Execution in the evening. 48‑year-old man was sentenced to death in Texas
In a state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, the death penalty was carried out Tuesday evening Eastern Time. A lethal dose of pentobarbital was administered to a man who was proven to have committed a crime against an 80-year-old woman 23 years ago. 48-year-old Jedidiah Murphy was declared deceased.
6:44 AM EDT, October 11, 2023
Two decades after the crime, following a lengthy trial and a long history of reviewing requests written by the accused, a sentence was carried out against the murderer of 80-year-old Bertie Lee Cunningham. The woman was killed in October 2000 in the suburbs of Dallas in Garland. Jedidiah Murphy shot her because he wanted to steal her car.
The execution took place a few hours after the United States Supreme Court overturned an order delaying carrying out this death sentence. The judges rejected the request of Murphy's lawyers, who questioned the quality of the pharmaceuticals that were to be administered to the condemned. The lethal poison was stored in warehouses that were the site of a fire. According to the law office fighting for the condemned's life, the thermal incident could have affected the composition of the drugs and exposed the condemned to pain and suffering.
Ultimately, however, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of Texas and upheld the decision to carry out the punishment. - I hope this helps, if possible, to close the case - Murphy commented.
As reported by the AP agency, the convict lay tied to a stretcher in the death chamber. After informing the warden that he was ready, Murphy said to his loved ones: - God bless you all. Alright. Tell my children that I love them.
Execution in Texas. A 48-year-old is dead
In their documents, Murphy's lawyers questioned the evidence of two assaults and kidnappings, used by prosecutors to convince the jury that Murphy will pose a threat in the future. This is necessary in Texas to carry out a death sentence.
Murphy was the sixth prisoner in Texas and the twentieth in the USA to receive death sentences this year. Tuesday was the World Day Against the Death Penalty. This year in Texas, three more executions are planned.
