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Deborah Pieringer


Inmate Name: Deborah Pieringer Charge: Capital murder Sentence: life sentence Prison: Gatesville Unit, Gatesville, Texas Deborah Lynn Pieringer was the only child born to Loyd and Agnes Courtney on June 4, 1953 in a middle-class neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. Loyd Courtney worked for over 50 years with the Fort Worth Police Department as a fingerprint expert. Agnes Courtney dedicated much of her life to community service. Although she was a shy girl, Deborah sang in the Texas Girls Choir and was an avid swimmer. In her teen years, Deborah continued to be reserved. She excelled in science and math at D.D. Wyatt High School and continued singing with the Texas Girls Choir until she was 18. After high school, Deborah enrolled at the University of Texas at Arlington for pre-med classes but dropped out after a year and started working. In 1984, Deborah decided to become an accountant and went to night school at Texas Wesleyan University. She continued to work at a computer company where she met her husband to be, Paul Pieringer. Deborah married Paul Pieringer on January 16th, 1998. In May 1989 she graduated with a B.B.A. in Accounting. Upon graduation, Deborah worked as an auditor for the Tarrant County Auditor's office in Ft. Worth. On March 17, 1993, 39 year-old Deborah gave birth to her daughter Angela. In her early forties, Deborah struggled with mental illness and was diagnosed as suffering from bi-polar depression. Forced to retire early, as a result of her mental illness, she went on disability. At the same time, her husband Paul contracted a serious case of hepatitis and lost his job as a plumber. The couple, unable to make ends meet, relied on Deborah's parents for additional financial support. Despite Deborah's financial difficulties and her depression, she maintained close contact with her parents and saw them frequently. She visited with them for the last time on the morning of November 2, 2001. When she left their house that morning to go shopping, she claims her parents were fine. Later that day police discovered 75 year-old Loyd Courtney and his wife, 71 year-old Agnes Courtney dead at their home. Each had been stabbed repeatedly with a pairing knife and bludgeoned with four cast-iron skillets. The cause of death was multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. Police became suspicious of Deborah's behavior on the night they informed her of her parents' deaths and noticed two fresh cuts on her left hand. Crime scene analysts spent four days at the Courtney residence and recovered a large amount of evidence. DNA testing revealed that Deborah's blood was found in six places at the crime scene. Pieringer was arrested on Friday, April 19th 2002. Her trial began on January 14, 2003. She was accused of stabbing and bludgeoning Loyd and Agnes Courtney to death. She was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison. She will not become eligible for parole until she is at least 89 years old, after at least 40 years in prison. She still maintains her innocence.