Arizona man executed for 1980 double murder
Murray Hooper is the third death row inmate to be executed in Arizona this year
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Death row inmate Murray Hooper was put to death on Wednesday morning for the murders of a man and his mother-in-law in 1980, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced.
Hooper, 76, died by lethal injection at 10:33 a.m. at the state prison in Florence, Arizona.
"The people of Arizona made it clear once again that those who commit heinous crimes in our state will be held accountable," Brnovich said in a statement. "We must never forget the victims or cease to pursue what justice demands."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This undated photo provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry shows prisoner Murray Hooper, who was executed by lethal injection on Nov. 16, 2022 (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP, File)
Hooper and two other men broke into the Phoenix home of Patrick Redmond on Dec. 31, 1980, as Redmond prepared for a New Year's Eve party with his wife and mother-in-law, Helen Phelps.
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They bound and gagged all three victims then shot each of them in the head and slashed Redmond's throat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phelps and Patrick Redmond died from their wounds, but his wife survived and later identified the three men who committed the murders.
Patrick Redmond was murdered in his Phoenix home in 1980. (Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich)
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal on Wednesday morning from Hooper. Lower courts previously rejected attempts by Hooper's attorneys to examine DNA and fingerprints from the crime scene.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nicole List, an attorney for Hooper, told Fox News Digital that the "State of Arizona executed an innocent man after they repeatedly denied him access to forensic testing that likely would have exonerated him."
"Hooper's case has been plagued with injustice since its inception, but he fought until the very end," List said. "Hooper is a beautiful soul whose memory will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who knew him."
Hooper and the two other men, William Bracy and Edward McCall, were sentenced to death, but Bracy and McCall died in prison.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The exterior of the execution chamber at the Arizona State Prison Complex- Florence. (Reuters/Arizona Department of Corrections/Handout)
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Arizona restarted executions this year after an eight-year hiatus due to the difficulty of acquiring lethal injection drugs and a 2014 execution that critics say was botched.
Hooper was the third inmate to be put to death in the state this year. There are 110 other inmates on death row.