Liston Rue Chunn, a 44-year-old Black man from Douglasville, Georgia, was killed on July 16, 1990, during a string of armed motel robberies that night. He was in a Best Western room with his fiancée, Regina Thomas, and her children when two men moved through the motel committing robberies. Court records say Raymond Burgess forced his way into Chunn’s room with a gold-plated revolver, ordered the adults to the floor and the children into the bathroom, and—when Chunn didn’t remove his hand from his pants pocket as ordered—shot him. A nearby motel repairman noted a speeding Volvo and recorded its plate, which led investigators to Burgess. Searchers recovered the gold-plated revolver later forensically linked to the fatal bullet, motel victims’ stolen property, and other evidence including fingerprints and identification tying Burgess to the crimes.

Norris Young was identified as Burgess’s co-defendant; both men were prosecuted for the motel crimes. Burgess was convicted of malice murder, armed robbery and kidnapping and was sentenced to death; Young was convicted and given multiple life terms plus additional time. Appeals were filed and the convictions were upheld.