Death Row Inmate Involved in 1980 NYE Slayings in Phoenix Marks Third Execution in AZ in 2022
PHOENIX – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the execution of Murray Hooper. The execution took place at 10:33 a.m. at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. Hooper was sentenced to death in 1983.
“The people of Arizona made it clear once again that those who commit heinous crimes in our state will be held accountable,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “We must never forget the victims or cease to pursue what justice demands.”
On December 31, 1980, William Bracy, Murray Hooper, and Edward McCall, a former Phoenix police officer, went to the home of Patrick Redmond in Phoenix. Redmond, his wife, Marilyn, and his mother-in-law, Helen Phelps, were preparing for a New Year’s Eve party when Bracy, Hooper, and McCall entered the house and forced the Redmonds and Phelps into the master bedroom at gunpoint. After taking jewelry and money, the intruders bound and gagged the victims. They shot each victim in the head and slashed Mr. Redmond’s throat. Mr. Redmond and Mrs. Phelps died from their wounds, but Mrs. Redmond survived and later identified all three killers.
Hooper, Bracy, and McCall were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. Bracy and McCall died in prison before their sentences could be carried out.
This is the third execution warrant issued in Arizona this year. Currently, there are 110 inmates on Arizona's death row, and 21 have exhausted their appeals.
Photo of William Patrick Redmond in 1980 below:
