ProDeathPenalty.Com

Ronald Keith Boyd, 42, is to die for the Jan. 7, 1986, shooting death of Oklahoma City police officer Richard Oldham Riggs, 32. After Boyd and a woman robbed a convenience store in Oklahoma City, they and two other people traveling with them stopped at a service station on Interstate 35 to use a pay telephone. Boyd was outside the van using the telephone when Riggs and his partner noticed that the van matched the description of the vehicle in the robbery. Riggs was shot after instructing Boyd to remove his hands from his pockets. After shooting Riggs in the abdomen, Boyd then placed the gun against the officer's chest and fired a second shot. "I promised Richard as I stood over his coffin that I would live to see this day," Riggs' mother, Betty Riggs, said hours before the execution. "I had to keep my promise to Richard and now I can go to the cemetery and I'll tell him."

Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma

Ronald Boyd - Executed April 27, 2000

Ronald Keith Boyd, 43, was executed by lethal injection at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was pronounced dead at 12:21am. Boyd was the fifth man executed by Oklahoma this year, and the 24th man executed by the state since it reinstated capital punishment in 1977. Of the five men executed in Oklahoma this year, four (including Boyd) were black.

Background

On January 8, 1986, Ronald Boyd, 28, was arrested and held without bond after a 19-hour intensive search. Boyd charged with murder and armed robbery. The victim was Oklahoma City Master Patrolman Richard Riggs, 32. Riggs was shot on January 7, 1986, while investigating the robbery of Tom’s Market on 1000 N.E. 36th . Additional robbery suspects arrested at the shooting scene were identified as Joe Cornelius Jackson, 23; Byron Demetrius Gibbs, 29; and Lenora Dunn aka Benefee, 29. The arrest warrant showed Joe Cornelius Jackson told police that Boyd was the gunman.

A .38-caliber gun was found Thursday, January 10, 1986, in a ravine at Twin Hills Country Club near the shooting site. A piece from the gun’s butt was missing. Macy said that a piece found at the shooting site was consistent with the missing piece. In the warrant, Detective Bill Citty included information that revealed purported details of the shooting. Citty wrote, "Jackson told me that that earlier in the evening he had participated in the armed robbery of Tom’s Market… with three other persons, one of whom was Ronald Boyd. Minutes after the robbery, the suspects stopped at a gas station at NE 36 and I-35. Jackson further told me that while Ronald Boyd was on the pay phone at the station, two police officers approached him and motioned for Boyd to approach the officers. Jackson told me that he saw Boyd turn towards one of the officers and fire two shots from a handgun he had seen earlier in Boyd’s possession. Jackson saw the officer fall to the ground."

On Friday, January 11, 1986, Authorities decided to file first-degree murder charges against all four people arrested in connection of the killing, although only one is accused of being the gunman. Boyd’s attorney, Senator E. Melvin Porter questioned whether Boyd could get a fair trial in Oklahoma County. Porter said that it is difficult for a defendant charged with killing a police officer to get a fair trial in any county, particularly if he’s black and the policeman is white. District Attorney Robert Macy disagreed, "Any person in Oklahoma County can get a fair trial regardless of race, background, financial level or anything else." Boyd was also charged with armed robbery.

The death penalty was sought only in his case. Murder charges against the other three were justified because Riggs was fatally shot during the course of a robbery, according to Macy. He also said that it’s our opinion that the robbery was an ongoing offense. Before Boyd’s court appearance, he was examined at an Oklahoma City hospital for possible hand injuries. Prosecutors dropped first-degree murder charges against Gibbs because he passed a polygraph test. The charge against Jackson was dismissed by a judge because of insufficient evidence. However, Special Judge Niles Jackson ruled that Lenora Dunn should face trial in the death of Officer Richard Riggs. Under a plea bargain, the first-degree murder charge was dropped against Dunn after she pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of Tom’s Market. She also pleaded guilty to a 1984 knife attack and a 1985 larceny. Dunn was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

On September 4, 1986, Boyd was tried for the murder of Richard Riggs. Riggs’ partner Ronnie Gravel testified that he heard two shots after Riggs left the car and asked the man on the phone to take his hands out of his pocket. A passing motorist testified that he saw the guy on the phone fire at the police officer. Boyd had told a friend the gun, which was in his jacket pocket, "went off." Boyd opted not to testify going against the recommendation of his attorney. Porter later told reporters, "We contend that there has not been any proof that Mr. Boyd maliciously or with malice aforethought murdered Officer Riggs or for that matter committed an armed robbery."

