Summary:

Ron Scott Shamburger and Lori Baker were fellow students at Texas A&M University. As freshmen, the two had gone dancing together, but years had passed before they saw each other again.

In the fall of 1994, Shamburger was a 5th year senior when he went to Lori's home with the gun, gas can and duct tape. He broke into the home through a window in a spare bedroom, and then broke into Lori's locked bedroom where she slept.

After Lori recognized Shamburger, he bound her hands with the duct tape. At this point, Lori's roommate, Victoria Kohler, returned home. Once Shamburger heard Victoria enter, he placed the pistol against Lori's head and shot her.

Shamburger had burglarized the home a week earlier, stealing Lori's credit card, which he used to purchase the murder weapon. He then abducted Victoria, tied her up, put her in the trunk of a car, and drove around town.

He then abandoned the car, went back to Lori's house and set it on fire. Before doing so, Shamburger used a knife to cut into Baker's head in an attempt to find the bullet and remove it. When he failed, he poured gasoline on her body and set the house on fire. As the blaze expanded, the house eventually exploded. Shamburger later confessed to his minister, then to police.

Final Meal:

Nachos with chili and cheese, one bowl of sliced jalapenos, one bowl of picante sauce, two large onions (sliced and grilled), tacos (with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese), and toasted corn tortilla shells.

Final Words:

Shamburger quoted extensively from the Bible and said he wished he could undo his actions. He apologized to the Baker family, to Victoria Kohler, and to his family. "My sin has affected other people. I understand the loss of my life is not a payment for Lori's. The loss of my life is a consequence of my actions. If I could pay with my life and bring her back, I would. To the Bakers, I am really sorry for the pain and sorrow I caused you. I really do not know what to say, but I am sorry ... forgive me." Next, he apologized to his own parents. "Forgive me. Thank you for your love." As the deadly chemicals entered his body, Shamburger sang "How Can it Be?", an old religious hymn.

ClarkProsecutor.org

Texas Attorney General

Media Advisory

Monday, Sept. 16, 2002

Ron Scott Shamburger Scheduled to be Executed.

AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General John Cornyn offers the following information on Ron Scott Shamburger, who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002.

On Oct. 25, 1995, Ron Scott Shamburger was sentenced to die for the capital murder Lori Baker in College Station, Texas, on Sept. 30, 1994. A summary of the evidence presented at trial follows:

FACTS OF THE CRIME

Ron Scott Shamburger and Lori Baker were fellow students at Texas A&M University in College Station. As freshmen, the two had gone dancing together, but a substantial amount of time had passed before they saw each other again in the summer and fall of 1994.

On Aug. 2, 1994, Shamburger went to Lori's home to burglarize it; however, he decided to burglarize the home of Sandra King, Lori's neighbor. Shamburger stole cash and a credit card from King's home, making several purchases with the stolen card the next day.

Later that month, Shamburger purchased a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. At one point, Shamburger telephoned his mother and said, "Mom, I feel like I'm fixing to lose it." Shamburger's mother attempted to reassure him by saying, "Hang in there, it will all work out."

On September 21, Shamburger tried unsuccessfully to break into Lori's home, and again burglarized the home of one of Lori's neighbors. Shamburger used a knife to cut the window screen. He stole cash and credit cards, and immediately began to make purchases on the credit cards.

Finally, on September 26 or 27, Shamburger successfully burglarized Lori's home, stealing a credit card and a pair of her underwear. On September 28, Shamburger purchased clothing with Lori's card.

On September 30, Shamburger used Lori's card to purchase a gas can and gasoline. He then went to Lori's home with the gun, gas can and duct tape. He broke into the home through a window in a spare bedroom, and then broke into Lori's locked bedroom where she slept.

After Lori recognized Shamburger, he bound her hands with the duct tape. At this point, Lori's roommate, Victoria Kohler, returned home. Once Shamburger heard Victoria enter, he placed the pistol against Lori's head and shot her.

