. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. I cant tell you how many hundreds of miles my grandfather and I walked in that Harkeyville Orchard, said Bruce recently. Why are pecans more expensive than almonds? The late afternoon of March25, 2012, a voice crackled over the police scanners that perch on the coffee tables or hang on the belts of many residents in San Saba: an ambulance was headed out to Harkey Pecan Farms. Of his two grandsons, in fact, O.B. The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the familys history.April 24, 2015. A century ago, the Harkey family learned how to make money grow on trees pecan trees. Though pecan trees can grow with little to no help, they are famously temperamental when it comes to producing high-quality nuts, and Riley made himself an expertlearning how to graft buds onto a seedling, trim back branches, and fertilize with zinc. View the profiles of people named Bonnie Harkey. With rights to the Prichard Orchard secured, the Harkey brothers now set their sights on a potential buyer: their reclusive yet high-profile neighbor Tommy Lee Jones. He became the head of the San Saba County Pecan Growers Association, and around town, farmers sought him out for advice. The Harkeys were one of the first families to settle the area, before pecans were an industry. I think part of their attitude goes back to being a Harkey, said Teresa Cook, Bonnies niece. The Harkeys had long been one of San Sabas most prominent families, and their property sat next door to a stretch of pastureland owned by another notable native son, the actor Tommy Lee Jones. Back in San Saba, meanwhile, Bonnie and Riley had become grandparents again. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. . Clydene Oliver, the proprietor of Oliver Pecan Company, remembers when Riley, who often sold nuts to her family in bulk, dropped by her storefront on West Wallace Street. Search Begins for Missing Bonnie Harkey Police recall that Karen Johnson's death seemed unusual when they arrived at the scene -- and they were very concerned that Bonnie Harkey, who had dementia and health issues, was missing from the home. Prosecutors accused him of engineering the plot after Bonnie Harkeys guardian refused to go along with his plans to sell the Harkey Pecan Farm for $574,000, allegedly to an agent for actor Tommy Lee Jones, who was born in San Saba, about 100 miles northwest of Austin. The Millicans, their lease having expired, were no longer caring for the orchards, and as I passed by the historic groves, the trees looked unkempt, thirsty from the drought and in need of a trim. The entrance to the Harkey homestead off U.S. 190. I do not take any medicine that would cause unsafe driving. Where do most of the u, s. pecans come from? 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). They walked to a nearby ravine and down the embankment to a small stream. Except there was one wrinkle. Her closed casket sat in the sanctuary alongside photos of her with Riley and Miss Kitty. Get rid of Bonnie this weekend, Carl said Bruce told him. 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.. She never said anything about it, but I could tell by the way she acted.. And I wont do that. Several of the older ones had died. Wannabe web aficionado. If he was coming to worship and study, that was fine, but we didnt want that anger, explained Pastor Sam Crosby. How many years will a pecan tree produce? (I just wish the old bitch was dead, he told Les Dawson, a justice of the peace, at the courthouse. Ill pay you. Season 10 Episode 10 - Videos 1:13 Preview Texas Double Murder Was "Epic Tale Of Greed" 1:46 Preview (Jennifer was never arrested, and John escaped public scrutiny when he died of a heart attack three months after the murders.) Who owns the Harkey pecan Farm? - Rattleinnaustin.com The marker stood in front of a metal storage building and across the way, a donkey grazed in front of a newly built house. Bruce Harkey would not confess to anything hes done wrong, said Wilkerson. Bruce Harkey, who had been taking care of the orchard, was fired sometime during 2011, McAfee said. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. She also wrote large checks to foreign telephone scammers. Bonnie Harkey owned the pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Bruce and Judi were devastated. Two hours later, a blubbering Carl finally admitted hed killed Bonnie and left her body in a creek near the RV. One time she wrote about sports. But his father resisted any overtures, preferring to run the farm himself, with Bonnie at his side. Hed planned to smother Bonnie with a pillow at naptime and then sneak out, but when Karen spotted him as she answered the door, he panicked, tackling her in a bear hug and throwing her to the floor, where he suffocated her beneath his body weight. It bothered Bonnie that we didnt have any money growing up, recalled her sister, Wilma Cook. That weekend turned out to be when the murders happened. I still have the scar where my brother kicked me. Bonnie H Harkey is listed at 1340 Sardis Rd N Charlotte, Nc 28270 and is affiliated with the Republican Party. His son had built the house where the Harkey blacksmith shop once stood; you could still find racing horseshoes whenever you dug in the dirt. Alice in Wonder Land | San Saba News & Star Bruce was Bonnies step-son. Professional coffee lover. EDHEC Alumni. He told me that the meth hed done the day of the murders, as well as Bruces manipulation, were responsible for his crimes. Our world has changed, and many people in it have become motivated by greed and grown up with a sense of entitlement, she wrote in theNews & Staron April 5. Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France But then things went suddenly and terribly awry: on April 15, as Bruce sat in English class, the baby stopped breathing. Located in east central San Saba County, San Saba was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. Trending on Oxygen. Bonnie Harkey - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Assist all periodontal surgeries, perform all post-operative follow-up appointments, assist patients . He had been playing video games in another room, he said through tears, and hadnt heard any commotion. The jury took one hour to find him guilty. He stayed for about two hours and cried, recalled Shawn Oliver, Clydenes son. Carl then went to find Bonnie and asked if they could pray together in her bedroom. Bruce Harkey is Bonnie Harkeys stepson. Bonnie, too, was grief-stricken. And I said, Forwhat? Despite his protestations, he was arrested two days later, for criminal solicitation of capital murder, an allegation he pronounced absolutely and totally ludicrous. He vociferously contested Carls version of events. But then what happened? Bonnie Harkey owned the walnut farm and had given 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Outdoorsy types can enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and swimming. The town has recently focused its energies on tourism, redeveloping its downtown, but the pecan industry remains alive and well. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. Shelled walnuts are available in halves, chunks and halves of topping (native nut). Both testified at Bruce Harkeys trial about the murder-for-hire arrangement. Rileys wife, Joan, had recently walked out on him and their twoboys after a troubledmarriage, packingup her Ford stationwagon and hightailing it to the desert of Nevada. Those close to Bonnie say she was afraid of Bruce and other family members. John and Bruce reached out, and after some negotiation through an intermediary, Jones put down a $541,822.50 offer on the orchard. Why are pecans more expensive than other nuts? Every time I went, she said, Please do not let them take my home away from me, Betty Ann, recalled her friend. I was in the backseat, and I leaned forward and said, So, do we call you Mom now or what? he said. A portrait of Bonnie used in her obituary. Her ex-husband, a traveling salesman, had left her for another woman, and Bonnie had moved from Ocee to the city with their daughter, fourteen-year-old Connie. Afterward, one San Saban whod witnessed all the proceedings expressed his towns pleasure in the outcome. There are no secrets around here, and if there is a secret, someone will make up a story to fill in the gaps, explained Boyd. He tried to have me killed. Read our feature on the case from January. His ex-wife, his eighth wife Kami, said Brucetried to have her killed, too. He was already resentful of decisions Spinks had been makingthis was the last straw. FULL EPISODE: Queen of the County In San Saba 237 years later, March 25 dawned as an unremarkable Sunday. When Bonnie and Karen got home, he texted Lillian, who was to come back and ring the doorbell, serving as a distraction while he tiptoed into Bonnies bedroom. 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. What had been his fathers hobby became Rileys livelihood. April 24, 2015. 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. 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. 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. He explained their animosity. No detail in his orchards escaped him. 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. 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. They set up a sting operation, in which an informant provided Bruce with an illegal silencer and federal agents then arrested him, charging him with possession of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. Bonnie Harkey was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after Johnsons body was found at Harkeys home. We support the Constitution, Smaller Govt, and Individual Liberty. But he said theyd gone to the San Saba Rivera lie that caused Lillian to break down and spill the real details as soon as Price tried to cross-check the story. He sped down U.S. 190 in his white truck, passing neatly tended rows of pecan trees and the cattle auction barn, then crossed the San Saba River and rumbled down the caliche road to the two-story house. Lived To 94 Bonnie Sharkey. Where is Harkeyville Texas? Jun 1986 - Dec 200115 years 7 months. When shed tell a story, hed interrupt and say, No, thats not the way it goes, recalled Bonnies sister. 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. While his grandmother was still alive, Pressley sold the rights to his share for about $70,000 to Bruce Harkey and his brother, the district attorney said. She aint going to forgive me, Carl told Wilkerson through tears. Bruce began to spend more time with his nephew Carl, who was now 24. Wild pecan trees, Carya illinoinensis, haveflourished throughout the South for millennia, and thousands grow along the rivers of Central Texas; when the explorer lvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca was held captive by Indians on the Guadalupe in 1532, he christened it the river of nuts. But human cultivation of pecans in Texas began in San Saba in 1874, with the arrival of Edmund E. Risien.
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