Robert Sawyer

Robert Wayne Sawyer (c. 1951 – March 5, 1993) was an American convicted murderer. He was tried, convicted, and executed by the state of Louisiana for the murder of Frances Arwood. He was the first inmate put to death by lethal injection in Louisiana. Allegations about Sawyer’s mental capacity were made after his conviction. Overview On September 28, 1979, Robert Sawyer, Frances Arwood, and Charles W. Lane were at Cynthia Shano's mother's house in Gretna, Louisiana. Arwood was Shano's sister in law, and was baby-sitting with Shano's two small children, who were also present. Sawyer lived at the residence with Shano. When Shano returned home at approximately 12:30 p.m., Sawyer, Lane, and Arwood were arguing. As the arguing continued, Sawyer pushed Arwood's head back against a sofa bed and hit her in the face. At this point, Lane also hit Arwood in the face with his fist. Sawyer then started hitting her in the chest. As Arwood tried to get up from the bed, Sawyer kicked her in the chest and told her to get up and go wash herself. After Shano had gone into the bedroom with the children, she heard Lane hitting Arwood. When she came out of the bedroom, Shano saw Sawyer drag Arwood by the hair into the bathroom. When Arwood would not get into the bathtub, Sawyer kicked her in the chest, knocking her into the tub, and hitting her head against the wall. Lane then pulled Arwood out of the bathtub and undressed her. The bathroom door was then closed for about twenty minutes.