A Texas man, Jedidiah Murphy, was executed on Tuesday for the carjacking murder of 80-year-old Bertie Lee Cunningham in October 2000. The execution took place after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a delay order, allowing the sentence to proceed. Murphy, 48, was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. after a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Prior to his execution, Murphy was served a standard meal offered to all inmates at the correctional facility, as Texas no longer provides custom last meals for death row inmates. The menu on that particular day included baked chicken, pinto beans, cheesy rice vegetable blend, corn, peaches, sliced bread, a cheeseburger, green beans, oven-fried potatoes, pickles, and mustard.
During his last statement, Murphy recited Psalm 34. He offered his sincere apologies to the victim’s family and expressed hope that his execution would provide them with closure. The execution proceeded despite claims that the drugs used in the lethal injection were exposed to extreme heat and smoke during a recent fire, potentially causing pain and suffering to Murphy.
The U.S. Supreme Court also denied a request to stay the execution based on these claims. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
