They were mean, said close friend, Myrna Najar. They were so greedy.. The best result we found for your search is Bonnie Heakins Harkey age 60s in Charlotte, NC in the Sardis Woods neighborhood. EDHEC Alumni. 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. House in Roubaix, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. Read More. All I wanna do is get this cleared up and go home. He remains hopeful that his case will be overturned on appeal. Who now owns the harkey pecan farm? - wholesalepecans.net But then things went suddenly and terribly awry: on April 15, as Bruce sat in English class, the baby stopped breathing. John Wilkerson, an investigator with the San Saba County Sheriffs Office.He asked me to forgive him, made comments about burning in hell for the actions that he did.. Search Begins for Missing Bonnie Harkey. Brown wondered if Karen had died of natural causes and if Bonnie, confused upon discovering her body, had simply wandered off. He called KXAN from behind bars in the Taylor County jail, where he awaits trial. 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. new . It was Riley, a man with a long, bushy goatee and square head, who purchased the initial 113.9-acre tract for a farm in Harkeyville in 1885, and it was on this farm that his grandson and eventual heir, Olga Bryan Harkey, was born, in 1898. Read our feature on the case from January. 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). As the farms two orchards matured, they began to yield a handsome profit. 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. Bonnie H Harkey from Charlotte, North Carolina | VoterRecords.com Bruce Harkey, who had been taking care of the orchard, was fired sometime during 2011, McAfee said. There was bunch disease and stem end blight and fungal twig dieback. An autopsy would reveal that she had been hit over the head and drowned in the shallow water. Dateline NBC will air a report on the Harkey family on April 23 at 10pm. And then there was cotton root rot, the most pernicious of diseases, which could kill a tree from the inside. Finally, when their daughter was four, Kami worked up the courage to walk out. Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Bonnie Chapman's House Burns Down - TMZ Surgical assistant in periodontal practice. Bonnie Harkey - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Bruce, upset about being left again, told a co-worker at the nursing home that he was contemplating Kamis murder. Join Facebook to connect with Bonnie Heakins Harkey and others you may know. But Bruce Harkey tells a different story. I could get the money and go to Belize.) It was also evident that, based on his six years on the Reno police force, Bruce knew the importance of a solid alibi, and he appeared to have carefully crafted his. But both those possibilities were excluded when the bloodhound, using a scent swab from her pillow, followed her trail down the driveway almost to the road, indicating shed likely left in a vehicle. The daughter of Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman and the late Beth Chapman told ET Thursday that she lost her home in a fire. Who owns the Harkey pecan Farm? - Rattleinnaustin.com Wannabe web aficionado. There would also, of course, be the payout from the estate. (John by this time had settled outside Fort Worth and had three children of his own.) With the deal falling apart, authorities said, Bruce Harkey made Pressley an offer: He would pay Pressley and his girlfriend, Lillian King, $500 to make her gone this weekend, with a follow-up payment of $55,000 after Bonnie Harkeys death, one affidavit said. Her pecan-based desserts were legendary, often earning her first place at the countys pecan food show and a front-page mention in theSan Saba News & Star. Whether the causewas resentment or desperation, Bruces life began to unspool soon afterward. For almost three years after her death, the house remained exactly as Bonnie left it. House in Marcq-en-Barul, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. He told me, Im the brokest millionaire in San Saba County, because he had the property he couldnt touch., Bruces financial problems were real: he had filed for bankruptcy in 1998 to discharge $176,256 worth of debts, and he owed more than $100,000 in back child support to Kami. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. Native pecan trees already dotted the property, including one that theSan Saba Newswould later proclaim to be among the most beautiful and symmetric pecan trees in the county, but O.B., as he was known, planted the familys first orchard in 1926, installing a grove of 1,200 trees and naming it the Home Place Orchard. Bruce pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and at his sentencing, his lawyer tried to argue that he had simply been all talk. Located in east central San Saba County, San Saba was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. And now, new details uncovered by KXAN could have a major impact on the upcoming trial., Authorities said that the murder-for-hire scheme was hatched to gain control of the Harkey family estate and rooted in deep family secrets. If there was a club in town, she belonged to it, said Betty Ann Johnson, a San Saba resident and Bonnies friend of forty years. Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France Who is the biggest pecan producer in the world? 