The Alabama Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of Robin “Rocky” Myers, a man who maintains his innocence, with support for his claim even coming from a juror involved in his original trial.
On Friday, the justices gave the go-ahead for Myers’ execution, which will be carried out using nitrogen gas at a date set by the governor’s office. Myers was convicted in the 1991 murder of his neighbor, Ludie Mae Tucker, and has been on death row ever since.
A juror from his 1994 trial is now speaking out, asking Gov. Kay Ivey to reconsider and grant clemency, arguing that Myers should serve a life sentence rather than face execution. Kacey Keeton, Myers’ attorney, argued that the case is full of serious flaws. She pointed out there’s no physical evidence linking him to the crime, that Myers missed a crucial federal appeal deadline because his previous lawyer abandoned him, and that a key prosecution witness has recanted their testimony. Additionally, she highlighted that the jury had recommended life in prison, but the judge overrode that decision and sentenced him to death.
Tucker, 69, was fatally stabbed in her home in Decatur, Alabama, in October 1991. Her cousin, who survived the attack, testified that a man rang the doorbell in the middle of the night asking to use the phone. Soon after, she heard Tucker screaming for help. Before Tucker passed away, she told the police her attacker was a short, stocky Black man, but she couldn’t identify him.
At the time, Myers lived across the street. His son, LeAndrew Hood, who was 11 years old when Tucker was murdered, recalled that their family would often buy ice from her.
One of the jurors, Puckett, later shared that she and some of the other jurors had doubts about the case. However, she was concerned that if the trial ended in a mistrial, another jury might sentence Myers to death. So, she agreed to a compromise: they found him guilty but recommended a life sentence. The jury voted 9-3 in favor of life in prison. Despite this, the judge overruled their decision, sentencing Myers to death due to Alabama’s now-abolished practice of allowing judges to decide death sentences.
In addition to these concerns, there’s the issue of Myers’ intellectual disability. The U.S. Supreme Court bars the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Myers had IQ scores of 64 and 71 in his adolescence, and 73 in 2013, according to his lawyers. While the state points to a 2006 psychologist’s report that listed his IQ as 84 (which would make him eligible for execution), Myers’ attorneys argue that this score is an outlier.
