On August 21, 1974, a male minister named Roy Asbell was tragically killed in Bleckley County, Georgia. The events leading to his death began when Alpha Otis O'Daniel Stephens, who had recently escaped from a Houston County jail, broke into the home of Asbell's son, Charles. While Stephens was in the process of burglarizing the residence, Roy Asbell, who was 49 years old at the time, arrived at the scene.
A violent confrontation ensued, during which Stephens, a man significantly larger
than the crippled Asbell, assaulted him and forced him into his own vehicle. Stephens then drove Asbell approximately three miles to a pasture in the neighboring Bleckley County. Despite Asbell's attempts to reason with his captor, even offering him a large sum of money for his life, Stephens remained merciless. After taking the money, Stephens shot Asbell twice in the head at close range with a. 357 magnum he had stolen from Charles Asbell's home. An autopsy later revealed that Asbell had also suffered a broken jaw and several skull fractures.
Law enforcement quickly connected Alpha Otis O'Daniel Stephens to the brutal crime, and he was apprehended the following day. In his pre-trial statements to the police, Stephens fully confessed to the murder of Roy Asbell, as well as a series of other serious crimes he had committed following his prison escape. Stephens was subsequently indicted in Bleckley County for the murder of Roy Asbell. He was found guilty and, on January 21, 1975, was sentenced to death. Despite numerous appeals, the conviction and sentence were upheld. On December 12, 1984, Alpha Otis O'Daniel Stephens was executed by electrocution for the murder of Roy Asbell.
