Willie Tyrone Trottie, 45, was executed by lethal injection on the evening of September 10, 2014, at the Huntsville Unit in Texas for the May 3, 1993, murders of his estranged girlfriend, 24‑year‑old Barbara Nell Canada, and her brother, 29‑year‑old Titus Canada, in Harris County. Trottie’s crime unfolded after a turbulent relationship and repeated threats against Canada following their breakup in 1992. On the night of the killings, he forced his way into the Canada home in Houston and opened fire, fatally shooting Barbara multiple times and then killing her brother as he lay wounded. Two other family members were wounded in the attack, and several young children were present in the home at the time.
Trottie’s pattern of harassment and violence toward Canada prior to the murders was documented in trial testimony. Witnesses described repeated threats he made if she did not return to him after the couple separated and a protective order was issued. Despite his defense later claiming self‑defense and citing his troubled childhood and legal representation, a Harris County jury convicted Trottie of capital murder, and he was sentenced to death.
In the years that followed his conviction, Trottie pursued multiple appeals, including arguing that his trial counsel was ineffective and questioning aspects of the execution protocol. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately refused to intervene in his case, clearing the way for the scheduled execution.
On the day of his execution, Trottie offered a final statement in which he expressed love for family members, asked for forgiveness, and spoke of his faith. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, he said, “I love you all… Find it in your hearts to forgive me. I’m sorry. Stay strong. Jesus take me home.” He also specifically addressed loved ones by name in his last words before the lethal dose of pentobarbital was administered.
Texas abolished special last meal requests in 2011, so Trottie did not have a custom meal prior to his execution; instead, he would have been served the standard meal provided to other inmates on execution day.
Trottie was pronounced dead at approximately 6:35 p.m. CDT, about 22 minutes after the lethal injection began. His execution was one of several carried out in Texas that year, which continues to be the most active death penalty state in the nation since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1982.
