Richard Aaron Cobb testified at his own trial that he shot Vandever and handed the shotgun to Adams, who shot the women. He was also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. He remains on death row as of this writing.
In his own account of the crime, written from death row, Adams stated that Cobb came to him asking for his help robbing a store. Adams wrote that he did not expect there to be any violence. "I was suppose [sic] to just follow his lead and be a pair of eyes," he wrote, but "from the moment we entered the store [it] became obvious my friend had not planned anything out." Adams wrote that Cobb froze when one of the cashiers recognized him. "It was decided to take everyone from the store to buy some time to think." Adams wrote that at the pea patch, they tried to put all three into the trunk of the car and leave it to be found later, but "all three of them would not fit" into the trunk of the Cadillac. He and Dement walked off together and "We wound up having sex."
Adams wrote that he and Cobb decided to let the others out of the trunk and allow them to leave, but "I stopped them because the direction they were headed led deep into the woods and they'd never come to a house, road or anything," so they were told to stay put. "I turned and started walking toward the car," Adams wrote,"assuming my friend was doing the same but after a few steps I heard the first blast! I stepped to my bro and asked, 'WTF!'2 and then started yelling: 'Is anyone hit, die we hit anyone!' Someone said 'no' or something. I told my bro he is tripping and 'let's bounce', walked away again thinking he is coming, damn near got to the car when a second shot rang and Kenneth gave a loud groan. Moments later two more shots followed. I ran back and snatched the gun from him!"
Adams wrote that he could tell Driver wasn't wounded. "I yelled at her a few times to get her to say something and then fired a shot over her head to make my friend think I had killed her." He said he missed her intentionally. "I ask any rational person to ask themselves: What are the chances of someone to accidentally miss, with a 12 gauge shotgun, someone laying on the ground at their feet?! ... That woman is alive because I did not intend and did not shot [sic] her." Adams admitted kicking Dement repeatedly because he thought she was dead and didn't want Cobb to turn his attention to Driver, who he knew was unhurt. Adams did not speak about the killing to reporters while on death row.
Three days before his scheduled execution, Adams won a reprieve from a federal district court so that his claims of inadequate legal representation could be considered. Two days later, however, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the district court and put the execution back on schedule. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case.
