In the early morning hours of October 16, 1994, the quiet of a Birmingham neighborhood was shattered by a brutal act of violence that claimed the life of 52-year-old William A. Nelson, Sr., a male, and four others. The scene of the crime was the Changing Times Lounge, a local bar where Nelson was a regular patron. The discovery of the five victims, all lying face down with gunshot wounds to the back of the head, painted a grim picture of what law enforcement would describe as 'execution-style' killings. The other victims were identified as Lester Edward Dodd and his wife Pamela Dodd, who both worked at the bar, and two other patrons, James Watkins and Florence Adell Elliott.
The investigation into the five murders pointed to a robbery that had escalated to a horrifying conclusion. The lounge had been ransacked, the cash register was emptied, and the personal belongings of the victims were strewn about the establishment. A crucial piece of evidence that would later surface was jewelry belonging to Pamela Dodd, which was turned over to the police by an attorney representing the family of one of the suspects. Forensic analysis of the crime scene determined that two different types of handguns were used in the commission of the murders, indicating the presence of at least two assailants.
The trail of evidence and witness testimony led investigators to two men: Stephen Pilley and Andrew Apicella. Witnesses recalled seeing the two men, who were not regular customers, at the Changing Times Lounge on the night of the murders. Their behavior was described as unusual, with one witness stating that Pilley had been wandering around the bar while Apicella played pool. Earlier that evening, at another bar, the two were overheard discussing a way to make 'easy money,' with Apicella assuring Pilley he could procure firearms. Following the murders, Pilley and Apicella were seen at a friend's house where they divided a sum of money, including five $2 bills, a denomination of currency one of the victims, William Nelson, was known to carry.
Both Stephen Pilley and Andrew Apicella were arrested and faced separate trials for their roles in the quintuple homicide. In 1996, Andrew Apicella was convicted of capital murder. The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in a move to ensure what he considered to be equitable justice after his co-defendant was sentenced to death, the judge overrode the jury's recommendation and sentenced Apicella to death. The following year, Stephen Pilley was also convicted of capital murder. His jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, a sentence which the judge imposed. Both men's convictions and sentences went through numerous appeals over the years, with courts upholding their guilt in the brutal slayings at the Changing Times Lounge.