As Victoria walked through the house to make certain that it was secure, she heard noises coming from Lori's bedroom and bathroom. She walked to the back of the house where she encountered Shamburger. Victoria screamed and attempted to escape, but Shamburger was able to grab her hair and throw her to the floor. He sat on her back, making it difficult for her to breathe, poked the gun against her back and told her, "Don't move, don't scream or it will be over."

Shamburger then asked Victoria a series of questions. He asked her name, her major, whether she had class the next day and whether the professor would call the roll.

Shamburger also asked whether Victoria was a Christian, whether she had a boyfriend, whether she had cash or credit cards, and whether her credit card could be used at a cash machine. He then went to her bedroom to retrieve the six dollars that Victoria possessed in her wallet, remarking, "Sweet, good bull, six dollars."

He again sat on her back and began to massage her shoulders, continuing to question her. He said, "I don't want to hurt you" and "I bet your heart is beating really fast and I bet you're scared." He asked if she was a virgin and told her that he had never had sex with a woman. He also asked Victoria if she had seen him. Victoria had clearly seen him in the hall, but instead misled him and gave a false description.

Shamburger covered Victoria's head with a blanket and forced her to crawl into the bathroom. He then taped her hands behind her back. He left her in the bathroom for some time, then took her to the garage, removed the tape from her hands, and locked her in the trunk of her car. He returned about 10 minutes later and told her that he was going to take her somewhere and drop her off.

He then drove the car around town, talking to Victoria through the back seat. He said, "I guess you know Lori is dead. . . . I guess there is a first time for everything." He said he knew that the authorities would eventually find him and asked Victoria if she thought he should commit suicide. She advised against suicide.

He asked if anyone could forgive him and she told him, "The Lord forgives." He told her he was planning to burn the house to destroy any evidence and asked Victoria if there was anything she wanted to save. She specified her scrapbooks and pictures.

He then stopped the car, unlocked the trunk, and told her not to leave the trunk until she heard sirens or she couldn't stand it any longer, and not to get out immediately because he might be watching her. She hid in the trunk for a while to make sure he was gone; she then exited the trunk, drove to a nearby house, and asked the residents to call 9-1-1.

Meanwhile, Shamburger walked back to Lori's house. He found Victoria's scrapbooks and placed them on the floor of her room. He retrieved the can of gasoline from the trunk of his car, then decided to try to find the bullet that he had shot into Lori's head so the police would not be able to trace it to him.

He moved Lori's body and the headboard to her bed, searching for the bullet. He cut some of Lori's hair, then used a knife to inspect the exit wound on the back of her head.

Shamburger never found the bullet. He then poured gasoline over Lori's body and her room. He placed his hat on the bed because it was covered with "blood and brains and all that good stuff."

He then lit the fire, only to realize he had left his car keys inside somewhere. He tried unsuccessfully to find them and was slightly charred in the process. Then, according to Shamburger, "That's when I just realized that, you know, I was going to have to turn myself in. Forget trying to even, you know, fake this or anything."

Shamburger walked around to the backyard. Lori's brother Mark Baker, who lived next door, heard the explosion and had come outside to see what had happened.

Mark saw smoke pouring out of the back of Lori's house and began smashing her bedroom window with a baseball bat. As he frantically called his sister's name, he heard Shamburger's voice in the backyard saying, "She's dead."

He walked toward the backyard and saw Shamburger walking around in circles in the middle of the yard, holding a gun and repeatedly saying, "She's dead." Shamburger turned and started toward Mark. Mark ran back inside his house and locked the door.

Shamburger then walked to a store and bought a Coke and bottled water. He called Steve Biles, a minister at his church and personal friend, and asked Biles to meet him.

Shamburger and Biles drove around for a while and Shamburger eventually confessed his actions to Biles. Biles took Shamburger to retrieve his Bible, then they drove to the police station where Shamburger attempted to turn himself over to the police.

