Bio

Willie McNair was born on November 18, 1964, in the United States and later lived in Alabama. 

Murder Story

On the night of May 21, 1990, Willie McNair and an accomplice, Olin Grimsley, went to the home of 68-year-old Ella Foy Riley, a widow living alone in Henry County, Alabama. Riley had previously hired McNair for yard work, and he used that familiarity to gain access to her home.

McNair initially asked Riley to lend him $20. When she refused, he asked for a glass of water. Riley allowed him inside. As she turned away, McNair attacked her from behind.

He grabbed her by the neck and began stabbing her in the throat with a pocketknife. During the assault, the blade broke off in her neck. His accomplice retrieved a second knife from the kitchen, which McNair used to continue the attack. The wounds severed major blood vessels, including the carotid artery and jugular vein.

Evidence also showed that McNair strangled Riley during the attack. The combined injuries caused her to bleed to death on the kitchen floor.

After the killing, McNair took Riley’s purse and fled with his accomplice. They later discarded the purse after removing its contents.

The following day, law enforcement officers visited McNair. He confessed to the murder and directed officers to the location where the purse had been discarded, providing detailed information about the crime.

Despite a jury later recommending life imprisonment, the judge imposed the death penalty. After nearly two decades of appeals, McNair was executed in 2009.