Bio 

Richard W. Longworth was born on January 19, 1968. By 1991, he was living in South Carolina and knew the WestGate Mall Cinema in Spartanburg because he and his co-defendant, David Rocheville, had previously worked there. Before the murders, Longworth and Rocheville decided to rob the theater. Their familiarity with the cinema helped them target the business and its employees. The robbery plan involved entering the theater, confronting workers, forcing access to money, and leaving the scene with cash from the theater safe.

Longworth later claimed during appeals that his trial counsel failed to present important background evidence about his family life. His appeal argued that his mother had a history of domestic violence and alcohol abuse that could have been used as mitigating evidence during sentencing. Courts reviewed these claims during later proceedings, but his conviction and sentence remained in place.

After his conviction, Longworth spent more than 13 years on death row while his appeals moved through state and federal courts. His final appeals were denied, and he was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina on April 15, 2005.

Murder Story

The murders happened on the evening of January 7, 1991, at the WestGate Mall Cinema in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Richard W. Longworth and David Rocheville were driving around in a minivan when they decided to rob the movie theater, a place where both had previously worked.

The two men entered the theater, and Longworth carried a handgun in a shoulder holster. He gave the gun to Rocheville, and the two briefly watched part of a movie before moving into the lobby to carry out the robbery. Their target was money kept in the theater’s ticket booth and safe.

Inside the theater, they encountered Alexander George Hopps, a 19-year-old usher. Longworth knocked Hopps down, held his hand over his mouth, and dragged him outside through a side exit. Longworth pinned Hopps against a waist-high bar near an air-conditioning unit. Rocheville then shot Hopps in the head. After the shooting, Rocheville returned the gun to Longworth.

Longworth and Rocheville then went back to the front of the theater, but the doors were locked. They signaled to James Todd Greene, a 24-year-old theater manager, who recognized them and let them back inside. Once inside, Longworth pulled the gun and forced Greene to open the safe in the ticket booth. Longworth took several money bags and then learned that more money bags were in Greene’s car, ready for deposit.

After retrieving the additional money, Longworth and Rocheville forced Greene into their minivan. Longworth drove away from the theater while Rocheville held the gun. Longworth instructed Rocheville to shoot Greene if he moved. After driving away, Longworth stopped the vehicle and ordered Greene to get out, walk five steps, get on his knees, and face forward. Rocheville then shot Greene in the back of the head.

Longworth and Rocheville were arrested the next day, January 8, 1991, after Rocheville led law enforcement officers to Greene’s body. After his arrest, Longworth gave investigators a detailed statement describing the crimes he and Rocheville had committed. Both men were indicted on two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery.

Longworth was convicted and sentenced to death on September 10, 1991. The South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed his convictions and death sentences in 1993. The United States Supreme Court later declined review, and Longworth continued pursuing post-conviction and federal habeas appeals.

His co-defendant, David Rocheville, was also sentenced to death and was executed in South Carolina on December 3, 1999. Longworth remained on death row for several more years after Rocheville’s execution. Richard Longworth was executed by lethal injection on April 15, 2005, at Broad River Correctional Institution. He was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m.