Bio

James Davis Richardson was born on September 7, 1967. He grew up in Texas. As a teenager, Richardson got into trouble. He had a record of arrests that included theft, truancy, and fighting. These early signs of trouble followed him into adulthood. Richardson had several run-ins with the law. He was convicted of burglary and aggravated robbery. He spent some time in prison due to these offenses.

In total, he served about four months of a five-year sentence for burglary. After serving time, he was paroled three months before committing a serious crime in December 1986. During his time in prison, he faced disciplinary actions for various reasons, including damaging property and striking an officer.

Richardson's life on the outside did not improve much after his release. He struggled to stay away from criminal activities and continued to associate with individuals involved in crime. 

Murder Story

On December 17, 1986, James Davis Richardson was involved in a robbery at Gusher Liquor Store in Angus, Texas. He was with two accomplices, Michael Ellison and James McHenry. Ellison asked McHenry to give them a ride to the store, and Richardson joined them.

When they arrived, Ellison and McHenry went inside while Richardson waited in the car. After Ellison paid for some beer, Richardson went into the store. He then shot the store clerk, Gerald Abay, in the neck and chest using a .25 caliber pistol. Abay tried to defend himself and fired back with his own gun, hitting Richardson in the hand.

After the shooting, Ellison took money from the cash register and also grabbed Abay's gun from behind the counter. Following the robbery, Richardson drove the getaway car while McHenry placed the murder weapon in the glove compartment.

Shortly after the crime, police located the abandoned car that Richardson used to flee. It had blood on it, and fingerprints matched Richardson's. He was arrested later that day, with a gunshot wound on his hand.

Richardson was charged with capital murder and his first trial ended in a conviction. However, it was overturned due to missing trial transcripts. In a retrial, he was found guilty again and sentenced to death in 1988. His execution was finally carried out by lethal injection on May 23, 2000. Throughout his time in prison, he maintained that he was just a bystander and did not plan the robbery.