Alabama executes man for 1994 murder of store clerk

An Alabama man convicted of killing a convenience store clerk in 1994 was executed late Thursday, prison officials said.

Ronald Bert Smith Jr., 45, was put to death by lethal injection, The Associated Press reported. Smith was convicted for the Nov. 8, 1994, shooting death of Huntsville store clerk Casey Wilson. Jurors convicted Smith of capital murder in 1995 and recommended life imprisonment by a 7-5 vote. However, the judge in the case sentenced Smith to death.

After two court-ordered delays, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that Alabama could proceed with the execution. That capped a whirlwind of legal filings by Smith’s attorneys. Smith needed five justices to agree to a halt to the execution, but only four were in favor.
Smith was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m. CST Thursday after a lethal injection at the southwest Alabama prison.
Smith heaved and coughed for 13 minutes during the 30-minute-long execution, the AP reported. He clenched his fists and raised his head during the early part of the procedure.

Wilson was pistol-whipped and then shot in the head during the robbery, court documents obtained by the AP show. Surveillance video showed Smith entering the store and recovering fired shell casings from the bathroom where Wilson was shot, according to the record.

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