Bio 

Roy Allen Harich was born on October 22, 1958. At the time of the crime, Harich was 22 years old and lived in Florida. He worked and was also described in court records as a volunteer fireman. During the penalty phase of his trial, witnesses testified that he had been a reliable worker and had behaved well while jailed before trial.

Murder Story

On June 26, 1981, Roy Allen Harich met 18-year-old Carlene Gayle Kelly and 17-year-old Deborah Miller at a filling station in Daytona Beach, Florida. The two young women were walking to the pier when they accepted Harich’s offer of a ride. Instead of taking them directly to their destination, Harich drove around with them in his van. The group smoked marijuana and later went to a wooded area where Harich said he was growing marijuana plants. They also stopped at a convenience store and bought beer.

After spending time in the woods, Deborah asked to leave. Harich drove only a short distance before stopping the van. He then pulled a gun, ordered both girls to undress, and sexually assaulted Carlene. Afterward, Harich told the girls to get dressed and said he would give them a ride back. He later stopped again and told them they could walk to the road, but ordered them to lie face down behind the van while he drove away.

As the girls lay on the ground, Carlene began crying and begged him not to shoot her. Harich wrapped a towel around the barrel of the gun and shot Carlene in the back of the head. He then shot Deborah in the back of the head. Both victims were still alive when Harich returned with a knife. He cut Deborah’s throat, then cut Carlene’s throat, severing her spinal cord and killing her.

Deborah survived despite catastrophic injuries. She crawled and dragged herself to the road, where a passing motorist found her. At the hospital, she identified her attacker as “Roy” and gave police a description of him and his van. Harich testified in his own defense and denied the sexual assault, murder, and attempted murder. He claimed he had dropped the girls off near a convenience store. The jury rejected his account.

He was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, use of a firearm during a felony, and two counts of kidnapping. The jury recommended death by a vote of 9 to 3, and the trial judge imposed the death sentence. Harich pursued multiple appeals in state and federal courts, including claims involving intoxication, ineffective assistance of counsel, sentencing issues, and alleged conflicts involving his trial lawyer. His conviction and sentence were repeatedly upheld.

Roy Allen Harich was executed by electrocution at Florida State Prison on April 24, 1991. He was pronounced dead at 7:06 a.m. He was 32 years old.