A gun expert, police Sgt. Roy Golightly, said that he was able to determine the sequence of the shots by matching the spent shell casings found with the gun with the bullets removed from Rigg’s body. Only two shots were fired from the gun because it was stuck by a bullet and stopped working. Injuries to Boyd’s hand were consistent with injuries expected from holding a gun when its grip was shattered. A jury recommended the death penalty for Ronald Keith Boyd. They jury also found Boyd guilty of robbery and recommended a 50-year prison sentence. In the sentencing stage, prosecutors linked Boyd to four other robberies and one planned heist to support their claim he would be a continuing threat to society. Boyd’s clemency hearing was held March 20. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied his appeal for clemency.

Prayer Vigils and Protests - Prayer vigils and protests were held at various locations around the state on Wednesday, April 26. Over 80 people participated in the prayer vigil outside the prison gates.

Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Ronald Boyd (March 6, 1957-April 27, 2000 ) - His Case for Innocence

This is a letter written by Ron Boyd. After reading this letter, please follow the link to read about his case and how Ron's claims are backed up by evidence. Keep in mind that we may have a great justice system in the U.S. but when the Constitution is not followed, when the rules are broken by the people who we think are on the side of the people, the side of the innocent, justice is no longer a part of our system. Think about this case and the many others that are like it. The system is no longer about finding the truth or convicting the guilty, it is about getting a conviction at any cost - even the cost of an innocent person's life. This hurts and is disrespectful of the victim, the victim's family, the person wrongfully convicted, the family of the wrongfully convicted, the jury who is made to believe a person is guilty, and all of us who trust the system to work for us!

Dear Friend, I write today to attempt to explain the events that lead to me being sentenced to death and my current dire circumstances. First, I must say that I never took any part - what-so-ever -in robbing the store, or the shooting of Officer Riggs. Yes, I was there, unfortunately, but not knowing that any of robbing or shooting was going to take place. I have told this same story for years and is why I should not only be spared from my pending execution, but also set free from this injustice. Because so much is at stake, I beg that you read this closely and then listen to your heart. As I have always said, I was in the van with the people that robbed the grocery store and eventually ended up at the gas station where Officer Riggs was shot. However, when the van arrived at the gas station, I exited the van and was on the pay-phone when the police car pulled to a stop behind the van. When Officer Riggs got out of his patrol car, he instructed me to drop the phone and walk toward him as he stood beside his patrol car. It was at that time I noticed a sudden movement and heard shots fired. It is at that point the lies begin and the other stories diverge from the truth.

The truth of the matter is, as the shooting began, I saw the second officer running away from the van and his partner. When the second officer reached - what I remember to be - gas pumps, he bent down and hid behind them. At that time, the patrol car was facing east. I believe one of the doors was open and Officer Riggs was sitting on the ground, with his back against the car, between the open door and the rear wheel of the patrol car. I was no more than 5 to 6 feet from Officer Riggs as he continued to fire his pistol in the direction of the parked van and then appeared to reload his pistol. Obviously, if Officer Riggs had wanted to shoot me - and if I had been the person that fired upon him, he certainly would have - he could have emptied his pistol and filled me full of holes at point-blank range. However, Officer Riggs consistently aimed his pistol and shot in the direction of the van and never shot at me. It is at this time that the second officer came out from behind his hiding place and began firing wildly, like a cowboy raiding an enemy camp.