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.. A DPS helicopter dispatched from Waco made slow circles overhead, scanning the ground with heat-imaging cameras. Most famous for its abundance of pecans hence being known as The Pecan Capital of the World this Hill Country destination is packed with specialty shops selling all sorts of pecan-related goodies. She was a super sweet lady who would do anything for anybody, Boyd said. Who owns the biggest pecan farm in the world? Bonnie let the baby die because he was a threat to her, because he was the firstborn male heir to Harkey Farms, he told me. SAN SABA, Texas (KXAN) - At 85, Bonnie Harkey was loved by her neighbors in San Saba County and affectionately known as the Pecan Queen because of the sprawling and fertile farm of nut-bearing trees that had been in her family for years. . The foyer where Karen Johnson was found dead. Bruce Harkey would not confess to anything hes done wrong, said Wilkerson. Teenage flirtation gave way to sobering reality with an unexpected pregnancy, however, and the two were married in August 1969, on a Friday evening at the start of Bruces senior year. (The official cause of death was aspiration asphyxiation.) Bonnie Harkey owned the pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. I guess with any big estate worth any value, if youve got a bunch of people involved, theres going to be fuss.. Soon a court had appointed Spinks as the permanent guardian of Bonnies estate and her longtime friend Betty Ann as the guardian of her person. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Connie N Harkey. 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. Afterward, they returned home, where Bonnie changed out of her Sunday best and into a teal tracksuit. Tonight @DatelineNBC reports on the death of Bonnie Harkey, the matriarch of a prominent San Saba pecan farming family. Was I enamored with or happy about Bonnie Harkey? Carl would show up with a pickup full of pecans, and we bought them. Despite the chaos, Bonnie remained lucid about some things. In 1996, shortly after his forty-fourth birthday, Bruce married his eighth wife, a twenty-year-old named Kami Jones, and the couple drove out frequently to visit Bonnie and Riley. Just after eight-thirty in the evening, a call came in. Texas Monthly - Pecans, greed, & murder. Tonight | Facebook FULL EPISODE: Queen of the County 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. Jump to: Biography Memories Family Tree Followers Connie Harkey's Biography SAN SABA, Texas (KXAN) At 85, Bonnie Harkey was loved by her neighbors in San Saba County and affectionately known as the Pecan Queen because of the sprawling and fertile farm of nut-bearing trees that had been in her family for years. 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. McAfee said he thought jurors were swayed by testimony from several witnesses who said Bruce Harkey had told them that he would be out of town one weekend. 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. What are the 12 general lab safety rules. She had been hit in the head and then drowned, said McAfee. They have also lived in Caryville, TN and Statesville, NC. Im ninety-nine percent sure that Carl Pressleys involved., Deputies spent the next few hours trying to track down Carl and Lillian, requesting a DPS Silver Alert for Bonnie and a statewide search for Carls Mustang. Bonnie, who had been watching Eric, rushed him to the hospital, but by the time she got there, the baby was dead. Bonnie Harkey's . On days when Millican was in the groves, Bruce would park his silver F-150 in a neighboring field and scrutinize from afar. 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. Lived To 94 Bonnie Sharkey. Do you need 2 pecan trees to produce nuts? He said he would kill me and they would never implicate him, Kami told KXAN. It was very true. His ex-wife, his eighth wife Kami, said Brucetried to have her killed, too. The grisly crime shocked the rural community of Harkeyville named for the pecan-farming family in San Saba County, about 100 miles northwest of Austin. My grandfather assumed that if anyone were to take over the farm, it would be me. He scowled as the judge read his sentence: life without parole. At least 1 dead, 5 injured in Massachusetts house party shooting, 2-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers player drowns after falling into pool, Tornado strikes Virginia coast, leaving behind trail of damage, AI-generated music growing exponentially, sparking debate. Six months earlier, she had been diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, and it was only a matter of time, everyone knew, before it claimed her. I didnt have anything to do with the death of Bonnie Harkey or Ms. Johnson, he repeated. Tommy Lee & the Pecan Trees - Medium By 1956, Leonard Bend Pecan Farm had 3,300 acres of orchards on the peninsula and had become the largest contiguous walnut orchard in Texas and the second largest in the United States. One of those girls was Judi Bishop, one year older and from Goldthwaite, a town 22 miles north. She might have lived two years, or maybe fivebut where ishenow? said Les Dawson, referring to Bruce and his future behind bars. Who is the leading producer in pecans in the united states? Her body was eventually discovered 200 miles east, in a rural area in Leon County. John packed up in the fall of 1965 to attend Texas Tech University, in Lubbock; Connie enrolled there two years later after being named San Sabas homecoming queen. March 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? After a brief courtship, the two were married at Wacos Highland Baptist Church that April, one month after his divorce was finalized. As Price would later put it, Carl has not been accused of being very intelligent.). Finally, at two in the morning, after repeatedly calling Carls cellphone, Sheriff Brown reached Carl himself. Carl then went to find Bonnie and asked if they could pray together in her bedroom. Investigators focus on one of Bonnies stepsons, Bruce Harkey, as the mastermind behind the plot to kill Bonnie Harkey.April 24, 2015. The Harkeys had that reputationthat there was always some trouble brewing after Riley died. Karens eleven-year-old son, who had found her and called 911, stood on the front porch clutching a cordless phone. Recounting the scary incident, Bonnie shared that she and her . Facebook gives people the power to. Theyre either dead or in jail., Even before her killing on March 25, it was clear Bonnie Harkey was slowing down. Nobody else did that after the seventies., Perhaps it was Rileys work ethic and stature that first caught the attention of Bonnie Sawyer Compton. It became the county seat in 1856. Bonnie entertained often, volunteering her home for garden club and church functions, serving up sandwiches, cakes, and other dainty refreshments on fine china. His silver hair was closely shorn, per regulations, and he wore wire-frame glasses and flimsy terry-cloth slippers. Second of all, if I thought somebody needed killing that bad, I would take care of it myself., Investigators, however, had reasons to be suspicious. Not much damage and we enjoyed 'bumping into each other' at the Christian Women's monthly meetings. Left: The entrance to the Harkey homestead off U.S. 190. To comfort her, the sheriff handed her a cup of water, and her lawyer whispered, You are making out better than anyone else in this, by far. She received 45 years. (He did. 