Ricky Ray Rector (January 12, 1950 – January 24, 1992) was executed for the 1981 murder of police officer Robert Martin in Conway, Arkansas.
After killing a man in a restaurant, he at first agreed to turn himself in to authorities, but instead shot the police officer who had negotiated his surrender in the back.
He then shot himself in the head in a suicide attempt.
The attempt effectively resulted in a lobotomy.A 1991 request for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court was denied, with Justice Marshall dissenting.Despite Rector's mental state, then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton made a point of returning to Arkansas to oversee Rector's January 24, 1992, execution during the 1992 U.S.