Robert Melson (murderer)

On the night of Friday, April 15, 1994, Melson and his accomplice Cuhuatemoc Hinricky Peraita (born May 19, 1976)[1] entered a Popeyes restaurant in east Gadsden through the back door of the building after employee Darrell K. Collier unlocked it to allow fellow employees Nathaniel Baker and Bryant Archer to take out the trash. Upon entry, Melson and Peraita ordered Archer, Baker, Collier, and fourth employee Tamika Collins into the restaurant's office and demanded that they empty the safe. They complied, after which Melson ordered the four to get inside the restaurant's freezer. Shortly after locking them in the freezer, Melson unlocked the door and opened fire. Baker, Collier and Collins all died of their wounds before paramedics arrived. Archer was shot four times, but he survived and was able to crawl to the restaurant's office to call 911.[3]

Melson was convicted of his role in the crime, sentenced to death on May 17, 1996, and placed on death row under Alabama Department of Corrections ID 0000Z601. Peraita was sentenced to life without parole. He killed a fellow inmate on December 11, 1999, and was given a death sentence in October 2001. Melson had two execution dates set in 2010, both of which were stayed. On April 5, 2017, Melson had an execution date set for June 8, 2017.[4] He received a temporary stay from an appellate court on June 2, but the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the stay on June 6 without comment. At 5:45 pm on the night of the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary stay so Justice Clarence Thomas could review Melson's appeals. The stay was later lifted and the execution began at 9:55 pm. Melson was pronounced dead at 10:27 pm.[5]

• List of offenders executed in the United States in 2017