Kennedale man who killed family is sentenced to death

By Melody McDonald

mjmcdonald@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH -- Three days after he killed his family and burned down their Kennedale house, John "Johnny" Hummel told investigators in a videotaped confession that he deserved the death penalty.

On Tuesday, jurors gave it to him.

The jury in state District Judge Ruben Gonzalez's court deliberated about three hours before assessing the ultimate punishment for Hummel, who, on Dec. 17, 2009, fatally beat and stabbed his pregnant wife, Joy, 34; and then used a baseball bat to beat to death his disabled father-in-law, Clyde "Eddie" Bedford, 57, and his 5-year-old daughter, Jodi.

After the verdict was read, Karen Sanders -- Joy's mother, Jodi's grandmother and Bedford's ex-wife -- tearfully thanked everyone who had "had the slightest participation in helping bring this case to justice."

"For me personally, John Hummel's savage murders literally wiped out my entire family tree from my first marriage," Sanders said, crying along with jurors and others in the courtroom. "... I will never recover from this tragic loss and neither will other members of our family, but the sooner John Hummel faces his final judgment, the better my life will be.

"The only piece of mind that I look forward to is the day John Hummel stops breathing the air that he so violently deprived his murder victims from breathing."

Last week, the jury convicted Hummel of capital murder, but to assess the death penalty they had to find that Hummel posed a continuing threat to society and that no mitigating factors in his character or background would instead warrant a life sentence.

Hummel's sentence is the first death penalty conviction in Tarrant County under District Attorney Joe Shannon, who took office in May 2009. The last time a Tarrant defendant was sentenced to death was in February 2009, when Erick Davila was condemned for the shooting deaths of a 5-year-old girl and her grandmother during a birthday party.

Closing argument

During his closing argument Tuesday, prosecutor Miles Brissette reminded the jury that Hummel first attempted to kill his family on Dec. 16, 2009, with rat poison. Hummel's plan was foiled, however, when his wife called him and told them that the spaghetti meat had turned green so they threw out dinner and ordered pizza.

"His plan was to take his family out," Brissette said. "... And when Johnny wants to do something, Johnny is going to do it."

The next day, Brissette said, Hummel went "room by room" and extinguished his family.

The defense "wants you to think that he is not an animal and not a monster, but that is what this guy is," Brissette said. "Think of the thought process it takes to go and do this to your family. He may have had anger issues against Eddie and his wife, but what did his unborn daughter and Jodi do to deserve their beating?"

Later, on the way to Southern California, Brissette said, Hummel threw away his wedding ring and the family pictures he carried in his wallet. Once he arrived, he went to a topless bar and then into Tijuana, Mexico, to "have some fun," Brissette said.

"That is mourning for John Hummel."

During their final summation, defense attorney Larry Moore and Fred Cummings, who worked with Pam Fernandez on the case, told the jury that nothing in Hummel's background suggested that he would be a continuing threat to society and said a life sentence without parole was appropriate.

"There is no evidence before you, from any source, that before this offense -- never in the 35 years he has lived -- he has been violent to anyone," Moore said.

Moore reminded jurors that a clinical psychologist testified that Hummel never learned how to deal with his emotions as a child and, after three decades of "cramming" and "jamming" his feelings down, he finally exploded. The psychologist told the jury Hummel suffered from personality disorders, including narcissism, anti-social personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder, and that his upbringing contributed to his behavior.

"Mr. Brissette is fond of calling Mr. Hummel a monster," Moore said. "Monsters are not born, they are made. ... He never learned how to appropriately deal with his emotions."

Cummings reiterated Moore's assertion that Hummel did not pose a continuing threat, pointing out that he had been a model inmate in the Tarrant County Jail.

He "frequented strip clubs and probably didn't deserve a wife such as Joy," Cummings said. "And he had an extramarital affair, but what does that have to do with whether he will be a continuing threat to society?"

'It is his fault'

In his final, fiery summation, prosecutor Bob Gill maintained that the death penalty was the only proper verdict for Hummel, who he said showed no restraint when he killed his family.

"Anyone who is capable of clubbing to death their 5-year-old daughter while she slept does not have a single, solitary restraint and is capable of doing anything, anywhere, anytime," Gill said,

Gill said that plenty of excuses have been offered to try to explain what Hummel did -- from having a mother who didn't nurture him to a nagging wife -- but that Hummel is the only one to blame.

"It is his fault, and we have shown you it is his fault," Gill said. "He had a good defense team, and they did everything they can do for him, but there is really nothing there. He deserves everything he is going to get."

After the jury returned their verdict, Bedford's sister, Cylinda Bedford, angrily addressed Hummel before the packed courtroom.

"Your wife, Joy, at 34 years old was in the prime of her life," she said. "Her chances of becoming a mother for the second time or seeing her girls become young ladies will never happen. This was taken by you-- the person she thought was her protector.

"And your 5-year-old daughter, Jodi, with her beautiful smile and gorgeous blond curls, will never laugh again. She will never celebrate another birthday, a Christmas, graduate from school, or walk down the aisle with the love of her life. That was taken from her by you -- the person she called Daddy."

Melody McDonald, 817-390-7386

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