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Bruce Harkey made headlines in 2012 when he was convicted of conspiring to murder his stepmother, Bonnie Harkey. The chilling murder is covered in detail in an episode of the NBC series Dateline: Secrets Uncovered.
Bruce Harkey is currently serving a lifelong sentence in prison for orchestrating the murder of Bonnie Harkey and housekeeper Karen Johnson. Bonnie Harkey was known as the 'Pecan Queen' in San Baba, Texas. She owned a large pecan farm, but her stepson, Bruce, wanted to sell the place. He wanted to remove Bonnie so that he could gain ownership of the farm and sell it for a large sum of money.
The shocking details of how Bruce planned the murder along with Bonnie's adopted grandson are discussed in season 10, episode 10, of the Oxygen series Dateline: Secrets Uncovered. The episode, titled Queen of the County, was re-aired on November 15, 2023, at 7 p.m. EST on Oxygen.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered: Everything to know about Bonnie Harkey's murder orchestrator Bruce Harkey
Early in the 1950s, Riley and Joan Harkey welcomed Bruce into the world in San Saba, Texas. In April 1963, at the age of eleven, Riley's father was married to Bonnie Katherine Sawyer Harkey. While his brother and Connie, his half-sister, settled down and began families, Bruce led a difficult life.
Bruce Harkey married for the first time in 1969. His marriage ended when his infant son died prematurely. Before returning to Texas in 1987, he married and divorced twice. Bruce had planned to take over the property after his father died in July 1997. Bonnie ended up taking it, much to his dismay. Bruce was filled with resentment as a result of this.
When Bruce was freed from federal prison in December 2007 after serving five years for plotting the murder of his estranged eighth wife, his downward spiral continued. Bruce intended to sell the pecan farm to their well-known neighbor Tommy Lee-Jones because he was in desperate need of money. However, he couldn't do that because Bonnie was still alive and residing on the land.
Bruce Harkey eventually hired Carl Pressley, his nephew and Bonnie's step-grandson, to murder Bonnie and take ownership of the farm. After Bonnie and her caregiver passed away on March 25, the authorities detained Carl and Lillian, who later admitted to killing them.
In addition, they stated that Bruce had been threatening to kill Bonnie ever since she was thought to have played a part in the death of his infant and had then asked them to do so in return for money. According to reports, the stepson had publicly announced his plan to kill people throughout the area and had even asked others to carry out the hit.
Bruce Harkey had spent years working with the police, so he understood how to set up the perfect alibi. He apparently chose to spend the weekend at John's house in Fort Worth. Bruce sat quietly in court during his April 2014 trial, convinced that he would be found not guilty.
He took a ton of notes up until the jury found him guilty of capital murder and gave him a life sentence without the possibility of release. The James V. Allred Unit in Wichita Falls, Texas, is where the 71-year-old is currently serving his life imprisonment term.
Catch up on the chilling murder of Bonnie Harkey on season 10, episode 10, of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, re-airing on Oxygen.
