Execution Report: Alvin Goodwin

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Goodwin had previously been convicted of auto theft and served 10 months of a 5-year sentence. He was paroled in June 1983. In March 1985, he returned to prison as a parole violator with a new 2-year sentence for burglary. He was released in May 1986.

In addition to having the murder weapon, prosecutors had a confession from Goodwin. He was convicted of capital murder and given the death penalty by a jury. Billy Dan Aitkens, who had no prior felony convictions, was convicted of burglary and murder with a deadly weapon and received a sentence of life in prison.

Thursday's trip to Huntsville was the seventh execution date set for Goodwin during his 13 years on death row. Most of his appeals concerned the propriety of the traffic stop and seizure of the murder weapon and his confession while under arrest in Iowa. Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeals. He was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 30 January 2001.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press.