Man Executed for 1982 Killing of Pharmacist

A paroled robber from Alabama was executed for gunning down a Galveston pharmacist in 1982 who refused to surrender drugs during a holdup at his store.

James Roy Knox, 50, was the 13th prisoner to die by injection this year at the death house in Huntsville, where a record 40 inmates were executed last year.

Knox was condemned for the shooting death of Joe Sanchez, 39, who was shot during the holdup that netted the robber $15 and four bottles of Demerol, a pain suppressant. Knox was arrested two years after the slaying and was tried twice for capital murder after his initial conviction was thrown out on appeal.