Left: The entrance to the Harkey homestead off U.S. 190. At the trial, held in Burnet, Bonnies relatives and a handful of San Sabans watched as Bruce sat coolly through the proceedings, convinced there was nothing hed be found guilty of. Bruce Harkey, 62, was convicted Tuesday of the murder-for-hire plot that led to the 2012 deaths of his stepmother, Bonnie Harkey, and her housekeeper, Karen Johnson. When she and Riley were introduced, in early 1963, the tall, 36-year-old brunette was working as a telephone operator in Waco, a divorce trying to make ends meet. As he saw it, Bonnie was staying on his birthright, said Kami. After a brief courtship, the two were married at Wacos Highland Baptist Church that April, one month after his divorce was finalized. A local lawyer by the name of Dick Miller stepped in on Bonnies behalf, asking his law partner, Darrel Spinks, to get involved. I cant tell you how many hundreds of miles my grandfather and I walked in that Harkeyville Orchard, said Bruce recently. Bonnie Harkey was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after Johnsons body was found at Harkeys home. The entire county mourned Bonnie's death, killed by her stepson. Prosecutors accused him of engineering the plot after Bonnie Harkeys guardian refused to go along with his plans to sell the Harkey Pecan Farm for $574,000, allegedly to an agent for actor Tommy Lee Jones, who was born in San Saba, about 100 miles northwest of Austin. The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the family's history. Bonnie Harkey Profiles | Facebook And although he was still driftingby 1994, when he switched jobs to become a nursing home administrator, he was on wife number sevenhe nevertheless held out hope that his father would hand over the farms operations. 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. Theres an epic tale of greed and betrayal in the heart of Texas. He was already resentful of decisions Spinks had been makingthis was the last straw. With no money from Tommy Lee Jones and no authority to care for the orchards, Bruce was left to pine for his stake in Harkey Pecan Farms from a distance. Finally, at two in the morning, after repeatedly calling Carls cellphone, Sheriff Brown reached Carl himself. The Johnsons and the Harkeys became great friends, going out to dinner and traveling to gospel concerts in Marble Falls and Burnet. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. His late father left the family estate in Bonnies control, but Bruce was set to inherit a large portion of the estate upon his stepmothers death. Everywhere I turned, I encountered the Harkey name: on a marker next to the courthouse, in photographs at my hotel, on Harkey Street. Bruce Harkey in the visitors room at the Byrd Unit, in Huntsville, in September 2014. It also uncovered a dark tale of family, greed, and hate. He genuinely thought he was fixin to get a not-guilty verdict, recalled Spinks, who was present. Bonnie Heakins Harkey - Facebook I dont want nothin to do with it. A change of venue brought the high-profile trial to Burnet County. She is a white female registered to vote in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. There would also, of course, be the payout from the estate. 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. San Saba County (He did. It also uncovered a dark. Why don t pecan trees produce every year? Assist all periodontal surgeries, perform all post-operative follow-up appointments, assist patients . In an interview, Harkey said he is innocent and that his nephew is a liar. Who owns the biggest pecan farm in the world? No detail in his orchards escaped him. Search Begins for Missing Bonnie Harkey Police recall that Karen Johnson's death seemed unusual when they arrived at the scene -- and they were very concerned that Bonnie Harkey, who had dementia and health issues, was missing from the home. Jun 1986 - Dec 200115 years 7 months. (In one, Carl, around eight years old, sits next to Santa in a red cap, while Bonnie sits on Santas lap in a Christmas sweater.) Bonnie H Harkey is listed at 1340 Sardis Rd N Charlotte, Nc 28270 and is affiliated with the Republican Party. She never said anything about it, but I could tell by the way she acted.. FULL EPISODE: Queen of the County But Bruce, now a convicted felon, had trouble finding work. For Bruce, the following decades would turn into a blur of shifting relationships and jobs. Bonnie Harkey owned the pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Another time, when Bonnie refused to buy him a set of new tires, Carl blocked her car with his truck and refused to let her leave. 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. What had been his fathers hobby became Rileys livelihood. How much is a full grown pecan tree worth? Bonnies arrival, however, when Bruce was eleven, made the future uncertain. 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. (John by this time had settled outside Fort Worth and had three children of his own.) The foyer where Karen Johnson was found dead. He considered the pecans a hobby, however; his primary interest was turkeys, which he bred by the thousands and shipped as far away as North Dakota and New Hampshire. *With an incidental appearance by Tommy Lee Jones. It didnt help that Bonnie was showing signs of dementia. They ate out all the time, they got into online gaming, explained Wilkerson, who obtained Bruces bank records during his investigation. 