The Georgia Department of Corrections has scheduled a December execution for Stacey Humphreys, the man convicted of the 2003 murders of two real estate agents in Cobb County. The execution is set to take place more than two decades after the crime occurred.
Humphreys, now 52, was found guilty of malice murder in the killings of Cindy Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21. The execution is scheduled for 7 p.m. on December 19, which would make it the first execution carried out by the state this year.
Key Takeaways
- Stacey Humphreys is scheduled for execution on Dec. 19 for the 2003 murders of two Cobb County real estate agents.
- The victims, Cindy Williams and Lori Brown, were killed in a model home in Powder Springs.
- Humphreys was arrested in Wisconsin after a high-speed chase, and crucial DNA and ballistics evidence linked him to the crime.
- His legal appeals, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court, were ultimately denied, clearing the way for the execution.
The Crime in Powder Springs
The case dates back to November 3, 2003, when Humphreys entered a sales office located in a model home for a new subdivision. Inside were Cindy Williams and Lori Brown, who were working as real estate agents for the development.
Evidence presented during the trial detailed a brutal sequence of events. Prosecutors established that Humphreys forced both women to undress and provide their bank PINs. He then fatally shot them before taking their driver's licenses and bank cards.
At the time of the murders, Humphreys was on parole for a 1993 felony theft conviction. He had been released from prison just 13 months prior to the killings, a fact that became a significant point during his sentencing.
Background on the Victims
Cindy Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21, were colleagues working to sell homes in a growing suburban community. Their deaths sent a shockwave through the local real estate industry, prompting immediate conversations about agent safety protocols that continue to be relevant today.
Investigation and Nationwide Manhunt
The investigation quickly focused on Humphreys. Witnesses reported seeing a man matching his description at the sales office on the day of the murders. They also described a vehicle similar to his black Dodge Durango in the parking lot.
When police attempted to question Humphreys at his home in Dunwoody days later, he fled. This action triggered a multi-state manhunt that concluded with his arrest in Wisconsin. His capture was not peaceful; it came at the end of a high-speed police chase.
The evidence collected after his arrest was critical to securing a conviction. Inside the console of the rented Jeep that Humphreys used to flee, investigators found a Ruger handgun. Ballistics testing confirmed it was the weapon used in the murders, matching the 9 mm bullets recovered from the scene.
Crucial Forensic Evidence
Forensic analysis provided an undeniable link between Humphreys and the victims. DNA from blood found on the handgun matched that of Cindy Williams. Additionally, blood evidence discovered inside Humphreys' Dodge Durango was a match for Lori Brown's DNA, tying him directly to both victims and the crime scene.
A Lengthy Legal Battle
Humphreys was convicted in 2007, but the verdict marked the beginning of a long and complex appeals process that spanned over 17 years. His case moved through the state and federal court systems, with his legal team raising multiple challenges to his conviction and death sentence.
The appeals eventually reached the highest court in the nation. Humphreys' lawyers petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, arguing that his trial was fundamentally flawed. One of the central claims involved a juror who, they alleged, failed to disclose her own experience as a victim of a similar crime.
"Humphreys claimed a juror misleadingly omitted critical details of her own experience as a victim of a similar crime and then bullied the other jurors into voting for death based on that prior experience," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent.
Despite this dissent, the majority of the Supreme Court justices declined to hear the case. The court's denial of his petition earlier this year exhausted his final major avenue for appeal, allowing the state to proceed with scheduling the execution.
The Scheduled Execution
The Georgia Department of Corrections has stated that the execution will be carried out using the sedative pentobarbital, the state's established method for lethal injection. If it proceeds as planned, Humphreys will be the 55th inmate in Georgia to be executed by this method since its adoption.
The announcement sets a firm date for a case that has remained in the legal system for nearly a generation. For the families of Cindy Williams and Lori Brown, it marks the potential end of a painful chapter that began over two decades ago in a quiet suburban model home.
