| Murders of Wanda and Sheila Romines | |
|---|---|
| Location | Union County, Tennessee, United States |
| Date | March 17, 1986 |
Attack type | Murder, kidnapping and rape |
| Convicted | Stephen Michael West, 23 Ronnie Martin, 17 |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Stephen West First-degree murder (x2) Aggravated kidnapping (x2) Aggravated rape Ronnie Martin First-degree murder (x2) |
| Sentence | Stephen West Death – murder 40 years' imprisonment (x3) – Other charges Ronnie Martin Life imprisonment (x2) – murder |
On March 17, 1986, a mother-daughter pair, 51-year-old Wanda Lou Romines (April 10, 1934 – March 17, 1986) and 15-year-old Sheila Ann Romines (November 26, 1970 – March 17, 1986), were held hostage in their home by two men in Union County, Tennessee. The Romines were subsequently murdered by their kidnappers, who both tortured the victims to death and even raped Sheila Romines. The murderers – Stephen Michael West (September 16, 1962 – August 15, 2019) and Ronald David "Ronnie" Martin (born 1969) – were arrested the following day and charged with the double murder.
West, who was 23 years old when he killed the women, convicted and sentenced to death in 1987, while Martin, who was 17 at the time of the offence, was spared the death sentence and instead sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty. West was incarcerated on death row for 33 years before he was executed by the electric chair on August 15, 2019. Martin remains incarcerated in a Tennessee prison and will be eligible for parole in 2030.