The self-avowed anti-Semite who was sentenced to death for killing three people at Jewish sites in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2014 has died in prison.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a statement that Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. died Monday at the El Dorado Correctional facility in southeastern Kansas. He was 80 years old.
Cross was convicted of capital murder in August 2015 for the premeditated killings of 69-year-old William Corporon and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Underwood, at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, and the killing of 53-year-old Teresa LaManno at the nearby Village Shalom retirement complex.
Johnson County jurors also convicted Cross of three counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and the criminal discharge of a firearm. He was sentenced to death in September 2015.
Cross, also known as Frazier Glenn Miller, insisted on representing himself during the trial. He testified that he drove to Overland Park from his Aurora, Missouri, home with the intent to murder Jews. None of his victims were Jewish.
KDOC officials said Cross's cause of death is pending an autopsy, but a preliminary assessment indicates he died of natural causes.
According to the Associated Press, Cross testified during his trial that he had chronic emphysema and didn't expect to live long after the April 2014 shootings. It's unconfirmed if that contributed to his death.
In March, Cross sought to overturn his death sentence before the Kansas Supreme Court. His lawyer claimed that he should not have been allowed to represent himself in the complex case and that prosecutors made improper closing arguments.
Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said he had spoken with both the Corporon and LaManno families about Cross's death.
“While this does not repair the damage done to their families by his horrific acts, we hope that this will be another step in their healing process,” Howe said.
The Corporon family issued a statement Tuesday saying they had forgiven him, but “in no way does this forgiveness mean that his actions were correct.”
“We are neither happy nor sad," the statement reads. "He stole so much from our family, but he didn’t steal our hearts or our dignity. He did not steal our memories, the love that sustains us or the ability to offer forgiveness and kindness in the face of such tragedy."
The family said they were thankful they wouldn’t have to be concerned about a potential appeal of Cross’ sentence.
“At no time did he ask for our forgiveness or offer regret for his actions," the statement continued. "He was taught to hate by his own father from the time he was young. Only knowing how to hate another drove him to murder. This is heartbreaking."
Following the 2014 killings, the Corporon family created the Faith Always Wins Foundation, dedicated “to promoting dialogue for the betterment of our world through kindness, faith and healing.”
Mindy Corporon released a book Monday entitled “Healing a Shattered Soul," detailing her journey to heal in the wake of the death of her son, Reat Underwood, and her father, William Corporon.
"The fact that this memoir – Mindy's faithful journey of courageous kindness after the trauma and grief of domestic terrorism – was published on the same day the murderer who inflicted horrendous pain into our lives, died, is not lost on us," the family wrote.
Copyright 2021 KCUR 89.3