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 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. . House District: 103 Senate District: 42 County District: Board Of Commissioners District 5 School Board District: School Board Dist 5. 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. Bonnie doted on the strawberry-blond little boy, proudly displaying his photos on her mantel. House in Roubaix, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. The Harkey brothers founded Harkeyville, which in its heyday would boast a general store, a cotton gin, a blacksmith shop, a baseball diamond, a millinery, and a racetrack. Despite the chaos, Bonnie remained lucid about some things. 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 Millican family Harkey was, recalled family friend Donna Bush, one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew.. Local columnist Lindy Lieban Schulz voiced the collective unease. In a good year, the three orchards brought in more than $100,000, so Bonnie remained comfortably in the house, paying longtime foreman Gaspar Carachero to maintain the farm. Portraits of several generations of Harkeys, including white-haired matriarch Bonnie Harkey. Texas Double Murder Was "Epic Tale Of Greed" - Oxygen Official Site The two needed to get back immediately, the sheriff told him: Karen was dead and Bonnie was missing. including 3 cats, a dog, a gecko and a pet snake. A contract was immediately drawn up. (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. She agreed, and after sitting together at the foot of the bed, Carl lunged toward her with a pillow. They were separated immediately for questioning, and it wasnt long before Carl admitted that they had taken Bonnie for a drive in his car. He just had a meltdown. 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. Show more listings Save search Pressley and King have both pleaded guilty to murder charges and await sentencing, according to the San Saba County District Clerks office. Though Connie became her temporary guardian, more instability ensued. March 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? 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. In San Saba 237 years later, March 25 dawned as an unremarkable Sunday. The gravestone for Bruces firstborn, Eric Harkey, in the San Saba City Cemetery. According to local news station KXAN, One Sunday, while Bonnie was at church, her grandson Carl Pressley broke into her home and waited for his grandmother to return. 1:20 Cold Justice Kelly Siegler Meets with . Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France Surgical assistant in periodontal practice. Preview. . He traced the winning nuts to a tree he dubbed the Mother Pecan, then began growing his own through novel pollination and grafting techniques, earning himself the nickname the Johnny Appleseed of pecans. His efforts made the trees commercially viable, and Risien became the nuts biggest booster, mailing samples to Queen Victoria and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Hed openly shared his travel plans to Fort Worth, he continued, because he was excited to go to the big city. Meanwhile, KXAN has found that it is not the first time Bruce Harkey has been accused of soliciting murder. We uncovered a 2003 case in which there is evidence he tried to have his ex-wife killed. KXAN located Harkeys ex-wife, whom we are identifying only as Kami. She has been in hiding with their child since before her marriage ended.. Connie N Harkey (1948 - 1991) - Biography and Family Tree The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. Who else is involved in this?, Carl paused for a moment and looked down. View 11 photos $963,709 3767 sqft. The autopsy reports she may have been buried alive. Where is Harkeyville Texas? He stayed for about two hours and cried, recalled Shawn Oliver, Clydenes son. 4:12 Cold Justice An Exclusive Look Into the Case of Steven Phelps. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. One of Dwight's cousins moved to San Saba, attended The Father House, and went to the Christian Women's . His conviction carries an automatic life sentence without parole, the Austin American-Statesman reported (https://bit.ly/1iIE72W ). Texas Monthly - Pecans, greed, & murder. Tonight | Facebook House in Marcq-en-Barul, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. Nothin. (Bruce initially offered $500, but Carl, knowing his financial situation, offered to do it for $50 less. An English cabinetmaker who was captivated by the wrinkly nuts, Risien offered a $5 prize to whoever brought him the finest specimens. He called KXAN from behind bars in the Taylor County jail, where he awaits trial. His left arm was taken off above the elbow in an accident in the late fifties, but hed tuck a grub hoe under his stub and put a mayonnaise pint jar in his hip pocket filled with ant poison. Bonnie, with her hazel eyes and red-tinted hair,as well as her knowledge of motherhood, was instantly attractive to Riley. Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Bonnie Chapman's House Burns Down - TMZ Bonnie H Harkey from Charlotte, North Carolina | VoterRecords.com Mesa, Az. 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. Tonight @DatelineNBC reports on the death of Bonnie Harkey, the matriarch of a prominent San Saba pecan farming family. Im gonna be out of town. And I wont do that. Stepson guilty in Texas pecan farm killings - Washington Times During the interrogation, Price asked Carl a question. Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. 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. So, Bruce Harkey asked Pressley to kill everybody at the house, McAfee said. Then, in 2007, hed looked west, buying the 209-acre strip of farmland adjacent to Harkey Pecan Farms, where he grew wheat and grazed his horses. The jury deliberated for about an hour Tuesday, and Bruce Harkey received an automatic sentence of life in prison. Bruce, upset about being left again, told a co-worker at the nursing home that he was contemplating Kamis murder. 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. 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. Why are pecans more expensive than almonds? How much money can you make off a pecan tree? He gave the co-worker three gunstwo old Chinese military rifles and one semiautomatic .22asking him to obliterate the serial numbers; he also talked about rubbing poison on Kamis steering wheel. As for Carl, he was like a bad penny who kept turning up. What are the top 5 pecans producing states? 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. Theyre either dead or in jail., Even before her killing on March 25, it was clear Bonnie Harkey was slowing down. I do not take any medicine that would cause unsafe driving. Family members have fought a long battle in court over who would inherit those lands after the death of Bonnie Harkey. How much are pecans selling for in louisiana? Do you need 2 pecan trees to produce nuts? Bruce looked forward to the day when hed take care of the orchards himself. He explained their animosity. House in Marcq-en-Barul, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. Her reading glasses were resting on the floor beside her head, and she was cool to the touch. 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. Read our feature on the case from January. Riley trained his sonshe told them that as Harkeys they were special.. They still handpicked all their pecans way up into the eighties and nineties. One of Bruce Harkeys attorneys, Richard Davis, said their testimony was not credible, and he said no evidence linked Bruce Harkey to the killings. With rights to the Prichard Orchard secured, the Harkey brothers now set their sights on a potential buyer: their reclusive yet high-profile neighbor Tommy Lee Jones. 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. Bruce Harkey, 59, said in interviews with The . He was floored. Bruce was sentenced to life without parole. Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Facebook gives people the power to. 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. Today pecans are central to the economy of San Saba, which produces up to five million pounds a year and claims to be the Pecan Capital of the World (a title contested by Albany, Georgia, and Chandler, Oklahoma). Bonnie Harkey owned the pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. She might have lived two years, or maybe fivebut where ishenow? said Les Dawson, referring to Bruce and his future behind bars. Betty Ann had provided a long pink dress for Bonnie to be buried in. (I just wish the old bitch was dead, he told Les Dawson, a justice of the peace, at the courthouse. Bruce seethed. But his narcissism did little to endear him to the residents of San Saba. Bonnie, her white puff of hair always freshly coiffed, was a fixture of San Sabas social scene, known for never missing a Sunday school class or a meeting of the garden club. Bruce, meanwhile, was shuttled back and forth a few times to live with his mother in Nevada (one move, when he was fourteen, was announced in theNews & Starwith the headline Bruce Goes West). Bonnie Harkey, Texas Pecan Queen, Killed By Grandson - 2paragraphs You get rid of that kid or Im going back to Waco, he claims she told Riley. Bonnie Harkey, 85 was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after the body of her housekeeper was found at the pecan matriarch's home. Bruce called me in the mornings, in the evenings, on the weekends. Recounting the scary incident, Bonnie shared that she and her . Shelled walnuts are available in halves, chunks and halves of topping (native nut). When I reached out to Bruce for his side of things, he sent me a letter. Who is the leading producer in pecans in the united states? Lived To 94 Bonnie Sharkey. The sergeant did his best to reassure him: Your grandmothers forgiven you for everything else.. View Details. A devout reader ofBetter Homes and Gardensshe stored all her back issues neatly in the laundry roomBonnie also put her stamp on the house, turning a closet into a bathroom, adding on an extra bedroom, and building a sunporch that could comfortably seat up to 27 people. But when one of the owners couldnt get the blessing of his stepmothers guardian to sell it, authorities said, he decided to kill for it. Because of that, Bonnie did pretty much everything she could to alienate me. He was convinced she had caused Erics death. Located in east central San Saba County, San Saba was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. View 10 photos $931,099 5 Beds 3 Baths 2153 sqft. A DPS helicopter dispatched from Waco made slow circles overhead, scanning the ground with heat-imaging cameras. Davis said he plans to appeal the verdict. Bruce Harkey would not confess to anything hes done wrong, said Wilkerson. He covered her lifeless body with fistfuls of leaves and mud. 