Jeffrey Atwater was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Ken Smith on August 11, 1989.
There was evidence that Atwater was looking for Smith for up to three days prior to his murder. Apparently, Atwater had obtained money from Smith before, but Smith was fearful of him, and had vowed never to give him money again.
At trial, a medical examiner testified that 64-year-old Smith had beaten and stabbed over 40 times.