In the early morning hours of December 28, 1976, a day that began like any other in Columbus, Georgia, would end in a tragedy that shook the community. Billy Ray 'Bill' Watson, a 41-year-old White male and a dedicated police officer, found himself in the line of fire while working off-duty at the Peachtree Mall. What started as a routine check on a lounge that was open past its 2 a.m.
closing time quickly escalated into a violent and fatal encounter.
Officer Watson entered the Final Approach Lounge to find a robbery in progress. The perpetrator, Ronald Keith Spivey, who was in the midst of a crime spree that had begun earlier in Macon with another murder over a mere $20, turned his weapon on the unsuspecting officer. Without hesitation, Spivey shot Watson in the head and chest, killing him instantly. The violence did not end there; a manager of a nearby restaurant who was drawn to the commotion was also shot multiple times by Spivey but managed to survive by playing dead.
Following the murder of Officer Watson, Spivey fled the scene, taking a waitress as a hostage and continuing his violent rampage by firing into another establishment and injuring an employee. His escape attempt was short-lived, however. Law enforcement officials apprehended him just a few hours later in Alabama. During the arrest, Spivey was found in possession of two handguns, one of which was Officer Watson's service weapon, engraved with his name and badge number.
The legal proceedings that followed brought Ronald Keith Spivey to justice for his heinous crimes. He was convicted of the murder of Officer Billy Ray Watson, as well as the murder committed in Macon, and a string of other charges including armed robbery and kidnapping. After years of appeals, Spivey was sentenced to death. On January 24, 2002, he was executed by lethal injection, bringing a final, somber close to a dark chapter in the city's history.
