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Michael Sockwell Alabama Death Row

Michael Sockwell was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a murder for hire. According to court documents Michael Sockwell and Alex Hood were paid $100 to murder the victim who was the husband of Louise Harris. Louise Harris had been having an affair and asked her lover to arrange the murder. Michael Sockwell would fatally shoot the victim as he pulled up to a stop sign. Michael Sockwell would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. Louise Harris was initially sentenced to death however her sentence would later be commuted to life in prison without parole. Alex Hood would receive a life sentence

Michael Sockwell 2021 Information

Inmate:	SOCKWELL, MICHAEL ANTHONY
AIS:	0000Z515

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Michael Sockwell More News

In the late evening hours of March 10, 1988, Isaiah Harris, a deputy sheriff in Montgomery County, Alabama, was shot in the head while he was driving to work. Perry Bullard, a police officer with the Montgomery police department, testified that Harris’s vehicle was found on the Troy Highway, at a point across from Cherry Hill Road.

Freddie Patterson testified that he knew Michael Sockwell, and the co-defendants Lorenzo (Bo Bo) McCarter and Alex Hood. Patterson testified that during the early part of the day on March 10, 1988, the appellant, Hood, and he drove around and drank beer and that later they went to Hood’s house and drank and talked. According to Patterson, after 9:00 p.m. that night, he, the appellant, and Hood went to pick up McCarter at work. Patterson stated that when they arrived, McCarter was talking to someone in another vehicle. McCarter finished talking to the other person and then got into Hood’s car. The four went to a store to buy more alcohol and then went to Hood’s house for a while, according to Patterson.

Patterson stated that after 10:00 p.m. they left Hood’s house and drove out to Troy Highway in Hood’s vehicle, which McCarter was driving. Patterson stated that he and Hood rode in the backseat of the vehicle and that the appellant rode in the front seat. Patterson testified that they turned into the *13 Regency Park subdivision and went around a block in that subdivision. According to Patterson, as they passed a certain house on the block with a car in the driveway, someone in the vehicle stated “that’s the car.” Patterson stated that at that time, the appellant got out of Hood’s vehicle carrying a shotgun and some clothes. Patterson further stated that the three remaining in the vehicle drove across the street and parked at an auto parts store facing Cherry Hill Road. Patterson stated that in a few minutes, a pager that was in the car beeped and a voice transmitted over the pager said something to the effect of “He’s leaving now.” Patterson stated that he then heard a loud noise, after which they left the parking lot of the auto parts store and picked up the appellant, who got into the backseat with a gun and some clothes. Patterson further testified that after the appellant got back into the car, he stated that he “had to shoot him” and that “he was gonna … get his money.” Patterson testified that the four of them drove to a bridge and that the appellant threw the gun and the clothes over the railing of the bridge.

Bruce Huggins, an investigator with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department testified that he had observed what appeared to be an abandoned vehicle near the scene of the murder and that he determined that the vehicle belonged to Lorenzo McCarter. He was informed that McCarter was having an affair with Isaiah Harris’s wife. The State presented evidence that the wife, codefendant Louise Harris, could have received a substantial sum of money in insurance proceeds as a result of Isaiah Harris’s death.

Kenneth Gilmore, a friend of the appellant, testified that he and the appellant had made arrangements to go fishing on March 11, 1988, the day after the shooting. Gilmore testified that when he met the appellant that Michael Sockwell was with codefendant Hood. He further stated that he went with the appellant and Hood to pick up some money at a house on Pineleaf Street. According to Gilmore, afterwards, the individuals went to a store, where they drank some beer. Gilmore said that, after they left the store and were riding in Hood’s car, the appellant said that, “some n#gger slapped him and he shot him and blowed half of his face off.” The appellant was arrested that day.

https://law.justia.com/cases/alabama/court-of-appeals-criminal/1993/cr-89-225-0.html

Kenneth Smith Alabama Death Row

Kenneth Smith was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a murder for hire. According to court documents Kenneth Smith and John Forrest Parker were paid a $1000 by Rev. Charles Sennett to murder his wife Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett who was later found beaten and stabbed to death. Kenneth Smith and John Forrest Parker would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. John Forrest Parker was executed in 2010. Charles Sennett would be found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest in 1988, whether it was a suicide or an act of revenge is not known

Kenneth Smith Execution Scheduled For January 25 2024

Kenneth Smith 2021 Information

Inmate:	SMITH, KENNETH EUGENE
AIS:	0000Z512

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Kenneth Smith More News

Alabama death row inmate John Forrest Parker apologized to the family of his victim minutes before he was executed Thursday for the 1988 contract killing of a woman in a scheme allegedly arranged by her husband, a debt-ridden preacher.

The Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay a few minutes before the execution by lethal injection was scheduled to begin at Holman Prison in Atmore. Parker, 42, was pronounced dead at 6:41 p.m., corrections officials said.

Parker was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to die for the killing of Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, a 45-year-old grandmother who was stabbed repeatedly and beaten with a pipe at her Colbert County home

When asked if had any final words, Parker turned his head to face Mike and Charles Sennett, the victim’s sons, and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t ever expect you to forgive me. I really am sorry.”

He then turned his head toward a room where a friend, Carolyn Clemons, and several religious advisers, were sitting. His voice breaking and near tears, Parker said, “I appreciate everything. You all know that I love you.”

He then gave Clemons, who described herself as Parker’s common law wife, a thumbs up sign. She sobbed loudly as she watched his body quiver and then grow still.

Prosecutors said Parker was one of two men paid $1,000 each by a third man on behalf of her husband, the Rev. Charles Sennett, who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance. He committed suicide one week after his wife’s slaying.

Parker appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Alabama Supreme Court rejected his plea for a stay. In the appeal, Parker’s attorneys challenged the constitutionality of a state law that allowed the trial judge to override the jury’s recommendation that Parker be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Alabama Attorney General’s Office filed a response saying Parker had raised that argument and it had already been rejected by lower courts, and that the trial judge gave sufficient consideration to the jury’s recommendation

Parker spent most of Thursday meeting with friends and family members, including his mother, Joan Parker, and his father, Edward Parker. Spiritual advisors Ben Sherrod, George Thomas Dooley and Taylor Perry sat with Clemons in the witness room.

Prisons spokesman Brian Corbett said Parker was calm and spent some of his time Thursday reading the Bible. Parker had a final meal of fried fish, french fries and iced tea, Corbett said.

He gave most of his possessions to his mother, including a gold watch, a mirror, seven stamps and a box of pictures. He gave a belt and a wallet to two nephews.

The family planned to take possession of the body after the execution.

Mike Sennett said later he doesn’t know if the apology was sincere.

“He told us that he was sorry and that he was young. He had 22 years to tell me he was sorry and five minutes before he dies he tells me. Do I believe him? Probably not,” he said.

Charles Sennett said that only God knows if Parker was truly remorseful.

“He sounded sincere. I don’t know if he was,” Charles Sennett said.

The brothers, in a written statement, said the quiet death of Parker on a hospital gurney did not compare to the violent death of their mother in her home 22 years ago.

“The pain he did not feel today does not compare to the pain he inflicted on our mother,” their statement said.

But Clemons said that Parker, who she had known for more than 30 years, was a compassionate, loving man who did what he did because of drugs and did not need to die.

She said she was “devastated and hurt” as she watched him die. “It was something I’ll never be able to move past,” she said.

A second man accused of taking part in the attack, Kenneth Eugene Smith, now 44, also is on death row but does not have an execution date.

Court records show that the Rev. Charles Sennett contacted one of his tenants, Billy Gray Williams, about killing his wife, and that Williams then paid Parker and Smith $1,000 each to do it. Williams, 43, is serving life in prison without parole.

https://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2010/06/10/alabama-man-executed-in-1988-contract-killing/

David Freeman Alabama Death Row

David Freeman was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a double murder. According to court documents David Freeman would go over to the home of his ex girlfriend and kill her and would sexually assault and murder her mother. David Freeman who committed the double murder because the girl broke up with him. David Freeman would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

David Freeman 2021 Information

Inmate:	FREEMAN, DAVID
AIS:	0000Z506

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

David Freeman More News

The evidence against Freeman was overwhelming. In its sentencing order, the trial court made the following findings of fact concerning the crime and Freeman’s participation in the murders:

“On March 11, 1988, Deborah Gordon Hosford picked up her sister, [17-year-old] Sylvia Gordon, from Lanier High School [in Montgomery] and drove to their home at 29 Rosebud Court, arriving at approximately 3:30 p.m. Waiting on the porch was the defendant, David Freeman, who had ridden his bicycle to their home. David Freeman ․ lived in a trailer near the Gordon home, and he wanted a romantic relationship with Sylvia Gordon. Sylvia was not romantically interested in Freeman, and was planning to tell him that she no longer wished to see him. Deborah, Sylvia, and Freeman entered the home. Deborah had to return to work and left at approximately 3:45 p.m. When she left, Freeman and Sylvia were sitting on the couch.