As I watched him, he never took aim at any definitive target, but would verify my version and clear me of this heinous crime. If he could bring himself to tell the truth, he would say that he never saw me with a gun. But now, after sticking with his lie for so many years, he cannot tell the truth about that night, because to do so would expose him as a rookie that lost his composure and that, quite possibly, cost his partner his life. Had the second officer only stood his ground and assisted Officer Riggs with the assailants, Officer Riggs would have probably survived to clear me of the crime. But the facts are clear. Officer Riggs knew who was shooting at him and he shot back, fighting for his life. Being no more than 6 feet away from Officer Riggs, I saw him shoot time after time at the van--not me. The second officer saw nothing, simply because he had turned his back on his partner as he ran away. However, it was upon the second officer's lies that the whole web of lies presented by the state was built. Read my version and then think to yourself, "Could the state's story be true?"

Now you can see from the above, just how the lies began and became compounded upon one another. Now the second round of lies began with the police investigators and prosecutors. The next day I was arrested and taken to the hospital to determine if I had recently fired a gun. The doctor had me sit up on a table and he applied some type of liquid on my hands and fingers. I could tell by his expression that the test resulted in a negative conclusion. He then repeated the process a second time and turned to the police officers in the examining room with me. "This man has not fired a gun." The detective then instructed the doctor angrily to "just sign right here." One more lie in a never ending series of lies designed to label me as a "cop-killer" and have me sentenced to death.

After being in jail for several months, the state is building their case upon lies, when they make a mistake. One day I was called out of the tank to see Assistant District Attorney Ray Elliot (now a judge). When I arrived at Mr. Elliot's office, he thought I was Joe Cornelious Jackson - a person that was in the van the night Officer Riggs was shot and a 3 or 4 time loser on robbery charges. He handed me a list of 30 or more questions that he had prepared for Jackson and said if the questions could be answered with lies, Jackson would be set free and the robbery and murder charges would go away. I'm sure that Jackson, when he eventually met with Elliot, agreed to the terms since only a few more lies would and all of his troubles would disappear. You can ask Elliot and Jackson and the others involved if what I've just said is true. I know it happened and what I say is true, but, again, I'm sure they will most likely lie.

Even now, the lies continue. Although I am sure Officer Riggs family wants to know the truth, the Oklahoma City Police Department does not - especially, the second officer that abandoned Officer Riggs on that fateful night. However, going along with a lie is just as bad as saying it yourself. Ask yourself, "Was Officer Riggs better than his partner and the others that investigated the shooting?" "Would he go along with the cover up, fabricate evidence and weave lies into a case to obtain a conviction?" I don't think so. I'm sure the Riggs' family and other police officers remember the statement made by the District Attorney. Mr. Macy said that I placed the gun barrel against Officer Riggs' chest and then pulled the trigger. First, Doctor Balding stated to the detective at the hospital that I did not fire a gun. Secondly, Officer Riggs was not shot in that manner. As I said earlier, I was no more than 6 feet from him when he was sitting on the ground and being shot and no shot came from near him at all. Although I don't exactly know where the shots originated from, I do know where Officer Riggs was aiming and firing, and that was toward the van. If Officer Riggs had, indeed, been shot in the manner described by Mr. Macy, it would be very simple to prove with only one piece of evidence - Officer Riggs' uniform shirt. However, since the same shirt would prove that Officer Riggs' was not shot that close, the shirt was never introduced into evidence. Ask yourself, "Would Mr. Macy pass-up a chance to waive a police officer's shirt, complete with blood stains, in front of the jury if it would prove his point?" Of course not! The reason the shirt was never introduced, or for that matter given to my lawyer at trial, was because it would prove the shots were fired from some distance and exclude me as the shooter since I was only a few feet away.

