On the morning of October 16, 1994, five people were found shot to death inside the Changing Times Lounge, a neighborhood bar in Birmingham, Alabama. Florence Adell Elliott, 44, was among the victims; the others were Lester Edward Dodd, Pamela Dodd, William A. Nelson Sr., and James Watkins. Police described the killings as execution-style; each victim had been shot in the head. The bar appeared ransacked, the register emptied, and victims’ belongings scattered, suggesting a robbery occurred.

Investigators focused on two men seen at the lounge the night before: Stephen Pilley and Andrew Apicella. Witnesses said Pilley and Apicella were at the bar late on October 15, that Pilley acted nervous and asked whether Edward Dodd owned the bar and was armed, and that the pair had been heard earlier discussing easy money and obtaining guns. Forensic work indicated two different handguns were used; the men were later alleged to have split about $300 taken after the killings, and jewelry belonging to Pamela Dodd was recovered from Apicella’s family and turned over to police.

Both men were charged with capital murder and convicted at separate trials. Jurors recommended death for Stephen Pilley and life without parole for Andrew Apicella; the judge imposed the death sentence for Pilley and also overrode the jury recommendation in Apicella’s case to impose death. Did anyone who knew the Changing Times Lounge or those victims see Pilley or Apicella there on the night of October 15?