Death Row prisoners’ last phrases and final meal as they’re executed in similar evening
It was a busy night on Death Row in the United States as two inmates were executed within minutes of each other.
Travis Mullis, 38, stomped his three-month-old baby son to death and was executed early this morning for the murder committed 16 years ago. Carried out via lethal injection, Mullis had already waived his right to appeal his death sentence. He was declared dead at 7.01pm local time at a state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, and had some interesting last words for those present.
He said: “I’d like to thank everyone . . . that accepted me for the man I became during my best and worst moments.” And just an hour before him, Marcellus Williams’ life was ended by lethal injecting thanks to a fatal dose of pentobarbital.
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(Image: Missouri Department of Correctio)
He was put to death at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, having been convicted for the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed during the burglary of her suburban St. Louis home.
The Department of Corrections released a brief statement that Williams had written ahead of time, saying: “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!” They also revealed that his final meal was the classic American meal of chicken wings and tator tots.
His final movements came just seconds after the injection had gone in, when Williams’ chest heaved about a half dozen times, before showing no further signs of movement.
His death was surrounded in controversy as there were objections from the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison.
“The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live,” the petition stated. “Marcellus’ execution is not necessary” – however their pleas were ignored.
The final meal of Mullis has not yet been revealed, but his last words after thanking everyone appeared to show some sort of remorse surrounding his actions and peace at being put to death.
(Image: Find A Grave)
He said: “Mullis also thanked prison officials and staff for “changes made across the system” that allowed “even the men on death row to show it is possible to be rehabilitated and not deemed a threat and not the men we were when we came into this system.”
And then he added that while he “took the legal steps to expedite to include assisted suicide, I don’t regret this decision, to legally expedite this process. I do regret the decision to take the life of my son.” He apologized to his son’s mother, to her family and said he had no ill will toward anyone involved in the punishment.
(Image: @Nataliealund/X)
“It was my decision that put me here,” he said.
According to local news reports, the execution was delayed about 20 minutes while technicians worked to find a suitable vein. One needle carrying the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital was inserted in his right arm, the usual procedure. A second needle, rather than entering his left arm, was inserted in his left foot.
He closed his eyes as the drug began taking effect and took seven barely audible breaths before his breathing abruptly stopped. He was pronounced dead 20 minutes later.
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