Randy Gay was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of Connie Snow
According to court documents Randy Gay had already been convicted of two murders and let out of prison would get into an argument with Connie Snow which ended with Gay fatally shooting her and dragging her into the woods
Randy Gay would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Randy Gay Photos
Randy Gay Now
ADC Number
000980
Name:
Gay, Randy W
Race
CAUCASIAN
Sex
MALE
Hair Color
BROWN
Eye Color
BROWN
Height
72 inches
Weight
178 lbs.
Birth Date
09/01/1958
Initial Receipt Date
01/20/2012
Facility
Varner Supermax
Randy Gay Case
The pertinent facts are these. The record demonstrates that James Westlake testified that he and his family operated a timber business in Garland County in 2011. James testified that he paid Randy Gay “a few hundred dollars each week” to “keep an eye” on their equipment overnight. On May 10, 2011, James, Jim Westlake, and Rickey Stewart were attempting to repair machinery at their logging business in a wooded area located in Garland County. Around 5:00 p.m. that day, Gay arrived in a pickup truck, and Snow was in the passenger seat. Gay got out of his truck and went to speak to James, leaving Snow in the vehicle. Gay told James that he was using Snow to obtain information about drug trafficking in the national forest and that she was probably going to jail. James noticed that Snow was attempting to say something to Gay from the vehicle, and when he told Gay, Randy Gay then ordered Snow out of the truck. Snow did not comply and Gay went back to his truck, retrieved a shotgun, and again ordered Snow out of the truck. James testified that Snow was getting out of the truck, that he did not believe Gay was going to take any action, and that James turned away from the truck and back to the machinery when he heard a loud “BOOM.” James testified that he turned around and saw Snow’s body on the ground and that Gay was holding the gun toward the ground. James testified that he immediately told Gay, “I didn’t see anything.” James testified that Gay calmly walked over and asked him if he had any plastic, and he responded that he did not. He then asked James to help him get his tailgate open. James said he was somewhat in shock and did not know whether Gay was going to kill the rest of them or what his next move was. James went over and helped with the tailgate and then checked on his elderly father. James testified that while he went to check on his dad, he kept his eyes on Gay because he did not know what was going to happen and watched Gay drag Snow over and load her into his truck bed. Gay then loaded Snow’s body into his truck, left the site, and gave James a “thumbs up” on the way out. James testified that Gay then called him on his cell phone and asked if everything was “alright between them.” James explained that they were loading logs and did not mention Snow because he was afraid, he did not know where Gay was, and that he and his employees were unarmed. James testified that he and his employees left together and that once they were back out of the woods safely to the highway, he, his brother, and Rickey called law enforcement and waited for them to arrive.
Rickey testified that when Randy Gay summoned Snow from the truck, she failed to move. Gay then grabbed a bolt-action shotgun from the toolbox in the back of his truck, stuck it through the open driver’s-side window, and again ordered her out of the vehicle. Snow still did not move. Gay walked to the back of his truck, propped his elbow on the vehicle, again pointed the gun at Snow, and yelled, “I told you to get the fuck outa my truck.” Snow stepped out of the truck, keeping her back to the inside of the open door, and said, “What are you gonna do, shoot me?” Rickey heard Gay click off the gun’s safety, and Gay then shot Snow in the right side of her face, killing her. Gay asked James if he had any plastic, and when James stated that he did not, Gay asked him to help him lower the tailgate of his truck. Gay dragged Snow by the belt loops of her jeans and her hair to the back of his truck and threw her body into the truck bed. He then drove away from the work site, giving James a “thumbs up” on the way out. James indicated that Gay phoned him several minutes later to see if everything was okay and to tell him that he “got everything taken care of.” James and the others then notified law enforcement of the murder.
That evening, Randy Gay attended a bonfire at the home of Larry and Vera Nevels and stayed the night with his girlfriend, Latonya McElroy. The next morning, he told McElroy that he had to “get rid of” something. He was arrested as he got into his car to leave the apartment. Gay claimed that he had a severe drinking problem and that he did not remember what happened the previous day. Snow’s body was located four days later, on May 14, 2011, approximately 1.2 miles from the shooting in a shallow creek bed. On the other side of the creek, officers located Snow’s hair and her scalp. It was evident that animals had predated on the body. Gay was charged with premeditated capital murder, and the State sought the death penalty.
https://casetext.com/case/gay-v-state-2043
