Bio

Scotty Garnell Morrow was born in 1967 in the United States. In June 1994, Morrow began dating Barbara Ann Young. Their relationship ended in December 1994 after Young broke up with him because of his abusive behavior. After the breakup, Morrow continued contacting her, but Young told him she wanted him to leave her alone.

Before the murders, Morrow was living in Georgia. Court records show that he had access to a nine-millimeter pistol, which he later used during the attack at Young’s home in Hall County.

Murder Story

On December 29, 1994, Scotty Garnell Morrow called his former girlfriend, Barbara Ann Young, at her home. The call happened at about 9:52 a.m. During the conversation, Young told Morrow that she wanted him to leave her alone. After the call ended, Morrow drove to Young’s home in Hall County, Georgia, and entered the house without permission.

Young was in the kitchen with two friends, Tonya Rochelle Woods and LaToya Horne. Two of Young’s children were also inside the home: five-year-old Christopher and eight-month-old Devonte. An argument began in the kitchen. Woods told Morrow to leave because Young no longer wanted a relationship with him. Morrow then pulled out a nine-millimeter pistol and opened fire.

Morrow first shot Tonya Woods in the abdomen and shot LaToya Horne in the arm. The shot that struck Woods severed her spinal cord and left her paralyzed from the waist down. Young ran from the kitchen toward her bedroom, but Morrow followed her. Inside the bedroom, he beat her on the head and face. Young managed to run back into the hallway, where Morrow grabbed her by the hair and shot her at close range in the head, killing her. Young’s son Christopher witnessed his mother’s murder from a nearby bedroom.

After killing Young, Morrow returned to the kitchen. Evidence later showed that he either reloaded the gun or cleared a jam. He then placed the muzzle of the pistol close to Tonya Woods’ chin and shot her in the head, killing her. The medical examiner later stated that Woods was likely still conscious before the fatal shot. Morrow also shot LaToya Horne two more times, striking her in the face and arm, before fleeing the house after cutting the telephone line.

Although badly injured, Horne survived. She suffered serious wounds, including a shattered palate, permanent deafness in one ear, and nerve damage in one arm. She managed to leave the house and reach a neighbor for help. Horne and Christopher both identified Morrow as the shooter when police arrived. Morrow later confessed after his arrest, and the murder weapon was found hidden in his backyard.

Morrow was indicted in Hall County on March 6, 1995. The charges included two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, cruelty to a child, burglary, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. His trial took place from June 7 to June 29, 1999. On June 26, 1999, the jury found him guilty on all counts. On June 29, 1999, the jury recommended a death sentence.

The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Morrow’s convictions and death sentence on June 12, 2000. His later state and federal appeals did not overturn the final outcome. The United States Supreme Court eventually denied his final request for a stay of execution.

Scotty Garnell Morrow was executed by lethal injection on May 2, 2019, at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, Georgia. He was pronounced dead at 9:38 p.m. He was 52 years old.