The first man to be executed in the US state of Georgia for four years has been declared dead – and his last meal was quite large.
Willie James Pye was given the death penalty in 1993 for the murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and burglary of Alicia Lynn Yarborough.
He was executed by lethal injection and was declared dead at 11.03pm local time on Wednesday evening.
The Georgia Department of Corrections stated Pye accepted a final prayer but 'did not record a final statement'.
However, he did eat a substantial last meal: two chicken sandwiches, two cheeseburgers, french fries, two bags of plain potato chips, and two lemon-lime sodas.
On Tuesday, Pye’s attorneys made a last-minute effort to stop his execution, arguing he should not be put to death because he is intellectually disabled and feels regret for his victim’s family, the Independent reports.
They claim their client has an IQ of 68 and had been 'essentially abandoned' by his previous attorneys during his trial, meaning there was 'no one and nothing to stand between my client and death'.
His low IQ, and other factors including the poverty, neglect, and violence he faced since birth, were not heard at trial – and reportedly some of his original jurors no longer wanted him to be put to death, Pye’s lawyer said.
But the board rejected the request, confirming Pye’s execution would go ahead as planned.
According to court records, Pye alongside Chester Adams and Anthony Freeman robbed, kidnapped, raped, and murdered Miss Yarborough 30 years ago.
At the time she was living with her boyfriend – the father of her child – but she had previously been in a relationship with Pye, and he believed her baby was his.
After finding out Miss Yarborough’s boyfriend had received money from a lawsuit, he and his accomplices planned to rob him, but when they arrived at the couple’s home they found her alone.
Pye held her at gunpoint and kidnapped her. He, Adams, and Freeman took her to a motel where they took turns raping her, before they put her in a car.
They drove down a dirt path and forced Miss Yarborough to lie face down on the road before Pye shot her three times.
Pye was linked to the crime using DNA found on his victim’s body.
Adams pleaded guilty to his involvement in 1997 and received five consecutive life sentences. He’s still in prison.
Freeman, who was 15 at the time, admitted to the crimes, agreed to a plea deal, and was the main witness at Pye’s trial. He is now out on parole.
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