Man Condemned for 1996 Tyler Slaying Loses Appeal

HOUSTON (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a Texas death row prisoner convicted of the slaying of a Tyler woman at her apartment 18 years ago. The high court, without comment Monday, refused 57-year-old Robert Ladd’s appeal. In April, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had turned down his appeal that he’s mentally impaired and ineligible for execution. He was convicted of killing Vicki Ann Garner, 38, in 1996. She’d been beaten with a hammer and her body, bound at the legs and wrists, was set on fire. At the time, Ladd was on parole after serving 13 years in prison for pleading guilty to three other slayings in Dallas. In 2003, he received a reprieve from the 5th Circuit about nine hours before his scheduled execution.