Additionally, if Doctor Balding would have testified at trial to what he said at the hospital when the test was performed, I would have been cleared. But, the doctor being a witness for the state, he said what the prosecution wanted him to say. Mr. Macy used the doctor to give him a gateway to continue to lie to and inflame the jury with the biggest lie of this whole ordeal - Mr. Macy said Officer Riggs shot a gun out of my hand with a .357 Magnum. Any expert, or for that matter, anybody familiar with that type of gun will tell you that such an event would have left me with an extremely wounded hand. It wasn't there the next day when I was at the hospital to have the test ran to determine if I had fired a gun. However, a police officer testified that, based upon his 15 years of police service, it was his opinion that I merely wiped the wound away that I had supposedly received the night before. Does that sound credible to you? Why would he make such an outlandish remark? The answer is simple - it was the only way he could explain the lack of damage to my hand. It would appear that the state's lies had reached a breaking point, but such a ridiculous reason was ignored by the jury and I was branded a "cop-killer" and sentenced to die.

All of the lies were woven together after my preliminary hearing. After sitting through all of the lies and hearsay stories told, I was about to leave that court-room a free man. There simply was not enough credible evidence to hold me to answer the charge. However, at the very last a witness stumbled into the court-room and said I told him something and Judge Niles didn't even bother to ask him one single question. He simply rapped down with his gavel and said "bound over for trial." After that, each state witness was given a deal and you know the state doesn't give anything unless they receive something in return. What the state received was those people that were in the van on that night sold their souls for what the state was offering - their freedom.

I hope I have been able to explain just what exactly happened that night Officer Riggs was killed. My time is growing shorter and shorter. Unless somebody opens their heart and decides to tell the truth of the events as they unfolded, it will take another person to help uncover the lies that have held me captive and will ultimately lead to my unjust execution. That is why I have written this letter. Please, if you can at all, help me! You can contact my attorney, David Autry. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Ron Boyd. Statements of facts for Ron's case (coming soon)

APBNews

"Oklahoma Executes Cop Killer; Officer Gunned Down in 1986." (April 27, 2000)

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- A man convicted of killing an Oklahoma City police officer in 1986 was executed by injection early today. Ronald Keith Boyd, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:21 a.m. after receiving a lethal dose of drugs. Boyd was found guilty in the Jan. 7, 1986, shooting of Oklahoma City police Master Patrolman Richard Oldham Riggs. Riggs, 32, was shot twice as he approached Boyd, who was on a pay phone outside a van at a service station.

Shooting followed robbery

The officer had seen the van, which matched the description of a vehicle used in an armed robbery at a nearby store minutes earlier. Riggs was hit in the chest and abdomen and managed to return fire, along with his rookie partner, who was not injured. Boyd claimed a hitchhiker took the gun from his knapsack and shot Riggs. He said there was no gunpowder residue on his hands.

But prosecutors said Boyd was arrested a day after Riggs was killed and had ample time to wash his hands. They also cited testimony from eyewitnesses and expert witnesses. "I promised Richard as I stood over his coffin that I would live to see this day," Riggs' mother, Betty Riggs, said hours before the execution. "I had to keep my promise to Richard, and now I can go to the cemetery and I'll tell him."

ABOLISH Archives (Rick Halperin)

April 27, 2000 - OKLAHOMA - A man convicted of killing an Oklahoma City police officer in 1986 was executed by injection early Thursday. Ronald Keith Boyd, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:21 a.m. after receiving a lethal dose of drugs.

Boyd was found guilty in the Jan. 7, 1986, shooting of Oklahoma City police Master Patrolman Richard Oldham Riggs. Riggs, 32, was shot twice as he approached Boyd, who was on a pay phone outside a van at a service station. The officer had seen the van, which matched the description of a vehicle used in an armed robbery at a nearby store minutes earlier. Riggs was hit in the chest and abdomen and managed to return fire, along with his rookie partner, who was not injured.

Boyd claimed a hitchhiker took the gun from his knapsack and shot Riggs. He said there was no gunpowder residue on his hands. But prosecutors said Boyd was arrested a day after Riggs was killed and had ample time to wash his hands. They also cited testimony from eyewitnesses and expert witnesses.