“David Freeman had given Sylvia a note essentially stating that he did not like seeing her only once a week, that he loved her, and that he did not want to lose her like all of his other girlfriends. Sylvia in return gave Freeman a note stating that she viewed the relationship only as friendship and that she did not want to have a serious relationship. Approximately a week prior to the murders, Freeman had a conversation with Francis Boozer, a co-worker, and told her that he would rather see Sylvia dead than [for] someone else have her.

“At about 1:00 a.m. Deborah Gordon Hosford returned home. She found the lights of the home turned off and the door unlocked and slightly ajar. She went inside and noticed that the house had been ransacked. She went to her sister’s bedroom and found Sylvia, dead, in her bed with multiple stab wounds and clad only in a T-shirt and socks. As she was fleeing the house, she saw her mother, [43-year-old] Mary Gordon, lying in a pool of blood on the floor of her bedroom. Mrs. Gordon was clad only in a shirt, with her body being nude from the waist down with her legs spread apart.

“Police arrived at the Gordon home and found blood throughout most of the house. Mary Gordon was stabbed 14 times by David Freeman; two wounds were fatal. She lived for about five minutes [after being stabbed the first time]. She had also been raped, and the semen deposited in her was consistent as having been left by Freeman. Sylvia Gordon was stabbed 22 times by him, and she remained conscious for eight to ten minutes after the first wound was inflicted. None of the wounds were fatal; Sylvia Gordon bled to death. Examination also revealed that Sylvia Gordon had tears in her vagina. Additionally, police found a shoe print on the shirt of Mary Gordon and a shoe print on a card found on the floor near the body of Mary Gordon. Police also noted that all [telephone] lines in the house had been cut.

“Freeman had brought a knife with him and used it to brutally kill Sylvia Gordon because she did not want a relationship, as well as [to] kill Mary Gordon when she walked in on the murder. After committing the murders, Freeman stole the Gordons’ 1980 Pontiac Sunbird and put his bike that he had ridden to the Gordon home in it and fled the scene. He attempted to establish an alibi by later going to work. The Gordons’ car was found in a parking lot near Freeman’s apartment. Freeman’s fingerprint was found on the car and blood that was consistent with that of Sylvia Gordon and Mary Gordon was also in the car. Additionally found in the car was a butcher knife that had been cleaned of blood. The butcher knife was examined by an expert in trace evidence with the Department of Forensic Sciences and was determined to be consistent with having caused the wounds to Mary Gordon, to cut the bra and panties of Mary Gordon, and to cut the jeans of Sylvia Gordon.

“When the police arrived at Freeman’s apartment, Freeman answered the door, and the officers noted a bandage on Freeman’s right hand. When asked how he cut his hand, Freeman lied, claiming that he had cut his hand while repairing a chair. Freeman was arrested at his apartment. The police, upon a consent to search, found the clothing worn by Freeman, which had blood consistent with that of Sylvia Gordon on them. A mixture of blood and semen was found in the underwear that he had worn. His shoes were seized and compared to the prints found on the shirt of Mary Gordon and the card found in the Gordon home. Examination revealed that Freeman’s shoes were consistent with the prints found at the scene. Bite marks were noted on Freeman’s arm, which were [determined to have been] made by Sylvia Gordon.

“Freeman initially lied to the police as to his involvement in the crimes. He tried to establish an alibi for his whereabouts. However, when confronted with the evidence, Freeman admitted to stabbing Sylvia Gordon and stated that upon Mary Gordon’s entering the home he had no choice but to stab her. Freeman also claimed to have blacked out on two occasions during the crimes.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1078587.html

Harvey Windsor Alabama Death Row

Harvey Windsor was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a robbery murder. According to court documents Harvey Windsor would rob two stores killing a store clerk in each robbery. Harvey Windsor would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Harvey Windsor 2021 Information

Inmate:	WINDSOR, HARVEY LEE
AIS:	0000Z498

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Harvey Windsor More News

At trial, the State offered evidence that Harvey Lee Windsor and an accomplice, Colon Lavon Guthrie, robbed two convenience stores. The owner of each store was fatally shot. This appeal addresses Windsor’s conviction for the capital murder of Rayford Howard, who was killed in the first of those two robberies.

The statement of facts set out by the Court of Criminal Appeals in its June 17, 1994, opinion included the following:”On February 25, [1988,] at approximately 2:00 p.m., Rayford Howard was found dead in his store in St. Clair County. He died as a result of a shotgun blast to the chest. Money had been taken from the store’s cash register and the victim’s pants pockets had been emptied. A witness saw someone carrying a `sawed-off shotgun’ leave the victim’s store, open the breach and reload the gun, and get into a black sports car. “On this same day, the appellant and Guthrie were seen in St. Clair County travelling together in a black Ford Mustang automobile with gold stripes and the word `Boss’ written in gold on the sides. At approximately 1:00 p.m. that day, the *1045 appellant and Guthrie had visited Sammie Sue Wilson Osborne at her house. Ms. Osborne’s house was located approximately five miles from Rayford Howard’s store. “The automobile in which the appellant was riding was seen later that afternoon travelling at a high rate of speed in Marshall County and in Lawrence County.

