Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Alabama sets February execution date for man in 1991 killing

pixabay.com

The state of Alabama has set an execution date for a man convicted of a 1991 murder. 

Fifty-one-year-old Willie B. Smith III is scheduled for an execution on Feb. 11.

In October of 1991, prosecutors say Smith abducted Sharma Ruth Johnson at an ATM location in Birmingham.They say Smith forced Johnson to withdraw money using her bank card then took her to a cemetery where she was fatally shot.

A jury found Smith guilty in 1992.

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.