Betty Jean Woods, a 51-year-old convenience store clerk from Jacksonville, Florida, was tragically shot in the head on September 16, 1990. She succumbed to her injuries four days later. The incident occurred at the convenience store where she worked, and there were no eyewitnesses to the shooting. However, shortly after the incident, a customer entered the store and saw a man hurrying out with a paper bag.
This customer later identified the man as Anthony Mungin.
Anthony Mungin was arrested two days after the shooting in Kingsland, Georgia. During the search of his residence, police found a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol, bullets, and Mungin’s Georgia identification card. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the bullet recovered from Woods was fired from the pistol found at Mungin’s house. Mungin was subsequently charged with first-degree murder.
The trial for Anthony Mungin began on January 25, 1993, and concluded with a guilty verdict on January 28, 1993. The jury recommended the death penalty by a narrow 7-5 vote, and on February 23, 1993, Judge John D. Southwood sentenced Mungin to death. Mungin had a history of criminal activity, including two armed robberies committed on September 14, 1990, just two days before the shooting of Woods. He was convicted of these robberies and received additional sentences for these crimes.
Mungin has consistently maintained his innocence regarding the murder of Betty Jean Woods, despite admitting to the armed robberies. He claimed that he had borrowed the gun used in the robberies from an individual named Ice and returned it before the murder occurred. Mungin argued that he obtained the gun and the car used in the crime after the murder had already been committed. Despite these claims, the court found sufficient evidence to convict him of first-degree murder.
Over the years, Mungin has filed multiple appeals and motions to vacate his judgment based on new evidence. However, these appeals have been denied, and his conviction and death sentence have been upheld. The case has seen various legal proceedings, including a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and motions for evidentiary hearings, but none have resulted in a reversal of his conviction.
