Alabama man faces 2nd execution date this year for killing

Published October 21, 2021 12:09 AM

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man is facing his second execution date this year for the killing of a woman abducted at gunpoint and shot in a cemetery. Willie B. Smith III was scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday night for the 1991 slaying. The 52-year-old inmate was convicted of kidnapping and murdering 22-year-old Sharma Ruth Johnson in Birmingham. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the state from executing Smith last Feb. 11 because he wasn’t allowed his pastor at his side. Smith’s attorneys unsuccessfully asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to block the latest execution plan, saying Smith has an intellectual disability that prevented him from understanding paperwork regarding the execution method.

Article Topic Follows: AP National News

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