Murray Hooper’s early life and background remain largely undocumented in public records. What is known is that by late 1980, he was involved in criminal activity alongside Edward McCall and William Bracy. As one of the trio responsible for the Redmond–Phelps contract killing,

On New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1980, Hooper and his accomplices entered the home of graphic printer William “Pat” Redmond and his family in Phoenix. Brandishing firearms, they forced William, his wife Marilyn, and Marilyn’s mother, Helen Phelps, into a bedroom, binding and gagging them. The assailants robbed the household, stealing jewelry and cash, before shooting William and Helen in the back of the head and slitting William’s throat. Marilyn, who was also shot, survived by feigning death and later crawled to safety. She later testified that one of the attackers, identified as Hooper, killed her loved ones that night.

Initially treated as a home invasion, investigators later connected it to a murder-for-hire scheme. Police arrested McCall on January 4, 1981, and soon followed by apprehending Bracy and Hooper in Illinois. Marilyn correctly identified all three attackers.

In December 1981, McCall and mastermind Robert Cruz were convicted and sentenced to death. Bracy and Hooper were convicted on December 24, 1982, and sentenced on February 11, 1983, after being extradited from Illinois. The prosecution argued the motive was business takeover — Cruz wished to dominate the Redmond printing company. No physical evidence linked Hooper; the case relied on eyewitness testimony and informants.

Most of 2022 saw renewed scrutiny of Hooper’s conviction as his attorneys challenged the reliability of Marilyn’s identification and alleged suppressed evidence by prosecutors. DNA and fingerprint testing requests were denied, and appeals to overturn his death sentence failed.

On November 16, 2022, Hooper was executed at age 76, becoming Arizona’s third execution that year. The process faced delays due to medical complications in inserting IV lines. He watched prison staff, then uttered, “It’s all been said. Let it be done,” before consenting to the procedure. Hooper expressed no regret, maintained his innocence, and evoked familiarity in his final words.