Clay family murders
Updated: 12/11/2025, 2:07:37 PM Wikipedia source
The Clay family murders occurred on March 28, 1988, when 29-year-old Angela Clay (June 10, 1958 – March 28, 1988) and her two daughters, Latoya Clay (April 4, 1978 – March 28, 1988), age nine, and Lakeisha Clay (March 8, 1982 – March 28, 1988; sometimes spelled Lakesha Clay), age six, were murdered inside their house in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The perpetrator, Byron Lewis Black (March 23, 1956 – August 5, 2025), who was Angela's boyfriend, attacked the Clays while he was on work release for a prior incident in which he shot and wounded Angela's estranged husband. Black was found guilty of all three counts of first-degree murder in March 1989 and was subsequently sentenced to death for murdering Lakeisha, while receiving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of Angela and Latoya. He appealed his conviction and sentence, and after exhausting his appeals, he sought to have his death sentence commuted on the grounds of intellectual disability, but these appeals were also denied. More than 37 years after the murders, Black was executed via lethal injection at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution on August 5, 2025.
Infobox
Location
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Date
March 28, 1988
Attack type
Murders by shooting
Victims
Angela Clay, 29Latoya Clay, 9Lakeisha Clay, 6
Verdict
Guilty
Convictions
First-degree murder (x3)
Sentence
Death (Lakeisha's murder)Life imprisonment (x2; Latoya and Angela's murder)
Convicted
Byron Lewis Black, 32
Tables
· References
Preceded byOscar Franklin SmithMay 22, 2025
Preceded byOscar Franklin SmithMay 22, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Preceded byOscar Franklin SmithMay 22, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Byron Lewis Black August 5, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Succeeded bymost recent
Executions carried out in the United States
Executions carried out in the United States
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Executions carried out in the United States
Preceded byEdward Zakrzewski II – FloridaJuly 31, 2025
Preceded byEdward Zakrzewski II – FloridaJuly 31, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Preceded byEdward Zakrzewski II – FloridaJuly 31, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Byron Lewis Black – Tennessee August 5, 2025
Executions carried out in Tennessee
Succeeded byKayle Bates – FloridaAugust 19, 2025
| Executions carried out in Tennessee | ||
| Preceded byOscar Franklin SmithMay 22, 2025 | Byron Lewis Black August 5, 2025 | Succeeded bymost recent |
| Executions carried out in the United States | ||
| Preceded byEdward Zakrzewski II – FloridaJuly 31, 2025 | Byron Lewis Black – Tennessee August 5, 2025 | Succeeded byKayle Bates – FloridaAugust 19, 2025 |
References
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- CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/tennessee-executes-byron-black-implanted-heart-device/
- State v. Black [1991], Tennessee Supreme Court (United States).
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-police-say-arrest-may-com/174073776/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-police-describe-scene-of/174073468/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-police-say-arrest-may-com/174073776/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-arrest-in-slayings-of-3-h/174073889/
- Times Daily
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- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-da-seeking-death-in-tripl/174074062/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-defense-argues-killer-not/174074208/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-judge-rules-triple-murder/174074268/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-murder-trial-jury-still-b/174074366/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-suspect-says-he-found-gir/174074423/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-man-guilty-of-killing-wom/174074543/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-jury-spends-5-hours-ponde/174074740/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-child-killer-sentenced-to/174074857/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-killer-gets-2-life-senten/174075028/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-execution-requests-becomi/174075103/
- The Southeast Missourian
- Star-News
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-list-of-state-death-row-i/174075386/
- Black v. State [1995], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
- Black v. State [1999], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
- Black v. State [2005], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
- Black v. State [2011], 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
- Black v. Colson [2013], United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (United States).
