Huntsville (Texas, USA), 8 Oct. (LaPresse/AP) – A man from Texas who had shot and killed a convenience shop assistant was executed on Wednesday evening, becoming the 30th person to be executed in the United States this year and the first since Tennessee’s failed attempt to administer a lethal injection to Christa Pike a week ago. Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.03 pm local time (3.03 am in Italy, ed.) after receiving a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the Huntsville State Prison. He had been convicted of the murder of Vickie Swartout, aged 42, during a shop robbery in 2000 which was captured on CCTV. When asked by the prison governor if he had any final words, Howard apologised profusely to some members of the victim’s family, who were watching the proceedings through a window just a few metres from the execution chamber. “I hope you will accept my apology and I hope to earn your forgiveness,” he said, shortly before the injection began. “I’m sorry for what happened. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.” He also thanked his friends and family, saying he loved them, and added that he was “in a serene state of mind to find peace and the Lord, so I thank you all”. He concluded by saying: “Enjoy life, and peace to you all.”
US: Death row inmate executed in Texas by lethal injection
Huntsville (Texas, USA), 8 Oct. (LaPresse/AP) – A man from Texas who had shot and killed a convenience shop assistant was executed on Wednesday evening, becoming the 30th person to be executed in the United States this year and the first since Tennessee’s failed attempt to administer a lethal injection to Christa Pike a week ago. Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.03 pm local time (3.03 am in Italy, ed.) after receiving a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the Huntsville State Prison. He had been convicted of the murder of Vickie Swartout, aged 42, during a shop robbery in 2000 which was captured on CCTV. When asked by the prison governor if he had any final words, Howard apologised profusely to some members of the victim’s family, who were watching the proceedings through a window just a few metres from the execution chamber. “I hope you will accept my apology and I hope to earn your forgiveness,” he said, shortly before the injection began. “I’m sorry for what happened. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.” He also thanked his friends and family, saying he loved them, and added that he was “in a serene state of mind to find peace and the Lord, so I thank you all”. He concluded by saying: “Enjoy life, and peace to you all.”