In the spring of 1978, a young man named Dennis Buford Hemby, aged 19, met a tragic end in the vicinity of Covington, Louisiana. His life was cut short on May 23rd of that year when he was beaten and drowned by two assailants. The individuals responsible for this act were later identified as Robert Lee Willie and his cousin, Perry Wayne Taylor. The motive behind the violent encounter was the theft of marijuana that belonged to Hemby.
Following an investigation into the murder, both
Willie and Taylor were apprehended. While on death row for other crimes, Robert Lee Willie pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Dennis Hemby. This plea resulted in a life sentence for Hemby's death, adding to the multiple life sentences Willie was already serving for a series of other violent offenses, including another murder and a kidnapping and rape.
Perry Wayne Taylor, Willie's accomplice in the murder of Hemby, also faced justice for his role in the crime. Taylor pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. As a result of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to a term of 21 years in prison. Robert Lee Willie was later executed on December 28, 1984, for the separate murder of Faith Hathaway.
