A north Alabama man convicted of the 2005 murder of an elderly man in Limestone County is scheduled to become the first inmate to be put to death in Alabama in nearly two years Thursday at Holman Correctional Facility.

Andrew Reid Lackey is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. for the 2005 murder and robbery of Charles Newman in Athens, Ala., according to Alabama Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Brian Corbett.

Lackey was convicted of the crimes in 2008 and subsequently sentenced to death. He has since written to the Alabama Supreme Court requesting an execution date be set, according to a letter from Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange.

According to court documents, Lackey initially appealed his conviction to the Court of Criminal Appeals, but later chose to terminate the appellate counsel and withdrew the pleadings filed on his behalf.

According to court records, Athens Police Department responded to an emergency call from Newman’s home on Halloween night. While on the call, emergency dispatchers were able to hear Newman stating, “don’t do that,” and “leave me alone.” Dispatchers were also able to hear Newman’s assailant asking, “where’s the vault?”

Officers responded to the call and found Newman’s body inside his home.

Officers with the Madison, Ala. Police Department later found Lackey at a convenience store suffering from gunshot wounds. According to records, Lackey told the officers he did not know how he had been shot or how he had gotten to the gas station. Inside a nearby vehicle, officers found a bloody knife and a stun gun, as well as two pistols, one of which was discovered to belong to Newman. Other possible weapons, including an ax and a sledgehammer, were also recovered.

According to the pathologist’s report, Newman sustained a combination of 54 stab wounds and lacerations to his head, including stab wounds to both eyes. He also sustained wounds to his neck, including a severed carotid artery. Newman also sustained a gunshot wound that appeared to be suffered at close range while he was lying on the ground. The pathologist, Dr. Emily Ward, said Newman was likely dead prior to being shot.

Lackey was linked to the murder scene by DNA evidence. In addition, Newman’s grandson, Derrick Newman, admitted to being friends with Lackey and to telling him his grandfather was wealthy and had a safe in his home.

Lackey is scheduled to be the first inmate to be put to death at Holman Prison since October of 2011.