All officers, however, were out investigating the instant crime, so Shamburger and Biles waited in the lobby. After Shamburger started flicking bullets on the floor, police officers arrived and ordered everyone in the room to the floor.

Shamburger was arrested and soon after confessed to the murder of Lori Baker and the other burglaries. He said he did not intend to kill anybody when he broke into Lori's house, but admitted that he took the gun with him so he could "try to fight my way out or something" if he was caught.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Shamburger was indicted by a Brazos County grand jury for the capital offense of murdering Lori Baker during the course of committing or attempting to commit burglary of a habitation. Shamburger pleaded not guilty.

On Oct. 19, 1995, the jury convicted Shamburger of capital murder. After a subsequent hearing on punishment, and based on the jury's answers to the special punishment issues, the trial court assessed punishment at death by lethal injection.

Upon automatic review of Shamburger's conviction and death sentence, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the judgment and sentence in an unpublished opinion dated Oct. 7, 1998.

The United States Supreme Court denied Shamburger's petition for writ of certiorari on June 1, 1999.

Shamburger then filed an application for a state writ of habeas corpus. The state habeas court issued findings of fact and conclusions of law recommending that relief be denied. After determining that the findings were supported by the record, the Court of Criminal Appeals denied habeas relief on Feb.3, 1999.

Shamburger next filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, on June 1, 2000.

The district court entered final judgment denying federal habeas relief on March 15, 2001. Shamburger's motion to alter or amend the judgment was denied on July 3, 2001. Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit followed.

On March 25, 2002, the Fifth Circuit denied Shamburger a certificate of appealability and upheld the district court's judgment denying Shamburger federal habeas relief. Shamburger's motion for rehearing in the Fifth Circuit was denied on April 22, 2002.

On July 22, 2002, Shamburger filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court challenging the Fifth Circuit's denial of relief. He filed an application for stay of execution on Aug. 23, 2002. On Sept. 6, 2002, the Supreme Court denied certiorari review and Shamburger's request for a stay.

On Sept. 12, 2002, Shamburger filed a successive application for state habeas corpus relief. That application is currently pending before the 361st District Court for Brazos County and the Court of Criminal Appeals.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

Shamburger has no prior criminal history.

ProDeathPenalty.com

District Judge Steve Smith set an execution date for a man convicted of shooting a fellow Texas A&M University student while burglarizing her home in 1994.

Ronald Scott Shamburger, 30, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Sept. 18 for the capital murder of Lori Ann Baker, 20. Shamburger, whom Lori had refused to date, broke into Baker’s home in the early morning hours of September 30, 1994 as he had done on several previous occasions.

Evidence showed Shamburger used a credit card stolen from Baker's home a few days before the fatal attack to buy the murder weapon, a 9 mm pistol.

Shamburger, a born-again Christian from Longview, was a 22-year-old fifth-year senior nearing a degree in biomedical science when authorities say he became obsessed with burglaries in which he stole credit cards and cash.

Shamburger was surprised to find Lori home. He bound her with duct tape, then shot her in the head with a pistol when she awoke to find him in her bedroom, killing her instantly.

Baker's 20-year-old roommate, returning home, heard noises from Baker's room and walked in that direction when she was confronted by Shamburger. When he asked her if she could identify him, the roommate lied and said no, so Shamburger put her in the trunk of her car, binding her hands with duct tape. He then backed the car through the garage door. He drove her around town before leaving her in the vehicle not far from home.

Then he returned to the murder scene, retrieved a can of gasoline from his own car parked outside, cut some of Baker's hair from around her fatal head injury and used a knife to poke at the wound in an unsuccessful search for the bullet.

He poured gasoline in the room and over her body and set it ablaze only to discover the keys to his car were inside the burning room. They had fallen from his shirt pocket. Baker's brother, who lived next door, heard the explosion and tried to break windows to get his sister out.

