Riley Dobi Noel (May 22, 1972 – July 9, 2003) was an American convicted murderer who was executed for the June 1995 murders of Marcell Young, Mustafa Hussian, and Malak Hussian in
Varner, Arkansas
Varner is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Varner is located southeast of Little Rock.
History
In 1952, Varner had three residents.Download
In 1958, Varner, which had five residents, had a crossroads, gas ...
.
Murder
On June 4, 1995, Noel, accompanied by Terry Carroll, Curtis Cochran, and Tracy Calloway, were out driving in
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
in Cochran's car while getting high on drugs. A week prior, Noel's brother had been killed in a drive-by shooting, and Noel believed that a daughter of a woman he knew was involved and had set up his brother. Seeking revenge, Noel and his acquaintances headed to the home of the woman; Mary Hussian. Once the group arrived at Hussian's home, Noel ordered three of Hussian's children to get down on the floor.
After they did, Noel shot each of the children in the head. He killed 17-year-old Marcell Young, 12-year-old Mustafa Hussian, and 10-year-old Malak Hussian. In another part of the house, Carroll tried to shoot Mary Hussian with a shotgun, however, the gun jammed, and Mary was able to wrestle it away from him. The daughter who Noel suspected was involved in his brother's death was not at the residence during the murders.
Trial
On July 5, 1995, Noel was charged with capital murder in the deaths of Marcell Young, Mustafa Hussian, and Malak Hussian. He was also charged with the attempted capital murder of Mary Hussian.
On July 18, 1996, he was sentenced to death.
In exchange for leniency, Cochran pleaded guilty to first degree murder and testified against his co-defendants. He received a 20-year sentence and has since been paroled. Calloway was convicted of three counts of first degree murder and received a 132-year sentence. She will become eligible for parole in 2032. Carroll was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. Because he was a juvenile at the time, his sentence was later reduced to 70 years.
Execution
On July 9, 2003, Noel was executed via
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...
at the
Cummins Unit
The Cummins Unit (formerly known as Cummins State Farm) is an Arkansas Department of Corrections prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta region. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, ...
. His
last meal
A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be.
Contemporary restrictions in the United States
Contrary to the common belief t ...
consisted of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot rolls, a green garden salad with ranch dressing, Kool-Aid, and cookies.
A media witness noted that Noel's chest heaved violently within 20 seconds of the lethal injection procedure. The witness reported that it was the most intense execution he had ever witnessed.
See also
*
List of people executed in Arkansas
The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Arkansas since 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in the United States.
31 people have been executed in Arkansas since 1976: 30 males and 1 female ( Christina ...
*
List of people executed in the United States in 2003
Sixty-five people, all male, were executed in the United States in 2003, sixty-four by lethal injection and one by electrocution. Twenty-four of them were carried out in Texas. The state of Oklahoma executed Scott Hain, who became the last juvenil ...
References
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Executions carried out in Arkansas
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Executions carried out in the United States
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Riley Dobi
1972 births
2003 deaths
1995 murders in the United States
21st-century executions of American people
21st-century executions by Arkansas
American murderers of children
American people convicted of attempted murder
American people executed for murder
People convicted of murder by Arkansas
People executed by Arkansas by lethal injection
Mass shootings in Arkansas