By Kevin Jefferies
Huntsville – An execution date has been set for Joseph Ray Ries, who was convicted in Hopkins County in 1999 for the murder of Robert Lee Ratliff in his home in Cumby. An execution order states all appeals have been exhausted and sets Ries' execution date for September 18th by lethal injection.
Ries and Christopher Lee Wright were convicted in 1999 in separate trials of the murder of 64 year old Robert Lee Ratliff of Cumby. Ratliff was found dead by his wife and son after being shot in the back, neck, and head.