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.. The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the family's history. We must not let death steal the memories of her joy in life! Pastor Crosby exhorted the crowd. A few hours after Carls confession, news reached Bruce that the investigation was tightening around him. The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the familys history. San Saba County Bruce Harkey, 59, said in interviews with The . Carl also had a temper, one so volatile that First Baptist Church barred him from the premises after he showed up at Bible study one Wednesday to demand money from Bonnie. mostly concerned himself with fire ants, which can hamper the grafting process and damage expensive irrigation equipment. She was very good to everybody she knew too good to these people who took advantage of her, said Donna Bush., According to police, one Sunday back in the early spring while Bonnie was at church, her adopted grandson, Carl Pressley, sneaked into her home. I drove to San Saba in late summer. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. According to local news station KXAN, "One Sunday, while Bonnie was at church, her grandson Carl. Who else is involved in this?, Carl paused for a moment and looked down. Connie N Harkey (1948 - 1991) - Biography and Family Tree As a favor to their friends son,Betty Ann and Craigan Johnson hired him to clean out their barn, but the work was short-term. the Millican family Davis said he plans to appeal the verdict. According to Carl, he approached another potential hit man about killing Bonnie and Spinks but found the $10,000 asking price too steep. So, Bruce Harkey asked Pressley to kill everybody at the house, McAfee said. Scanner chatter is a rich source of gossip in this tiny Central Texas city of 3,099, and ears perked up that Sunday as paramedics and law enforcement officers rushed four miles west of town to Harkeyville, where a 1927 red-brick house sat among three hundred acres of pecan orchards. He often criticized her. Bruce was infuriated. For almost three years after her death, the house remained exactly as Bonnie left it. A copy of the Baptist magazineOn Missionsat on the table beside her. If you asked him what time it was, hed tell you how to build a watch, said Steve Boyd, a former Texas Ranger who succeeded Allen Brown as sheriff in 2013. The autopsy reports she may have been buried alive. The home that sits amidst a 300-acre pecan farm, alongside actor Tommy Lee Jones' colossal cattle ranch property. The matriarch of the family, Bonnie Harkey aka The Pecan Queen, was murdered. Hed openly shared his travel plans to Fort Worth, he continued, because he was excited to go to the big city. A change of venue brought the high-profile trial to Burnet County. He started to warn me at least once a week, that if I ever tried to run , Bruce Harkeys federal detention order (contains profane, Travis County arrest report from 2003 (contains profane language). Family members have fought a long battle in court over who would inherit those lands after the death of Bonnie Harkey. Are candied pecans the same as praline pecans? 10,853 followers. He stayed for about two hours and cried, recalled Shawn Oliver, Clydenes son. The Johnsons and the Harkeys became great friends, going out to dinner and traveling to gospel concerts in Marble Falls and Burnet. *With an incidental appearance by Tommy Lee Jones. 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. He needed an address to satisfy probation requirements, so he sent letter after letter to Bonnie, begging her to let him live on the Harkey farm. John and Bruce reached out, and after some negotiation through an intermediary, Jones put down a $541,822.50 offer on the orchard. Outdoorsy types can enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and swimming. How many years does it take for a pecan tree to produce pecans? He is the living epitome of evil.. 4d. ), Bruce, Carl, and Lillian were sent away to separate county jails, where they remained until Bruces trial this past April. She was curled into the fetal position and buried under a thick layer of leaves, mud caked into her white curls. Bonnie was ill, after all; they would have come into their inheritance soon enough. . 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. The sentencing hearings for Carl and Lillian took place a couple of weeks later at the San Saba County courthouse. After reconstructing Bonnies movements that morning, the search team was stumped. (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.) Several of the older ones had died. If I waste my time and energy hating the people that have claimed I did, Im takin away time from loving my wife and my children. Bonnie, too, was grief-stricken. (I just wish the old bitch was dead, he told Les Dawson, a justice of the peace, at the courthouse. Professional coffee lover. Bonnie Heakins Harkey - Facebook Carl had dropped out of high school after eleventh grade and gone to work in the oil fields around Midland; following his return, hed married a local woman named Melissa Pafford, in 2003, when he was 19. One of Dwight's cousins moved to San Saba, attended The Father House, and went to the Christian Women's . Bruce Harkey, 59, said in interviews with The Associated Press before his arrest that he had long ago reached an agreement to buy part of Pressley's estate.