An Alabama man was put to death by lethal injection at a south Alabama prison on Thursday, July 28.
The execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. began shortly after 9 p.m. after an almost three-hour delay, for which the state did not provide an explanation.
James did not open his eyes or show any visible movements before the execution started. When the warden asked if he had any final words, he did not speak. He was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m.
James was convicted of a 1994 murder.
Faith Hall was shot three times and killed in Birmingham on Aug. 15, 1994. The victim was James' ex-girlfriend and prosecutors said he killed her after becoming obsessed with her and stalking her for months. He was convicted of capital murder in 1996. After an appeal overturned the conviction, James was retried and found guilty again in 1999.
Hall's family had been fighting to change the death sentence to a life sentence. Her two daughters recently said they would rather see James serve life in prison.
On Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey said she planned to allow the execution to proceed. In a statement on Thursday night, Ivey said she deeply considers the feelings of Hall's family, but "must always fulfill our responsibility to the law, to public safety and to justice."
During his bid to stop his execution, James acted as his own attorney by mailing handwritten lawsuits and appeal notices to the courts while he was on death row. A lawyer brought the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, but the request for stay was rejected Thursday, shortly before the execution.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
