Murder of Gregory Glenn Biggs explained

Murder of Gregory Glenn Biggs
Location:Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Type:Murder by vehicle, kidnapping
Victim:Gregory Glenn Biggs, aged 37
Perp:Chante Jawan Mallard
Convicted:
  • Chante Jawan Mallard
  • Clete Deneal Jackson
  • Herbert Tyrone Cleveland
Motive:Mallard's fear that she would be arrested for driving while intoxicated
Verdict:Mallard:
Guilty on both counts
Jackson and Cleveland:
Pleaded guilty
Convictions:Mallard:
Murder
Mallard, Jackson, Cleveland:
Tampering with evidence

Child:yes
Sentence:Mallard:
50 years in prison with the possibility of parole in 2027
Jackson:
10 years in prison
Cleveland:
9 years in prison[1]
Litigation:Wrongful death lawsuit against Mallard by Biggs's son settled out of court for undisclosed amount

On October 26, 2001, twenty-five-year-old nursing assistant Chante Jawan Mallard murdered 37-year-old Gregory Glenn Biggs, a homeless man, with her automobile, in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The force of the crash lodged Biggs into the windshield. Mallard then drove home and left the man lodged in the windshield of her car, parked in her garage. He died two to three days later, according to police. [2] [3] Mallard was convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment for murder, but will be eligible for parole in 2027.[4]

Victim

Gregory Glenn Biggs, born August 16, 1964. Although he lived with mental health problems all his adult life, he took care of his son and held a job in construction as a mason. At the moment of the events, Biggs was living in a state of homelessness, but was "on an upswing", according to his mother.[5]

Murder

Chante Jawan Mallard (born June 22, 1976)[6] is a woman from Fort Worth, Texas. On October 26, 2001, Mallard's Chevrolet Cavalier[7] struck Biggs, a pedestrian. At the time, Mallard was believed to have been driving while intoxicated by a combination of marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol.[8]

Mallard then drove home, leaving the injured Biggs stuck in her windshield, and parked her car in her garage. After the accident, Mallard did not notify the police nor did she get Biggs any medical attention, even though she was a nursing assistant at the time.[9] Occasionally, she would return to the garage to check on his status. Biggs died two to three days later. Afterwards, Mallard called a male friend, Clete Jackson, for assistance.[2] Mallard, Jackson and Jackson's cousin Herbert Tyrone Cleveland took the body to a park and left it there, even going so far as to set fire to part of the car in an attempt to disguise the evidence. The three were later each convicted on charges of tampering with evidence for this action.[10]

Mallard became a suspect after she was reported talking and laughing about the incident at a party some four months after the events.[11] "I hit this white man", Mallard allegedly told acquaintance Maranda Daniel, while laughing.[12]

Trial

Mallard's trial commenced on June 23, 2003.[13] During the trial, Tarrant County medical examiner Nizam Peerwani testified that, had Mallard taken Biggs to a hospital, he would have recovered from his injuries. Other experts testified that they agreed that Biggs would have survived. "There's not a member of the Fort Worth Fire Department that could not have saved Mr. Biggs's life", testified fire captain Jim Sowder.[10] Mallard was convicted of murder in June 2003, with the 50-year murder sentence and 10-year tampering sentence to run concurrently. She will be eligible for parole in 2027.[4]

Aftermath

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Biggs's son, Brandon, was settled out of court.[2] He later chose to forgive Mallard and the others involved in his father's murder. "I want to extend my forgiveness to Chante Mallard and let her know that the Mallard family is in my prayers", he said in 2003. In response, convicted murderers from around the country raised $10,000 as a college scholarship and had it presented at a ceremony to Brandon, who at the time was a 20-year-old pastoral ministry sophomore at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas.[14]

Since finishing his sentence, Clete Denel Jackson, who was imprisoned for helping move Biggs's body, has been in and out of prison on firearms- and drug-related charges. He was set to be released again in late November 2017.[15] Mallard's relationship with Jackson and Cleveland remains unclear. Jackson's lawyer described his client and Mallard as linked romantically, yet relatives of Jackson and Cleveland claim they had never heard of Mallard.[2]

Media adaptations

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Fort Worth man pleads guilty to dumping body after car death. January 7, 2003 . Midland Reporter-Telegram. December 23, 2022.
  2. News: Boyd . Deanna . McDonald . Melody . and . 2003-06-22 . Fort Worth's windshield murder case and how it 'redefined inhumanity' . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190926141424/https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article181016426.html . 2019-09-26 . 2023-11-01 . . . en . 0889-0013.
  3. News: June 25, 2003 . Contributed by Ed Lavandera . Defense rests in 'windshield death' trial . 2023-11-01 . CNN.
  4. https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=06849879 Mallard profile
  5. News: Homeless man's mother: 'We wanted people to know he was loved'. 30 March 2002. 19 June 2019. Plainview Daily Herald.
  6. Web site: Mallard, Chante Jawan, Offender Information Details . Texas Department of Criminal Justice . August 31, 2018.
  7. Web site: Details Disputed in Death of Man Lodged in Windshield. Jim. Yardley. The New York Times. March 9, 2002. June 19, 2019.
  8. News: Windshield Killer Takes Stand in Sentencing Hearing . . Associated Press . June 26, 2003 . December 4, 2018.
  9. Web site: Motorist given 50 year-sentence in windshield murder trial . CNN . June 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180406093451/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/06/27/windshield.death/ . April 6, 2018 . live . June 28, 2003.
  10. Web site: Ex-boyfriend of driver describes disposing of accident victim's body. https://web.archive.org/web/20070711140205/http://www.courttv.com/trials/mallard/062403-pm_ctv.html . July 11, 2007 . Rochelle . Steinhaus . CourtTV.com . June 25, 2003 . October 20, 2006.
  11. Web site: Woman panicked after touching man in windshield . CNN . June 27, 2003 . October 20, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060227082000/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/06/26/windshield.death/index.html . February 27, 2006.
  12. Web site: Woman faced murder trial after leaving accident victim on her car . CourtTV.com . November 28, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090403231824/http://www.courttv.com/trials/mallard/background.html . April 3, 2009.
  13. News: June 27, 2003 . Timeline of Events in the Chante Mallard Windshield Death Case . June 9, 2024 . Fox News . Associated Press.
  14. News: Blumenthol . Ralph . Victim's Son Is Given Award for Forgiving Father's Murderer . 31 August 2018 . The New York Times . 23 October 2003.
  15. News: Zahir . Sorayah . Windshield murder remembered: Victim's son says 'I live it every day'. 31 August 2018 . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . 26 October 2017.
  16. Web site: Gruesome stories: Bar and grill . Mikkelson . David . Snopes . 11 March 2001 . October 20, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627094740/http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/bargrill.asp . live . June 27, 2022.
  17. News: Tobias. Scott. 'Fargo' Season 2 Premiere Recap: 'Waiting for Dutch'. 28 October 2017. The New York Times. 12 October 2015. en.
  18. Web site: 27 October 2019 . Ep6, S3 in 9-1-1 . tv.apple.com.

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