Bio

Terry Michael Mincey was born in April 1960. Mincey was the son of a United Methodist minister. Because of his father’s work, his family moved often while he was growing up. His parents divorced in 1975, when Mincey was about 15 years old. Records later showed that he dropped out of school.

Before the murder of Paulette Riggs, Mincey already had a criminal record. He had three prior armed robbery convictions. These convictions later became important during his death penalty trial.

In July 1980, Mincey was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash. He suffered a head injury, concussion, broken collarbone, and a seizure while being examined. During later appeals, his family said his behavior changed after the crash, including problems with memory and mood.

On April 12, 1982, Mincey was about 22 years old. That night, he met Robert Jones and Timothy Jenkins near Macon, Georgia. All three were armed, and they discussed committing a robbery. They eventually chose a Mini Food Store in Bibb County, where the murder of cashier Paulette Riggs took place.

Murder Story

On the evening of April 12, 1982, Terry Michael Mincey, Robert Jones, and Timothy Jenkins planned to rob a store in Macon, Georgia. All three men were armed. They chose a Mini Food Store at the corner of Houston Avenue and Hartley Bridge Road in Bibb County. Mincey first went inside the store to look around. He returned to the car and told the others that a female cashier and two teenagers were inside. The cashier was 38-year-old Paulette Riggs.

Mincey later went back into the store with a gun. Jones stayed in the car, and Jenkins waited outside. Inside the store, Mincey ordered Paulette Riggs to put money from the cash register into a bag. He also ordered the two teenagers to go outside toward the car. At the same time, Russell Peterman, a Bibb County firefighter, arrived at the gas pumps outside the store. Mincey brought Riggs out of the store at gunpoint and then approached Peterman. He ordered Peterman to come with him. When Peterman did not respond right away, Mincey shot him in the chest.

Peterman fell to the ground but was still alive. Mincey then shot him again at close range in the face or head area. Peterman survived, but he suffered serious injuries, including damage to his vision. After the shooting, the two teenagers ran away into a nearby field. Riggs also tried to escape. Mincey shot her as she ran, and she fell near a dumpster behind the store. He then went to where she had fallen and shot her again in the head.

Mincey returned to the getaway car, and the men drove away. They had stolen about $40 from the store. According to court records, Mincey later said he knew both victims were dead because he had shot them. However, Peterman survived. Police arrived within minutes. Witnesses described the getaway car, which led officers to Robert Jones. After Jones identified Mincey, officers arrested Mincey at his home early the next morning, on April 13, 1982. Mincey later admitted that he had shot both Paulette Riggs and Russell Peterman.

Paulette Riggs died from her gunshot wounds. Russell Peterman survived but was left with serious injuries. Mincey, Jones, and Jenkins were charged with murder, armed robbery, and aggravated battery. Jones and Jenkins later pleaded guilty and received prison sentences.

Mincey went to trial. On August 23, 1982, a jury found him guilty of murder, armed robbery, and aggravated battery. On August 26, 1982, he was sentenced to death for the murder of Paulette Riggs. He also received a life sentence for armed robbery and a 20-year sentence for aggravated battery. Mincey appealed his conviction and death sentence, but the courts upheld them. His final appeals were denied in October 2001.

Terry Michael Mincey was executed by lethal injection in Georgia on October 25, 2001. He was the first person executed by lethal injection in Georgia after the state stopped using the electric chair.