Execution Report: Freddie McWilliams

Frederick Patrick McWilliams, 30, was executed by lethal injection on 10 November 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of a 39-year-old man during a robbery.

On 28 September 1996, McWilliams, then 22, his cousin, Richard Hawkins, 19, and Kenneth Adams, 18, drove to a Houston apartment complex, looking for a car to steal. They selected a 1983 Chevrolet and decided to steal it, but then they saw that a man was sleeping in it. They went back to Adams' car, then after some discussion, decided to rob the sleeping man of his car. Adams and McWilliams, both carrying guns, approached the car. Adams pulled Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. from the car while McWilliams rummaged through the glove compartment. Rodriguez resisted, and a struggle ensued between him, Adams, and McWilliams. A shot was fired, and Rodriguez died from a .38-caliber slug at point blank range. Adams and McWilliams then stole the victim's car. Hawkins had already driven off in Adams' car.

Five days later, Adams was stopped for speeding. A search of the car yielded several firearms. During questioning, Adams confessed and implicated McWilliams. McWilliams was then arrested, and confessed to shooting Rodriguez. One of the guns found in Adams' car was identified as the murder weapon.

Richard Hawkins testified that he, McWilliams, and Adams were at the apartment complex to steal a car. He said that when McWilliams and Adams started beating Rodriguez, he decided that he did not want to be part of a robbery, so he drove away in Adams' car. As he was leaving, he heard a shot. A few minutes later, he saw McWilliams and Adams driving Rodriguez's car, and they waved at him to pull over. Adams, who was covered in blood, got into the driver's seat and told Hawkins, "Your cousin wild. He wild. He shot a man."

At age 19, McWilliams was involved in the armed robbery of a pizza delivery man. He was convicted of robbery and received 8 years' probation. In September 1994, he was convicted of evading police detention and spent 10 days in jail. Court testimony showed that McWilliams was involved in at least three more robberies in September and October 1996.

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