"I promised Richard as I stood over his coffin that I would live to see this day," Riggs' mother, Betty Riggs, said hours before the execution. "I had to keep my promise to Richard and now I can go to the cemetery and I'll tell him."

Boyd becomes the 5th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Oklahoma and the 24th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1990. Boyd also becomes the 30th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 628th overall since America resumed executions on Jan. 17, 1977.

(Sources: Associated Press & Rick Halperin)

ABCNews.Com

"Executed in Oklahoma; Convicted Cop Killer Put to Death." (Associated Press)

M c A L E S T E R, Okla., April 27 — A man convicted of killing an Oklahoma City police officer in 1986 was executed by injection early this morning. Ronald Keith Boyd, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:21 a.m. after receiving a lethal dose of drugs. Boyd was found guilty in the Jan. 7, 1986, shooting of Oklahoma City police Master Patrolman Richard Oldham Riggs. Riggs, 32, was shot twice as he approached Boyd, who was on a pay phone outside a van at a service station.

Blamed a Hitchhiker

The officer had seen the van, which matched the description of a vehicle used in an armed robbery at a nearby store minutes earlier. Riggs was hit in the chest and abdomen and managed to return fire, along with his rookie partner, who was not injured. Boyd claimed a hitchhiker took the gun from his knapsack and shot Riggs. He said there was no gunpowder residue on his hands. But prosecutors said Boyd was arrested a day after Riggs was killed and had ample time to wash his hands. They also cited testimony from eyewitnesses and expert witnesses. “I promised Richard as I stood over his coffin that I would live to see this day,” Riggs’ mother, Betty Riggs, said hours before the execution. “I had to keep my promise to Richard and now I can go to the cemetery and I’ll tell him.”

The Daily Ardmoreite

"Cop Killer Executed this Morning." (April 27, 2000)

McALESTER (AP) -- Oklahoma City police officers hugged outside the prison gates early this morning at the news of Ronald Keith Boyd's final breath for the 1986 killing of an officer on duty. Boyd, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:21 a.m., shortly after receiving a lethal dose of drugs at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

It had been 14 years since Master Patrolman Richard Oldham Riggs was killed while on patrol. ''Fallen officers are still part of the family,'' said Oklahoma City police Lt. Dennis Ross, who was among those who gathered outside the prison.

Minutes before his death, Boyd turned to his family and said he loved them. ''I'm all right. I'm at peace with God. I'm fine,'' he said, looking at them through the glass windows. ''Don't worry about me. I'm OK y'all.'' Boyd gave several big breaths after the drugs began to flow. He took one final exhale as his eyes closed halfway. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Riggs had been working the night shift when he spotted a van at a northeast Oklahoma City service station that matched the description of one used in an armed robbery earlier that night. Nearby, Boyd was talking on a pay phone. As Riggs approached Boyd, the officer was shot in the chest and the abdomen. Although fatally wounded, Riggs fired back. Boyd was arrested the next day.

Hours before the execution, Betty Riggs held the last picture taken of her son -- in his police uniform, smiling, celebrating his 32nd birthday a week before he was killed. ''I cry every day. Every single day,'' she said, her voice cracking as she held the picture in front of her. ''I promised Richard as I stood over his coffin that I would live to see this day.'' She was listed as a witness to the execution along with Richard Riggs' sister, uncle and three brothers. ''I don't know if there was any officer that was any more loved than Richard Riggs,'' said police Chaplain Jack Poe. During the night, some officers also gathered at the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police lodge. Boyd had asked for his brother, uncle, two nephews and a cousin to be there during his death. Two spiritual advisers also were listed, said Attorney General Drew Edmondson. ''My thoughts today are with Officer Riggs' family and with the men and women who work diligently to protect and serve,'' Edmondson said. For his last meal, Boyd requested catfish, French fries, plums and grapes, strawberry shortcake and a cherry Sprite.

He had claimed innocence in the murder during a clemency hearing in March. Boyd said a hitchhiker took a gun from his knapsack and shot Riggs. He also said there was no gunpowder residue on his hands.

