Travis Clinton Hittson

Georgia executes former Navy sailor for 1992 murder

ATLANTA — The state of Georgia on Wednesday executed a former Navy sailor for the 1992 slaying of a fellow sailor.

Travis Clinton Hittson was executed for the 1992 murder and dismembering of fellow Navy sailor Conway Utterbeck in Houston County. Hittson and Utterbeck were stationed on the USS Forrestal, a Pensacola, Fla.-based aircraft carrier, at the time of the killing.

A jury in February 1993 convicted Hittson of murder, theft by taking as a lesser offense of an armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The jury subsequently sentenced Hittson to death in March 1993.

A third sailor involved in the murder — Edward Vollmer — is currently serving life in prison.

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday denied clemency for Hittson. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene on Wednesday evening.