- Black v. Carpenter [2017], 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
- "Search - Supreme Court of the United States"https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/17-8275.html
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/03/11/nashville-district-attorney-death-row-intellectually-disabled-byron-black-should-not-face-execution/6989413001/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/03/29/nashville-judge-rules-death-row-inmate-not-intellectually-disabled-byron-black/7207079001/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/covid-health-crime-executions-tennessee-52c9b0bd365a80d36ae1b7886c4536fa
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/tennesse-byron-black-death-row-intellectually-disabled-b2047684.html
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/11/08/tennessee-fights-death-row-inmate-byron-black-disability-claim/69626814007/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/health-tennessee-nashville-93175e29de997ea9384df5de34792a03
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/health-crime-executions-tennessee-nashville-107262e8f05515034a68bc342b9ab08e
- Black v. State [2023], Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/general-news-3b981053c12449358c01004424f63b1d
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/09/24/tennessee-ag-asks-execute-9-more-death-row-inmates/2427177001/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/02/24/tennessee-supreme-court-execution-dates-byron-black-pervis-tyrone-payne/4861717002/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/general-news-43df01e57c4b28d3e70cbf335f1b84fb
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/11/16/tennessee-death-row-inmates-six-executions-two-years/2026379002/
- WKRNhttps://www.wkrn.com/community/health/coronavirus/2nd-tennessee-inmate-seeks-execution-delay-amid-covid-19-pandemic/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/general-news-4ae75826e7e71401f456918e0f932a8d
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/12/second-tennessee-execution-delayed-2021-over-covid-19-concerns/3178956001/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/general-news-db1c83575d0d1caab738f9c8f65f210d
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/07/17/harold-wayne-nichols-execution-august-tennessee-bill-lee-covid-19/5461947002/
- CNNhttps://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/06/us/death-row-reprieve-tennessee/index.html
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/tennessee-pervis-payne-execution-intellectual-disability-b1960572.html
- Memphis Commercial Appealhttps://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2022/01/31/pervis-payne-eligible-parole-five-years/9284194002/
- WKRNhttps://www.wkrn.com/news/family-of-murdered-nashville-mom-and-daughters-wait-for-justice-after-delayed-execution-of-killer/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/general-news-0dace79dff6a614c62ed511244df7f5a
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/12/03/byron-black-execution-delayed-death-row-tennessee-attorneys-catch-covid-19/3815763001/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/health-race-and-ethnicity-executions-racial-injustice-tennessee-ba016fc212ee1120121735658423969e
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/03/03/tennessee-sets-3-more-inmate-executions-plans-5-in-2022/9367324002/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/28/oscar-franklin-smith-execution-tennessee-gov-bill-lee-asked-stop/9560122002/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/crime-executions-tennessee-nashville-e143acccdd34b46b346c0e1fb02fe823
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-tennessee-midazolam-corrections-lethal-injection-7a790206825ec9188673631c1fc84967
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/executions-tennessee-pentobarbital-lethal-injection-9109f923828820e7c427abb9f07ef87d
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/tennessee-execution-lethal-injection-435ae742926159c8b74e98825f637c50
- Nashville Bannerhttps://nashvillebanner.com/2025/03/03/tennessee-executions-resumed/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2025/03/03/execution-dates-tennessee-death-row/81193524007/
- WKRNhttps://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/executions-start-may-tdoc-lethal-injection-protocol-review/
- The Straits Timeshttps://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-man-who-killed-wife-and-her-kids-executed-by-lethal-injection
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/05/22/tennessee-death-row-execution-dates/81626930007/
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/execution-byron-black-tennessee-death-row-a6019000ab7a3ef28bd6b04941fb0d7c
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/execution-byron-black-tennessee-death-row-f80b7db8bc9dccd2e3a23f7c4197a9de
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/execution-byron-black-tennessee-death-row-ec7acb08da0f98577bbb476f06bde5b3
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/tennessee-death-row-ruling-byron-black-2aa51b56029a45ab86fcb8c364ff3c99
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2025/07/30/tennessee-death-row-byron-black-execution/85443739007/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/07/08/tennessee-supreme-court-byron-black-death-row-incompetency-hearing/84510244007/
- Nashville Bannerhttps://nashvillebanner.com/2025/07/11/plea-mercy-byron-black-execution/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/08/04/gov-bill-lee-declines-to-intervene-in-byron-black-execution/85517650007/
- CNNhttps://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/04/us/byron-black-execution-tennessee-death
- WKRNhttps://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/what-about-the-pain-he-left-us-in-murder-victims-family-speaks-out-ahead-of-byron-blacks-execution/
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/04/tennessee-execution-byron-black-angela-clay/85446947007/
- The Straits Timeshttps://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-murderer-with-heart-defibrillator-implant-complains-of-pain-during-execution
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/us/politics/tennessee-execution-heart-implant.html
- Associated Presshttps://apnews.com/article/tennessee-execution-defibrillator-bd1c3d5fcc3dd78faf9fc3ba9a5c7aad
- NBC Newshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-man-byron-black-heart-device-execution-rcna222850
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/05/tennessee-execution-byron-black-heart-device-angela-clay/85523148007/
- The Tennesseanhttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/08/05/tennessee-execution-byron-black-heart-device/85430521007/
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04r5el30pko