In the early hours of March 16, 1993, a college student named Scot Stobaugh was doing his laundry at the Funwash Laundromat on West Markham Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. The quiet, mundane task took a horrific turn when a man, later identified as Terrick Terrell Nooner, entered the establishment with the intent to rob him. What transpired next was a senseless act of violence that ended a young man's life.
Surveillance footage from the laundromat captured parts of the tragic encounter,
showing Stobaugh with his hands raised as Nooner confronted him. In an apparent robbery attempt, Nooner shot Stobaugh seven times at close range with a. 22-caliber pistol before fleeing with his checkbook and a mere $20. Stobaugh was discovered lying face down on the floor, having succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators found seven. 22-caliber shell casings near his body.
The investigation quickly pointed towards Terrick Nooner. Key testimony came from a friend of Nooner's, Antonia Kennedy, who told police that Nooner had confessed the murder to her on the morning after the shooting. She also reported seeing Scot Stobaugh's checkbook in Nooner's possession. This, along with other evidence tying him to the murder weapon, led to Nooner's arrest on April 23, 1993. He was subsequently charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, and theft of property.
Terrick Nooner was convicted of capital murder. During the penalty phase of the trial, the jury heard testimony about the profound impact of Scot's death on his family. The jury found two aggravating circumstances: that Nooner had a prior felony conviction involving the use or threat of violence and that the murder was committed for financial gain. Finding no mitigating circumstances, the jury sentenced him to death by lethal injection. Following his conviction, Nooner engaged in a lengthy appeals process. His accomplice, Robert L. Rockett, III, who was also charged in connection with the murder, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
