Robert Wayne Williams
Robert Wayne Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1952 Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 1983 (aged 31) |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death by electrocution |
Robert Wayne Williams (February 6, 1952 – December 14, 1983) was convicted of the January 5, 1979 murder of Willie Kelly, a 67-year-old security guard. He was executed in 1983 by the state of Louisiana by electric chair.[1] He became the first person to be executed in Louisiana since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated.
Overview[]
On January 5, 1979, Williams and Ralph Holmes entered the A & P Supermarket located at 3525 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge. Both men placed ski masks over their faces and Williams pulled out a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. They then approached the security guard, Willie Kelly, age 67, who was bagging groceries. Ralph Holmes tried to remove Kelly's pistol from his holster. As Kelly made a move with his hand toward his pistol, Williams yelled "Don't try it", and immediately shot Kelly in the face at point blank range. Williams and Holmes then proceeded to complete the robbery. During this process, Holmes pistol-whipped one of the customers, and Williams accidentally shot two people in their feet. The police received a telephone call from an informant implicating Holmes, Williams and Williams' wife. Following their arrest, both Williams and his wife gave confessions which implicated themselves in the crime.
See also[]
- Capital punishment in Louisiana
- Capital punishment in the United States
- List of people executed in Louisiana
References[]
- ^ "The Telegraph: Robert Wayne Williams". Retrieved 25 July 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Sources[]
- U.S. Executions Since 1976. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- Wendell Smith. Cruel and Unusual?. Columbia Journalism Review (September/October 1991). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- Jason DeParle. Executions aren't news - why they should be. Washington Monthly (March 1986). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- Maggio v. Williams, 464 U.S. 46 (1983). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- State v. Williams 383 So.2d 369 (La., 1980).
| Preceded by Robert Sullivan |
Executions in the United States | Succeeded by John Eldon Smith |
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- 1951 births
- 1983 deaths
- 20th-century executions by Louisiana
- 20th-century executions of American people
- American people convicted of murder
- Executed people from Louisiana
- People convicted of murder by Louisiana
- People executed by Louisiana by electric chair
- People executed for murder
- Crime stubs
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