Politics

Georgia executes man for 1993 murder in first execution since before the pandemic

Courts Supreme Court 071123 Ap Patrick Semansky.jpg

[ad_1]

Georgia executed a prisoner Wednesday night for the first time since January 2020 after the Supreme Court denied the delay earlier in the day.

Willie James Pye was executed at 11:03 p.m. Wednesday by lethal injection for the 1993 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough, according to Georgiaā€™s Department of Corrections.

He accepted a ā€œfinal prayer and did not record a final statement,ā€ according to the advisory.

Pye filed for a delay of his execution late Wednesday evening, arguing that the state has denied him due process and equal protection of the laws ā€œby denying to a class of death-sentenced prisoners a benefit that they have explicitly extended to other death-sentenced prisoners in Georgia.ā€

ā€œThe potential injury is not only his death, but his early death pursuant to an arbitrary and unequal classification imposed by the State,ā€ the court documents stated in the motion to halt the execution.

The stateā€™s response to his appeal stated that the high court ā€œshould deny the petition and deny Pyeā€™s request for a stay of his execution.ā€

According to data from the Department of Corrections, the last execution was held on Jan. 29, 2020. The Associated Press noted that there has been a four-year pause on executions in the state due to the coronavirus pandemic and legal arguments that were pursued afterward.

The Hill has reached out to Georgiaā€™s Department of Corrections for comment.

The Associated Press contributed.

Story was updated at 11:31 p.m.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[ad_2]

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *