An Arizona man has been put to death for killing two people in 1980, and he went out with a smile.
Murray Hooper, 76, died by lethal injection Wednesday in Florence State Prison, 42 years after he reportedly killed William "Pat" Redmond and Redmond's mother-in-law, Helen Phelps in Phoenix.
Redmond's wife, Marilyn, was shot in the head but survived -- and went on to testify during Hooper's trial.
By all accounts, Hooper was unusually upbeat during the execution, chuckling several times while talking to prison workers and smiling broadly while waving to the people who had gathered to witness his death, the Associated Press reported.
In a serious moment, he told his attorneys, friends and family "It's all been said, let it be done. Don't be sad for me. Don't cry. I'll see you later, let's go," according to the Arizona Republic.
Prison staff struggled to set the lethal injection IV lines and eventually had to insert a catheter into his thigh.
His final words came during a pause, which occurred after the warden read his death sentence aloud. Hooper said, "What are we waiting on?"
Authorities say Hooper and two other men forced their way into the Redmond home on Dec. 31, 1980, bound and gagged the three victims, then shot them in the head, according to the AP.
Accomplices William Bracy and Edward McCall were also convicted in the killings but died in prison before their death sentences could be carried out, the AP reported.
The killings were apparently carried out at the behest of Robert Cruz, who had ties to organized crime, wanted to take over Redmond's printing business and was unhappy that Redmond had rejected his offers to enter several printing contracts, per the AP. Cruz was acquitted of murder charges in the case in 1995.
Hooper, who maintained his innocence for 40 years, was executed after the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal.
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