The Alabama Department of Corrections executed Geoffrey Todd West on Thursday for the 1997 capital murder of Margaret Parrish Berry.
Governor Kay Ivey told Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm on Thursday afternoon that she would not exercise her clemency powers in this case and directed him to proceed with West's lawfully imposed death sentence.
"Almost 30 years ago, Margaret Parrish Berry went to work at the convenience store, but she would never get to return home," Ivey said. "Geoffrey West went in with the intent to rob and kill, and he cowardly shot Ms. Berry in the back of the head. Alabama law imposes death as punishment for the most egregious forms of murder, and there was no question of Mr. West's guilt by the jury in this case or any court over the last three decades. As I expressed in a letter to one of Ms. Berry's sons, it is my solemn duty as governor to carry out these laws. Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all."
On March 27, 1997, Geoffrey Todd West and his girlfriend, Amy Pearce, drove to Harold's Chevron, a convenience store where he had previously been employed. It was the same store location that West had expressed his intention to rob and to leave no witnesses.
Upon entering the Chevron store, West, armed with a .45 caliber handgun, held the attendant, Margaret Berry, at gunpoint. He took $250 from a cookie can where the store kept cash.
Berry was then shot in the back of the head while lying face down on the floor behind the counter.
West was convicted of capital murder on June 1, 1999. In the penalty phase, the jury recommended 10-2 that West be sentenced to death, and the trial court accepted that recommendation and imposed the death penalty.
"While working an honest job at a convenience store, Margaret Berry was executed in cold blood for $250. There is no doubt or dispute over the facts of this case, but thanks to legal gamesmanship, justice has been delayed for 26 years. The jury voted that the appropriate sentence was death," Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said. "Margaret did not have to senselessly die. As a country, we must stand firmly in our beliefs between right and wrong, justice and forgiveness. Alabama is steadfast in our commitment to holding the guilty accountable because that is what honors the dignity of every victim. Justice is how we restore peace to the communities they leave behind."
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