Earl Wesley Berry was born on May 5, 1959, in the United States. His early life was marked by instability, psychological issues, and repeated encounters with the criminal justice system. Court records and testimony described Berry as a deeply disturbed and suicidal young man. At one point, he attempted to swallow a razor blade, and he spent time in mental institutions, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Intelligence testing showed his IQ to be significantly below average, further complicating his mental health profile.

Between 1979 and 1981, Berry accumulated seven convictions, including two prison escapes, two counts of grand larceny, perjury, burglary, and simple assault on a law enforcement officer. One notable incident occurred in early 1979 when Berry was stopped by Maben, Mississippi police chief Jimmy McLemore for a traffic violation. When McLemore attempted to arrest him, Berry fled and was shot multiple times — in the stomach, arm, and neck — during the struggle. Despite his troubled background and violent tendencies, Berry continued a life of crime, showing no signs of rehabilitation.

Despite several incarcerations, Berry’s criminal behavior escalated over time. By the late 1980s, he was no longer committing only property crimes or assaults — he would commit one of the most brutal and senseless murders in Mississippi’s history.

On the evening of November 29, 1987, 49-year-old Mary Bounds attended her regular church choir practice in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. As she was leaving and walking toward her car, she was kidnapped by Earl Wesley Berry. He had initially planned to rape her but claimed to have changed his mind. Berry then told Bounds that he would release her, but instead, he drove her to a secluded wooded area, where he savagely beat her with his fists. The repeated blows to her head proved fatal, and she died from blunt-force trauma. The crime shocked the local community due to its brutality and randomness.

Following the murder, Berry attempted to cover up his involvement. He drove away in his grandmother’s car, discarded a pair of mismatched tennis shoes, burned his blood-stained clothes, and wiped down the car interior with a towel, which he later threw into a nearby pond. His suspicious behavior did not go unnoticed — Berry’s brother witnessed some of his actions and reported them to law enforcement on December 5, 1987. The next day, December 6, 1987, police arrested Berry at his grandmother’s home, where he quickly confessed to the murder.

Investigators recovered crucial physical evidence, including the discarded shoes and the blood-soaked towel. Berry was indicted on March 1, 1988, for the kidnapping and murder of Mary Bounds, and due to his prior convictions, he was also charged as a habitual offender. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a Chickasaw County jury.

Berry showed no remorse for his actions. Even decades later, as his execution date approached, he continued to insist that he had “paid for his crime” after 21 years on death row. In interviews and statements, he admitted to the killing but expressed no regret.

Berry was scheduled for execution on October 30, 2007, but the U.S. Supreme Court issued a last-minute stay just 15 minutes before the lethal injection was to take place, pending a decision in a separate case concerning the constitutionality of lethal injection. The delay was temporary, and Berry’s appeals were ultimately denied.

On May 21, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Berry’s final appeals, and the execution was carried out that evening at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. Hours before his death, officials described him as somber and resigned, having abandoned hope for clemency. He refused a final phone call and declined to shower. His last meal consisted of barbecue pork chops, sausages, buttered toast, mashed potatoes with gravy, salad heavy with onions, pecan pie, and juice. Berry’s final words were brief: “No comment. It’s in God’s hands now.” He was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m..

The execution of Earl Wesley Berry closed a case that had lingered in the Mississippi justice system for more than two decades. His lack of remorse and the sheer brutality of the crime left a lasting mark on the community and the legal proceedings surrounding capital punishment in the state.