Introduction
Robert Wayne Williams (c. 1951 – 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. 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.