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. The more we tried to convince her to get away from him, the more she would say it was not the Christian thing to do. But Carl was inconsolable, the days events washing over him with sudden, horrifying clarity. 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. Top: The door to the Harkey familys historic house. The real story is of greed, corruption, love, hate, lies, and violence. But as an ensuing investigation would soon reveal, her death represented the final, sordid unraveling of one of the oldest lineages in Central Texasthe story of a family tree rotted through by the destructive forces of obsession, greed, and hate. After reconstructing Bonnies movements that morning, the search team was stumped. March 25 isknown as Pecan Day, marking the date in 1775 when George Washington planted 25 pecan trees at his home in Mount Vernon. After Connie had her mothers drivers license revoked, in 2009, Bonnies condition only worsened. But the guardian for Bonnie Harkey, who was still living on the land, turned down the offer, saying Mrs. Harkey had a right to receive interest from the sale of the land, McAfee said. Afterward, they returned home, where Bonnie changed out of her Sunday best and into a teal tracksuit. That weekend turned out to be when the murders happened. That December, she won second place for her pie and cookie entries in the San Saba County Pecan Food Show; the next year she was on the front page of theNews & Starholding a plaque for her champion pecans. A Tree Is Known By Its Fruit - Texas Monthly For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. There arent any Harkeys left.. King, 26, has confessed to murder for the death of Johnson and faces up to 45 years in prison. Why are pecans more expensive than other nuts? The judge disagreed, sending Bruce to federal prison for five years. The Harkey brothers offered to give Bonnie Harkey $44,000, but her guardian thought she should receive $240,000, McAfee said. They didnt care if they were in public or not. Her closed casket sat in the sanctuary alongside photos of her with Riley and Miss Kitty. An agent for Hollywood movie star Tommy Lee Jones made a tentative unsigned offer of $574,000 for the family-owned orchard back in May 2011, Burnet County District Attorney Sonny McAfee said. Just after eight-thirty in the evening, a call came in. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. 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 A century ago, the Harkey family learned how to make money grow on trees pecan trees. He would say stuff like, Well, they just need to die so that I can have the farm, recalled Kami. San Saba County 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. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. She was 85. Harkey was arrested and charged with solicitation of murder.. I didnt have anything to do with the death of Bonnie Harkey or Ms. Johnson, he repeated. What is the average price of pecans per pound? Professional coffee lover. 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. He had been playing video games in another room, he said through tears, and hadnt heard any commotion. Riley had his own way of doing things, recalled Winston Millican, a great-great-grandson of Edmund Risiens who maintains his own pecan orchards in San Saba. How much can you make off one pecan tree? It also uncovered a dark tale of family, greed, and hate. There was bunch disease and stem end blight and fungal twig dieback. 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. She got confused at church, showing up at the wrong Sunday school class one week. Every time I went, she said, Please do not let them take my home away from me, Betty Ann, recalled her friend. And where was Bonnie? He wore a suit every day and furiously took notes, prompting one reporter to observe, If one did not know Harkey, he could be mistaken for one of the lawyers in the courtroom.. Entre communaut active de 450 000 Malters en Europe, leve de fonds . How many years does it take for a pecan tree to produce pecans? Today, the land and orchard are owned by the Millican family, and six generations have worked in the pecan business. I drove to San Saba in late summer. Though pecan trees can grow with little to no help, they are famously temperamental when it comes to producing high-quality nuts, and Riley made himself an expertlearning how to graft buds onto a seedling, trim back branches, and fertilize with zinc.
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