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Article published Apr 16, 2005
State puts Longworth to death
COLUMBIA -- Mary Ann
Green and Alec Hopps sat quietly in their chairs Friday evening, staring
straight ahead at a black curtain.They had waited 14 years for this moment, and
the gentle ticking of a clock -- the only sound that filled the room -- let them
know that it was closing in.On the other side of the curtain, Richard Longworth
lay strapped to a gurney awaiting the lethal cocktail that would provide the
ultimate punishment for his crimes -- the 1991 murders of Westgate Cinema
workers Alex Hopps, 19, and Todd Green, 24.The story that began with a death on
a cold night in January ended with a death on a bright evening in
April.Longworth, 36, died by lethal injection at 6:14 p.m."We got justice
today," said Alec Hopps, Alex's father. "It took a long time, but we finally got
it."When the curtain opened shortly after 6 p.m., Longworth lay on his back
looking at the ceiling. His attorney, David Belser of Asheville, N.C., read
Longworth's final statement -- which began and ended with the state motto, "Dum
Spiro Spero" (which means "While I breathe, I hope").Longworth said he didn't
kill anyone, but he apologized to the families of Green and Hopps. He said he
was "morally and legally responsible" for the murders."I hope the families of
Alex Hopps and James Todd Greene (sic) know that I offer no excuses, for there
are none; that I do not ask forgiveness, for I do not expect it to be granted,
as least on earth."Longworth briefly glanced at Belser as he read the statement.
When Belser finished, Longworth fixed his eyes on the ceiling and never looked
away.Belser, the only witness there representing Longworth, took a seat next to
Mary Ann Green.As the drugs began to pump into his veins, Longworth closed his
eyes. His chest began to heave rapidly for a moment, and then it ceased moving
at all."That's certainly a more peaceful death than Alex Hopps and Todd Green
had," said 7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy, who sat behind the families in the
witness room.Longworth was transferred from death row to the Broad River
Correctional Institution's death facility at 6 a.m. Friday. At 3 p.m. he was
served his last meal -- a hamburger, fries and a chocolate milkshake.Longworth
and David Rocheville were convicted in separate trials in the murders of Hopps
and Green.Longworth and Rocheville, both 22 at the time, went to a bar for
drinks on the night of Jan. 7, 1991, and then drove to the theater to watch
"Dances With Wolves." They left the darkened theater and dragged Hopps, an
usher, outside.Longworth held Hopps against a wall and Rocheville shot him in
the head with Longworth's .44-caliber handgun.They were locked out of the
theater, but convinced Green to let them back inside. They made Green empty the
safe, which contained about $3,000, and then forced him into their van.Near a
deserted road outside Inman, Longworth ordered Green to get out and get on his
knees. Rocheville then shot Green in the head.Rocheville was executed in
December 1999.Caroline Short, Hopps' sister, said that two bright futures were
wiped out in an instant. Short was 14 when her brother was killed."It's hard to
say how much I loved my brother," she said.She recalled the times he would call
her from college to ask how she was doing in math class. She recalled the times
he took her to watch movies."I wonder what he would be like today," Short said.
"I wish he could see his nephew (her 1-year-old son). I hope he's seeing him
now."Mary Ann Green didn't just lose her only son. She lost her only child."I
can't express how hard it is to go along without him," she said.Those were the
only words she could speak. The grief overtook her, and she turned away.Alec
Hopps said he's finished dwelling on the way the two young men died. From now
on, he said, he's going to focus on how they lived."I don't think I'll ever be
at peace," Hopps said. "And I'll never forget. But when I think about Alex and
Todd, I'm not going to think about what happened. I'm going to think about how
vibrant and alive they were."Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or
bob.dalton@shj.com.