Bio 

Graham Saunders Henry was born on July 24, 1946, in the United States. Before the murder of Roy Estes, Henry had a criminal history that included violent felony convictions. Later Arizona Supreme Court records stated that he had prior convictions including involuntary manslaughter and armed robbery. These convictions later became part of the aggravating evidence used to support the death sentence.

In 1986, Henry was traveling with Vernon Foote, a prior acquaintance. The two men had been in California and were traveling east when their vehicle broke down near Las Vegas, Nevada. Roy Estes lived in the Las Vegas/Henderson area. He was partly disabled, used a walker, and owned a pickup truck. On June 6, 1986, Henry and Foote kidnapped Estes from his apartment area and forced him into his own truck.

The kidnapping became a robbery and murder. Henry later tried to blame Foote, but physical evidence and trial testimony supported the prosecution’s claim that Henry was an active participant in the killing.

Murder Story

On June 6, 1986, Graham Saunders Henry and Vernon Foote kidnapped Roy Estes from the Las Vegas area. Estes was a partly disabled man who used a walker. The men forced him into his pickup truck and drove away. They took Estes south into Arizona, toward a desert area off U.S. Highway 93 in Mohave County, north of Kingman. At the murder scene, Estes was dragged away from the truck and attacked with a knife. His throat was cut, and he was stabbed in the heart. His body was then hidden behind a bush near the road.

After the killing, Henry and Foote drove away in Estes’ truck. A highway patrol officer stopped the truck on June 6 because Henry was driving the wrong way on Highway 93. Henry gave the false name “Harold Williams” and was arrested for driving under the influence. Police later learned that the truck belonged to Roy Estes, who had been reported missing from the Las Vegas area. On June 8, 1986, investigators discovered that the man using the name Harold Williams was actually Graham Saunders Henry and that he had an outstanding California warrant.

When a detective addressed him as “Mr. Henry,” Henry began talking about the killing. He blamed Foote and said he had only watched Foote kill Estes. Henry then led police to the body. At trial, the prosecution presented evidence showing Henry’s involvement. An expert tracker testified that footprints at the crime scene indicated two people had supported or dragged the victim. Blood was found on Henry’s clothing, while Foote’s clothes did not show blood. The evidence also showed that Henry had given police false information and fled the scene after the stabbing.

Henry and Foote were tried separately. On December 9, 1987, a jury convicted Henry of first-degree murder, kidnapping, theft, and robbery. On March 16, 1988, he was sentenced to death for the murder and received prison terms for the other convictions. On direct appeal, the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed Henry’s non-capital convictions and prison sentences but struck one aggravating factor and remanded the death sentence for resentencing. After a new sentencing hearing, the trial court reimposed the death penalty on February 23, 1995.

The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the reimposed death sentence in 1997. A warrant of execution was later issued for a scheduled execution date of May 8, 2002, but the execution was stayed by a federal court in April 2002. Henry remained on death row for many years. On February 9, 2018, he was found dead in the medical unit of Arizona’s death row prison in Florence. Officials reported that he appeared to have died of natural causes.