Tommy Arthur
This case ended up being way more interesting than I first believed going in. When it was all said and done I have to say I am not sure what happened for sure in this case and while Tommy Arthur was executed after a conviction for murdering a man named Troy Wicker Jr., even if he were innocent of that crime (which I cannot say for sure), an innocent man was not put to death. I am unsure what surprised me the most in this case. There were three trials, with three convictions; there was a changing of stories; there were eight execution dates before it was followed through; and there was a system in place that let a known killer out on the streets freely. At the time of Troy Wicker's murder in February of 1982 Tommy Arthur had already been convicted of murder. Apparently, and admittedly, in 1977 Arthur killed is sister in law, Eloise West. By all accounts it appears that he was sentenced to life, which I cannot say what that entailed at that time in Alabama but sometim...