In the autumn of 1983, a chilling event shattered the community of Texarkana, Arkansas. William Michael Stumpp, a 36-year-old male, was found murdered in his pawnshop on November 3rd. The scene was grim; Stumpp had been shot three times in the back of the head with a. 22 caliber pistol. The assailant had also robbed the shop, taking weapons, cash, and jewelry.
The investigation into the brutal slaying eventually led authorities to a man named Richard Wayne Snell.
Snell was a member of a white supremacist organization known as The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord. His motivation for the murder was rooted in extremist ideology; Snell had targeted Stumpp under the mistaken belief that he was of Jewish descent. A fellow member of the supremacist group would later testify that Snell admitted to the killing, stating that Stumpp was an 'evil man' who 'just needed to die.'
Snell's violent spree did not end with the death of William Stumpp. In June of the following year, his actions would once again draw the attention of law enforcement. After being pulled over in a routine traffic stop, Snell shot and killed Arkansas State Trooper Louis P. Bryant. This act sparked a multi-state manhunt that culminated in a shootout and Snell's eventual capture. The investigation into Snell for the murder of Trooper Bryant would also connect him to the death of William Stumpp.
Richard Wayne Snell was ultimately charged with capital murder for both killings. In 1985, he was tried and convicted for the murder of William Stumpp, receiving a death sentence for the crime. He had also been convicted and sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Trooper Bryant. After years of appeals, Snell was executed by lethal injection on April 19, 1995.