Shamburger was in the back yard by then, walking in circles, holding his pistol and repeating: "She's dead." Kohler in the meantime had climbed from the trunk of her car, went to a nearby house and had the people there call 911.

Shamburger fled, called a friend, a minister at his church, met him and told him about the killing. They both went to the police station where Shamburger turned himself in to authorities.

"In this case, he breaks in with tape, a gun, gasoline," Turner said, explaining why he went for the death penalty although Shamburger had no previous record. "The premeditation, as well as escalation, I thought showed there was no question in my mind he'd be an extreme danger if we hadn't caught him." Shamburger, who had been working in a supermarket, said he used the loot from his burglaries for movies, food and clothing. While taking responsibility for the slaying -- "I can't say I'm here for something I didn't do" -- he said he hoped his victim's family could forgive him. "I think we already have," Faye Baker, the victim's mother, said Tuesday. "We are strong Christians. I believe for my own salvation that I need to forgive him... We don't harbor resentment. It's an absolute miracle that we don't."

That doesn't, however, diminish the pain of losing her daughter. "He took the most precious thing in the world away from us and really destroyed our lives," she said. "But we don't think about him."

A Brazos County jury convicted Shamburger of capital murder in 1995. Prosecutors noted that in the months prior to the murder, he had committed a string of burglaries. "How do you explain it?" said Bill Turner, the Brazos County district attorney who prosecuted Shamburger. "It's real frightening. "He does look like the boy next door. He does look like the guy you might trust, but there was more to him than that." "I don't know why you do the things you do," Shamburger said recently from death row. "One thing leads to another... You lose touch with reality. You've chosen to do things that are wrong. There was an adrenaline rush to it -- the satisfaction of not being caught."

UPDATE: Ronald Shamburger sang an old religious hymn and uttered several quotes from the Bible as the lethal drugs were administered. Then he looked at the victim's family and said, "I am really sorry for the pain and sorrow I caused you. I really do not know what to say, but I am sorry ... forgive me." He was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. CDT, six minutes after receiving the injection lethal drugs.

Texas Execution Information Center by David Carson

Txexecutions.org

Ronald Scott Shamburger, 30, was executed by lethal injection on 18 September in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of a 20-year-old woman in her home.

On 30 September 1994, Shamburger, then 22, drove to the home of Lori A. Baker, 20. Shamburger and Baker were both students at Texas A&M University and had been acquainted for about five years. He brought a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, a can of gasoline, and a roll of duct tape with him.

He entered the house through the window of a spare bedroom. He then broke into Baker's locked bedroom. When Baker awoke and recognized him, Shamburger bound her with duct tape. At this point, Baker's roommate, Victoria Kohler, 20, came home. Shamburger placed the pistol against Baker's head and pulled the trigger, killing her instantly.

Shamburger then grabbed Kohler, threw her to the ground, and threatened to kill her. He sat on her back and asked her a series of detailed questions. For example, he asked her name, her major, whether she had classes the next day, whether she had money, whether she had a credit card, whether she was a Christian, and whether she was a virgin.

He also asked whether she saw him. Kohler gave him a false description, so that he would think she couldn't describe him. He then covered her head with a blanket and bound her hands with duct tape. He carried her to the trunk of her car, unbound her hands, and closed her in.

Shamburger then drove around for awhile. He spoke to Kohler, who could hear him through the back seat. He told her that Lori was dead and he was going to burn the house down. He asked her if there was anything in the house she wanted him to save. She asked him to save her pictures and scrapbook.

He also asked her whether she thought he should commit suicide, and she told him no. Shamburger abandoned the car a few blocks from the house and told Kohler to stay in the trunk until she heard sirens. She waited until she was sure he was gone, then drove to a nearby house and called the police.

Meanwhile, Shamburger returned on foot to the victims' home. First, he got the gas can out of his car and brought it inside. Next, he found Kohler's scrapbooks and set them on the floor. He then probed Baker's head wound with a knife in an attempt to retrieve the bullet, but he was unsuccessful.

