Geoffrey West was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for the murder of Margaret Berry
According to court documents Geoffrey West and his girlfriend would rob a convenience store and after the clerk, Margaret Berry, handed over the money she was forced to lay on the ground where West would shoot her in the head
Geoffrey West would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
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Where Is Geoffrey West Now
Geoffrey West is incarcerated at Holman Prison
Geoffrey West Case
The appellant, Geoffrey Todd West, was convicted of capital murder for the killing of Margaret Parrish Berry. The murder was made capital because the appellant committed it during the course of a robbery. See § 13A-5-40(a)(2), Ala.Code 1975. After a sentencing hearing, the jury recommended, by a vote of 10-2, that the appellant be sentenced to death. The trial court accepted the jury’s recommendation and sentenced the appellant to death. The appellant filed a motion for a new trial, which the trial court denied after conducting a hearing. This appeal follows.
Because the appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction, a lengthy statement of the facts of the case is not necessary. However, we have reviewed the evidence, and we conclude that it is sufficient to support the appellant’s conviction. In its sentencing order, the trial court summarized the relevant facts of this case as follows:
"In the late hours of March 27, 1997, or early morning of March 28, 1997, Geoffrey Todd West and his girlfriend drove to Harold's Chevron located at 2920 Noccalula Parkway. The Defendant had previously been employed at this convenience store. The Defendant previously had expressed to others his intention to rob the Chevron Store and to `leave no witnesses,' `kill the person up there.'
"West entered the store armed with a.45 caliber handgun and the circumstances indicate that he held the attendant Berry at gunpoint and took $250.00 from a cookie can where the store money was kept. The medical evidence indicates that Berry was shot in the back of the head while lying prone on the floor behind the counter of the store. According to the medical examiner, the `wound would cause rapid incapacitation and a very rapid death.'"
