that her daughter and Carl had been out at the Harkey house that afternoon, had asked a friend to contact the sheriff when she learned that Karen was dead. (Many think Jones was less interested in pecans than in the excellent water rights that come with the property.) 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. He covered her lifeless body with fistfuls of leaves and mud. They were blowing through that money. With about $20,000 left, and almost no other income to speak of, Bruce had grown nervous. The foyer where Karen Johnson was found dead. Clydene Oliver, the proprietor of Oliver Pecan Company, remembers when Riley, who often sold nuts to her family in bulk, dropped by her storefront on West Wallace Street. But Im the mayor of Harkeyville now, Hibler continued. Who is Bonnie Harkey? They still handpicked all their pecans way up into the eighties and nineties. As the farms two orchards matured, they began to yield a handsome profit. Over the years, he had started to wonder whether Eric might have lived if Bonnie hadnt been the one watching him. The real story is of greed, corruption, love, hate, lies, and violence. A century ago, the Harkey family learned how to make money grow on trees pecan trees. 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. On April 1, 1970, a month before her due date, Judi gave birth to the next Harkey: a seven-pound, two-ounce boy named Eric. View 12 photos $1,107,711 5 Beds 6 Baths 2454 sqft. The question reverberated across living rooms, cafes, and hair salons around San Saba. Bonnie Harkey had left 94 acres in her will to Pressley, who then sold that interest to Bruce Harkey and his brother for about $70,000, prosecutor Sonny McAfee said. But his father resisted any overtures, preferring to run the farm himself, with Bonnie at his side. How much are pecans selling for in louisiana? They were mean, said close friend, Myrna Najar. They were so greedy.. His conviction carries an automatic life sentence without parole, the Austin American-Statesman reported (https://bit.ly/1iIE72W ). Eventually the home would reach 4,872 square feet, many of its corners filled with family mementos: award ribbons and plaques for Rileys pecans and Bonnies pies; framed photos from the couples trips to the Bahamas and San Antonio; Bonnies collection of Desert Rose dishes; her still-life paintings of roses and yuccas; the Harkey family Bible, set on a lace doily in the sitting room, Bonnies looped cursive marking big life events inside. I didnt have a damn thing to do with harming that woman in any way, Bruce Harkey said in a phone call with KXAN. I dont feel guilty because Carls not a human being. It didnt matter that Carl had signed away his rightsBonnie still had a life estate in the property. But those who knew Bonnie best say members of her family just couldnt wait for her to die. Press ESC to cancel. Pressley and his girlfriend, Lillian King, face charges in San Saba and Leon counties. Autopsy reports indicate Bonnie Harkey may have been buried alive. View 11 photos $759,263 4 Beds 5 Baths 1442 sqft. Because of that, Bonnie did pretty much everything she could to alienate me. He was convinced she had caused Erics death. Karens son retreated to a spare bedroom to play, and Bonnie settled into her maroon recliner in front of the television with her beloved cat, Miss Kitty. Betty Ann had provided a long pink dress for Bonnie to be buried in. including 3 cats, a dog, a gecko and a pet snake. She was the closest thing to a mother I ever had, he said, choking back tears. I cant tell you how many hundreds of miles my grandfather and I walked in that Harkeyville Orchard, said Bruce recently. Later that day, Bonnie Harkeys body was found covered in leaves in a creek bed nearly 200 miles east in Leon County. My grandfather assumed that if anyone were to take over the farm, it would be me. How much can you make off one pecan tree? Though he appeared physically diminished since his sentencing, his self-regard was intact. 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. Bruce could con you into doing anything he wanted you to do, he said mournfully in his prison whites. Riley, for his part, began turning his thoughts to the future, and in 1991 he purchased a third pecan grove, a 94-acre plot of young trees called the Prichard Orchard. It bothered Bonnie that we didnt have any money growing up, recalled her sister, Wilma Cook. The three got into Carls carhe insisted that Lillian drive because his license had been revokedand headed to the campground in Normangee, where a friend from his motorcycle club had loaned him an RV. Read More. He had lived with Bonnie for a few years as a teenager, and his grandmother spoiled him, indulging every whim: when he ruined his truck, she bought him a new one; when he said he wanted to raise Boer goats, she bought him a flock of redheaded kids; when he brought home a stray dog, she let him keep it. He sensed her reluctance to embrace him and John, feeling her disdain as soon as the wedding was over. kxan.com 'Pecan Queen's' grandson gets life in prison for her death | KXAN.com But she was now 85 and increasingly frail; it was common knowledge that she was suffering from dementia and required the attention of a caretaker. When I reached out to Bruce for his side of things, he sent me a letter. Bonnie Louise Harkey 1947-2017 - Ancestry Her reading glasses were resting on the floor beside her head, and she was cool to the touch. And where was Bonnie? He was floored. Bruce was sentenced to life without parole. Some possessions were salvaged . One thing theyd disagreed on was the day-to-day operations of the farm; Bruce wanted Spinks to pay him a salary to manage the orchards, but Spinks leased the property to Winston Millican. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. If you want to enjoy the unmistakable flavor of chocolates but don't like candy, praline nuts are an excellent option. There was a payment made to Carl Pressley and of course there were some arrangements to be made that further payment would be made to Carl Pressley for killing Bonnie Harkey, said Wilkerson. But all she did was laugh. The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. The matriarch of the family, Bonnie Harkey aka The Pecan Queen, was murdered. He rekindled a romance with a high school girlfriend, Jennifer Karnes, whom he persuaded to move to Lubbock and marry him, but she grew unbearably homesick and their union lasted only three months. Thats when hed settled on Carl. (I just wish the old bitch was dead, he told Les Dawson, a justice of the peace, at the courthouse. by 2Paragraphs in Culture | April 23, 2015. How many years will a pecan tree produce? Were trying to figure out who Tommy Lee Jones plays in the movie, he quipped, if he doesnt play himself.. . [The doctor] had given us explicit instructions not to feed this baby and put him down with nobody around. (Bonnies niece Teresa contests this view.
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