Boyd was the fifth inmate executed in Oklahoma this year, and the 24th inmate since the death penalty was re-enacted in 1977 by the Oklahoma Legislature. There are 140 men and three women on death row in the state.

Cynthia Ury of McAlester was among 100 death-penalty opponents who gathered in a circle outside the prison gates, reading the Bible by candle light. ''I just don't think we have the right to take a life,'' said Ury, whose son is a policeman. ''I feel like it diminishes us as a society.''

Boyd v. State, 839 P.2d 1363 (Okl.Cr. 1992) (Direct Appeal).

Ronald Keith Boyd, appellant, was tried by jury and convicted of First Degree Malice Aforethought Murder(Count I), and Robbery With Firearms (Count II) in Oklahoma County District Court, Case No. CRF-86-218, before the Honorable James L. Gullett, District Judge. The jury found three aggravating circumstances and sentenced appellant respectively to death and fifty (50) years imprisonment. We affirm.

Appellant spent the evening of January 7, 1986, with his friends Byron Gibbs, Joe Jackson, and Lenora Denise Dunn. After spending several hours riding around Oklahoma City in a van, appellant asked Gibbs, the driver, to stop at a convenience store called Tom's Market located at 36th and Kelly. Gibbs complied with the request and Jackson and Dunn got out of the van. Jackson went to use the pay phone and Dunn began talking to appellant about robbing the store. Appellant responded by handing Dunn a revolver. Dunn went into the store and emerged a few moments later carrying the gun and a wad of money. Dorthy Trimble was the clerk on duty at Tom's Market on January 7, 1986. She testified that at approximately 9:00 p.m. she was robbed by a black female with a gun. After the robbery Ms. Trimble called the police and gave a description of the robber and the van.

After the robbery the group proceeded east on 36th street to Interstate 35 where appellant urged Gibbs to pull into the parking area of a Phillips 66 station so that he could use the pay phone. Gibbs stopped the van near the pay phones and appellant got out of the van and made a call. Oklahoma City Police Officers Richard Riggs and Craig Gravel responded to the report of the armed robbery at Tom's Market. The officers were informed that the suspect was a black female who fled the area in a green van. The officers drove on 36th street looking for a van which matched the description. The officers noticed a green van parked at a Phillips 66 station and pulled their police car behind the van to investigate. Officer Gravel approached the rear of the van and saw that the vehicle was occupied by a female and two males. Officer Riggs walked towards appellant who was talking on the telephone. Officer Riggs told appellant to get off the phone and walk toward him. When appellant did not respond, Officer Riggs repeated the command. Appellant dropped the receiver and approached Officer Riggs with his hands concealed in his coat pockets. When Officer Riggs instructed appellant to take his hands out of his pockets, appellant, with his hands still concealed in the pockets of his coat, shot the Officer. The bullet struck Officer Riggs in the abdomen. Appellant then placed the gun against the chest of Officer Riggs and fired a second shot.

Appellant then approached the rear of the van where Officer Gravel was standing. Upon seeing appellant, Officer Gravel ran for the protection of the gasoline pumps. Officer Gravel heard several shots fired as he was running. Simultaneously, the van began to slowly roll out of the parking area with appellant now in front of the van using it for cover. Officer Gravel returned to Officer Riggs and both men shot in the direction of the van. The van rolled across 36th street and stopped after striking a fence. The three persons in the van were arrested at the scene. Appellant fled the area on foot.

Appellant ran to the house he shared with Fred Tubbs. Appellant fled from the house when a police helicopter and patrol cars arrived. The next morning appellant went to the home of Reginald Walker. Appellant told Walker that he wanted to leave town. Appellant admitted to Walker that he had shot a police officer, claiming that he had blanked out and the gun went off and he ran. Additionally, appellant told Walker that he had panicked when the officer approached him because there had been a robbery, he had recently gotten out of jail and that he did not want to be arrested. Appellant was ultimately arrested at Walker's home after police received a tip concerning his location.