5 months after his release, Boyd was charged with killing William Price. According to court records, Price and another man met Boyd's girlfriend and another woman at a Memphis bar. The 4 drove to the Lorraine Motel, where Boyd and 2 other men showed up. Boyd tried to rob Price and shot him as he attempted to drive away in his van. Boyd claimed he never meant to kill Price, but was convicted of felony murder.
Felony murder occurs when a killing is committed during the commission of a violent crime.
In Boyd's case, that was the attempted armed robbery of Price. The Supreme Court held in 1992 that prosecutors may cite a felony murder conviction as the sole supporting factor for a death sentence only when the killing was premeditated. Otherwise, the felony cited as an aggravating factor must be different from the murder itself. In Boyd's case, prosecutors only cited the murder of Price, not the attempted robbery. Defense attorneys for Gary W. Kleypas are accusing the Wyandotte County jury that sentenced him to death of misconduct, saying in court motions that Kleypas deserves a new trial.