Why Won’t Alabama AG Steve Marshall Execute Cold-Blooded Serial Murderer William “Chick” Bush?

By: Donald V. Watkins

Copyrighted and Published on September 16, 2025.

An Editorial Opinion

On July 26, 1981, William "Chick" Bush (AIS #0000Z412)) and a companion, Edward Lewis Pringle, entered the Majik Market convenience store on Carter Hill Road in Montgomery, Alabama, with the intent to rob the cashier of money to buy drugs.

When they entered, two people were in the store: Larry Dominguez, the store clerk, and his friend Tony Holmes. Dominguez was in the restroom. Bush pointed a pistol at Holmes and forced him toward the restroom at the rear of the store. When Dominguez opened the restroom door, the Bush shot both Dominguez and Holmes for no reason.

Bush then returned to the front of the store and attempted unsuccessfully to open the cash register. Dominguez stumbled out of the restroom, and Bush shot him again. Before departing, Bush took two bags of "zodiac sign tags" from a rack behind the counter near the cash register.

The first shot striking Dominguez passed through his chin, lodging in his neck and severing a large artery. The second shot striking Dominguez entered his right shoulder and passed through his lungs and heart. He died quickly at the scene from the injuries caused by the second shot; however, the injuries sustained as a result of the first shot were potentially fatal.

Holmes was shot in the throat and, although seriously injured, he survived. He was able to describe his assailant, the pistol, and the automobile the assailants were driving. He described the automobile as a 1973 white-over-green Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the pistol as a nickel-plated.38 caliber short-barreled special.

After leaving the Majik Market, Bush and Pringle drove to a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store on Narrow Lane Road in Montgomery, arriving there sometime before 4:00 a.m. Bush entered the store and purchased a package of Kool cigarettes from the clerk, Thomas Adams.

After Adams opened the cash register, Bush forced him into an office area behind the counter and shot him in the neck with the same pistol he had used to shoot Dominguez and Holmes. The shot to Adams's neck shattered his spinal cord and killed him instantly. When the shot was fired, the barrel of the pistol was either touching Adams's neck or within a fraction of an inch of it. Bush took between $20 to $30 from the cash register, along with a bank bag and checks.

Bush made a statement to the police in which he confessed to his crimes. Although in his first statement he claimed that Pringle was the triggerman in both shootings at the Majik Market and that he was the triggerman in the collateral capital offense at the 7-Eleven store, in his second statement, he admitted that he fired the shots that killed Dominguez and Adams and that wounded Holmes.

In assisting the officers in recovering the weapon, Bush said to Officer R.T. Ward, when the pistol was recovered, "[T]hat's the weapon that was used to shoot all three people." Ballistic tests of the pistola nickel-plated.38 caliber short-barreled special proved that it was the pistol that fired the shots in the commission of the three crimes.

Bush was Sentenced to Death

William Bush, was indicted on September 11, 1981, in a four-count indictment for the capital offense of murder of Larry Dominguez during a robbery in the first degree or an attempted robbery in the first degree. Each count of the indictment alleges the same offense based on the same facts, but each is worded slightly differently, and two counts included alternative allegations of attempted robbery.

After a jury trial, Bush was convicted on November 18, 1981 of the capital offense charged and, following a unanimous recommendation by the jury that the sentence be death, the trial court sentenced the Bush to death.

Therafter, Bush engaged in an endless series of appeals and other legal maneuvers to stall his execution. Today, Bush sits on death row at Holman prison with no known efforts by two-term Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to effectuate his execution.

Pringle was Sentenced to Life Without Parole

Edward Lewis Pringle was convicted of capital murder February 17, 1982, in Case No. 81-1350 in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Alabama, and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on March 9, 1982. Case No. 81-1350 involved the murder of Andy Adams during the robbery of the 7-Eleven store on Narrow Lane Road in Montgomery, Alabama. The case was not appealed.

Pringle was also convicted of attempted murder in Case No. 81-1351, and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole as a habitual offender on May 6, 1982. Case No. 81-1351 involved the murder of Larry Dominguez and the shooting of Tony Holmes during the robbery of the Majik Market store on Carter Hill Road in Montgomery, Alabama. The judgment in that case was appealed to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, which affirmed his conviction without opinion in Pringle v. State, 428 So. 2d 1380 (Ala.Cr.App.1983).

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

The familes of Chick Bush’s crime victims have been waiting 43 years for his execution.  That’s far too long. There can be no closure for these families until Bush is executed, which should have occurred many years ago.  

Chick Bush is the coldest person I have ever met in life.  Bush is totally devoid of a soul and human feelings.  He is the dead spirit that resides in the body of a living man. 

   . 

Bush's capital murder case angers me to this day. I have never been able to forget what he did to his crime victims that night.

For the record, I am a hardliner when it comes to dealing with convicted murderers in cases where their guilt is not in question.  I believe in the administration of the death penalty for cold-blooded murderers.  I also believe a murderer must be prepared to forfeit his life when he decides to take the life of an innocent victim. 

Why is William "Chick" Bush Alive Today?

The only reason why William "Chick" Bush is still alive today is because Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is a weak, soft, lazy, and unfocused state prosecutor.  Marshall is fixated on clamourized photo ops, MAGA culture wars, and making it hard for pregnant Alabama women to get out-of-state abortions in states where the medical procedure is still legal.  Simply put, Marshall lacks the intestinal fortitude, intellectual acumen, and focus necessary to execute Bush.

Two-term Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Nothing sickens me more than a weak, soft, lazy, dumb, and unfocused prosecutor who play-acts in the job while he is constantly looking for resume-building opportunities.

At the pace Marshall is working in this gruesome murder case, William "Chick" Bush will likely outlive everyone who fought for justice in his murder case. This outcome is inexcusable and totally unacceptable.