John William Byrd Jr.
American convicted murderer who protested his innocence
John William Byrd Jr. (December 18, 1963 – February 19, 2002) was an American murderer who was executed by lethal injection for killing convenience store clerk Monte Tewksbury. Byrd, who protested his innocence until his execution, spent 18 years and 6 months on Ohio's death row. Byrd was the third person to be put to death since Ohio reintroduced the death penalty in 1981.
Crimes
On the evening of April 17, 1983, Monte Tewksbury, 40, was working alone as the night clerk at a convenience store in Hamilton County, Ohio. Tewksbury, who was married and a father of three children, worked full-time for Procter & Gamble, and moonlighted at the store as a second job to help provide for his family.
At around 11 p.m., John Byrd and John Brewer entered the store in masks; Byrd carried a five-inch bowie knife. They stole $133.97 from the cash register and robbed Tewksbury of his Pulsar watch, wedding ring, and wallet which contained cash, credit cards, and an automobile registration slip. Then, as Tewksbury stood with his hands raised and his back to the robbers, Byrd drove the knife to the hilt into Tewksbury's side. It penetrated the liver and caused massive internal bleeding.
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