The automobile was also seen at Tommy’s Store, a convenience store, in Lawrence County. An occupant of the car discarded two Budweiser beer cans in the parking lot of Tommy’s Store. “The automobile was also seen at approximately 8:00 p.m. at a store in Colbert County. The attendant at the Colbert County store, Randall Earl Pepper, was killed by a shotgun blast to the head. The appellant was identified as the person running from the store and getting into the automobile. When the appellant was arrested, he had in his possession a .25 caliber automatic pistol that had belonged to Mr. Pepper. “The automobile in which the appellant and Guthrie were travelling had been stolen on February 23, 1988, from Connie’s Quick Stop convenience store in Tiftonia, Tennessee.

The automobile was recovered on February 26, at Tiftonia Baptist Church, two-tenths of a mile from Connie’s Quick Stop. Guthrie’s sister’s house was located between Connie’s Quick Stop and the Tiftonia Baptist Church. “When the automobile was searched, the following items were recovered: a ring of keys, a receipt from Parisian department store, a 20-gauge shotgun shell, and cigarette butts. One of the keys on the recovered ring opened a padlock that secured the rear door of Howard’s store. The Parisian receipt was for a suit that Mr. Howard had purchased for his wife. The 20-gauge shotgun shell had been fired from the same gun as a shell that was recovered outside Howard’s store. The appellant’s fingerprint was found on one of the cigarette butts. “Additionally, Guthrie’s fingerprints were found on Mr. Howard’s driver’s license, which was recovered, along with his wallet and its contents, beside the road a few miles from his store. Guthrie’s fingerprints were also found on one of the Budweiser beer cans that were left at Tommy’s Store in Lawrence County.”

https://law.justia.com/cases/alabama/supreme-court/1996/1931643-1.html

William Kuenzel Alabama Death Row

William Kuenzel was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for the murder of a store clerk during a robbery. According to court documents William Kuenzel woud enter a convenience store and in the process of robbing it would shoot and kill the store clerk Linda Offord. William Kuenzel would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. William Kuenzel has maintained his innocence since being sent to death row in Alabama in 1988

William Kuenzel would die from cancer on Alabama death row still maintaining his innocence

William Kuenzel 2021 Information

Inmate:	KUENZEL, WILLIAM ERNEST
AIS:	0000Z489

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

William Kuenzel More News

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a death row inmate in Alabama who said evidence withheld by prosecutors entitled him to a new court hearing.

The justices did not comment Monday in turning away the appeal from Bill Kuenzel, convicted of killing a convenience store clerk in 1987.

Kuenzel’s case had gotten a boost from former Attorney General Edwin Meese, who said Kuenzel is “very likely actually innocent.”

He also has gotten support from actors and former prosecutors around the nation.

Kuenzel’s lawyers said that the evidence would have raised doubts about the truthfulness of plea deal testimony from a roommate who said Kuenzel committed the killing.

State courts had earlier refused Kuenzel’s pleas for a new hearing.

Kuenzel’s attorneys issued a statement after the SCOTUS ruling today.

“We’re obviously disappointed that the Court didn’t review the case of an innocent man facing death, given that the key evidence has never once been substantively reviewed by any court and only because some paperwork supposedly missed a filing deadline in the 1990’s,” according to the statement. “This case represents the most extreme example of government overreach, literally seeking to wrongfully take a citizen’s life without fair process.

“And for the people of Alabama, executing Bill means that Linda Offord’s real murderer will continue walking the streets – endangering every man, woman and child. The good news is that, while the window has narrowed, there are still those who are empowered to effect justice,” according to the statement.

The statement also urges the Alabama Legislature to enact legislation to create an Innocence Commission. The State Senate passed legislation earlier this year modeled off of a North Carolina bill, the statement notes.

The statement also called upon Kuenzel’s confessed accomplice, Harvey Venn, to come forward “and admit that he lied to save his own life.”

It also challenged the man who prosecuted the case should acknowledge his constitutional error and witnesses could come forward and share their stories. “Because if an innocent man is killed and those individuals don’t speak out, then it will rest on their conscience forever. And that is a sin approaching the one committed 29 years ago almost to the date,” according to the statement.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/10/us_supreme_court_rejects_appea.html