In the late summer of 1981, the life of 21-year-old Rebecca Heath, a female residing in Russell County, Alabama, and on the verge of welcoming her second child, was tragically cut short in a premeditated act of violence orchestrated by her own husband. Nine months pregnant, she was forcefully taken from the security of her home, a victim of a chilling murder-for-hire plot.
The investigation into her disappearance swiftly uncovered a dark tale of betrayal. Rebecca's husband, Larry Gene Heath, had become entangled in an affair and, desiring to start a new life with another woman, concocted a plan to eliminate his wife. For the sum of $2,000, he enlisted the help of two men, Charles Edward Owens and Gregory Hughes Lumpkin, to carry out the heinous act. On August 31, 1981, the two men abducted Rebecca from her Alabama residence. Her body was later discovered in Troup County, Georgia, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The ensuing legal proceedings saw Larry Gene Heath facing justice in two states due to the crime crossing state lines. In Georgia, he pleaded guilty to murder and received a life sentence. However, Alabama pursued its own capital murder charges against him for the kidnapping that occurred within its jurisdiction. This led to a landmark legal battle concerning double jeopardy that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld Alabama's right to prosecute. An Alabama jury subsequently found him guilty, and he was sentenced to death. Larry Gene Heath was executed in 1992.
His accomplices in the brutal slaying also faced the consequences of their actions. Charles Edward Owens and Gregory Hughes Lumpkin were both convicted for their roles in the murder and were sentenced to life in prison. Others who had knowledge of the plot and failed to intervene or assisted in the conspiracy also faced legal repercussions, receiving sentences for their involvement in the tragic death of a young mother and her unborn child.