He poured gasoline on her body and set it on fire. When he was ready to leave, he realized that his car keys had fallen out of his shirt pocket somewhere inside the house.

He looked inside the burning house, but was unable to find them. With his car in the driveway and the house already violently ablaze, he knew he had no chance of avoiding suspicion, so he stood outside the house and waited.

When the fire started consuming the house, Mark Baker, Lori's brother who lived next door, came outside. He began calling Lori's name and breaking her bedroom window with a baseball bat, but he heard a voice in the yard saying, "she's dead."

Mark turned and saw Shamburger walking around in the yard, holding a gun, repeatedly saying, "she's dead." He ran back inside his own house.

Shamburger then walked to a store and called Steve Biles, a minister at his church. He asked Biles to meet him. They drove around for awhile, then Shamburger told him what he had done. Biles drove him to the police station, where Shamburger attempted to surrender.

All officers on duty, however, were out investigating the fire, so Shamburger and Biles waited in the lobby. While they were waiting, Shamburger pulled out his pistol and started flicking bullets onto the floor. Officers were summoned back to the station, Shamburger was arrested, and he confessed.

At his trial, Shamburger pleaded not guilty. He claimed that he only went to Baker's house to burglarize it, and he never planned to kill her. Prosecutors noted that he brought a gas can, indicating that he had something more sinister than a burglary planned.

They also focused on his attempt to dig the bullet out of the victim's head with a knife as a sign that, though he had no criminal record, he had the heart of a cold-blooded murderer.

A jury convicted Shamburger of capital murder in October 1995 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence in October 1998. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Prior to killing Baker, Shamburger was a former Eagle Scout, a senior at Texas A&M University, and he aspired to become a minister. In the summer of 1994, however, he found a credit card that someone left behind at the store where he worked.

In a death-row interview, Shamburger said that this fateful incident started a chain of events that led up to Baker's murder. He said that he was going to report the lost credit card, but instead, he decided to take it home and buy something with it, then get rid of it.

After this successful experiment in crime, Shamburger started stealing credit cards and, later, committing burglaries -- breaking into homes in search of credit cards and money. He knew Lori Baker from school, and he had gone to her house on three previous occasions to burglarize it.

On the first two visits, he ended up burglarizing her neighbors instead. On the third visit, on or about 27 September, he successfully broke into her house and stole a credit card and a pair of her panties. He bought the pistol and gasoline can used in her murder with her credit card.

Of Baker's murder, he said, "Things happened so quickly, sometimes you don't have time to think. ... It was a response, a reflex. I panicked." He said that didn't kill Kohler because "I had time to think about it, and I wasn't going to kill anyone else."

Lori's parents, Derrel and Faye Baker, doubted that burglary was Shamburger's true motive for murdering their daughter. They said that he desired a romantic relationship with her, but she was uninterested in him. They said that she turned down his requests for dates, but continued to be nice to him.

His last call to her came the week before her death, when Lori told him that she was in an exclusive relationship. "My personal opinion is that he wanted her for himself, and when he thought he couldn't have her, he decided no one was going to have her," Faye Baker said.

Shamburger said he wished he could undo his actions. He apologized to the Baker family, to Victoria Kohler, and to his family. "My sin has affected other people," he said. "I understand the loss of my life is not a payment for Lori's. The loss of my life is a consequence of my actions. If I could pay with my life and bring her back, I would."

Shamburger quoted from the Bible as he was being prepared for execution. Making his last statement, he looked at the victim's family and said, "To the Bakers, I am really sorry for the pain and sorrow I caused you. I really do not know what to say, but I am sorry ... forgive me." Next, he apologized to his own parents. "Forgive me," he said. "Thank you for your love." As the deadly chemicals entered his body, Shamburger sang "How Can it Be?", an old religious hymn. He was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m.