A killer had no final words before being given a lethal injection while the family of the ex-girlfriend he murdered said it was not justice.
Joe Nathan James Jr, 49, was sentenced to death for killing Faith Hall in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1994.
Ms Hall’s family said that they wanted James to have life in prison rather than be executed with her brother Helvetius Hall saying he had “suffered enough”.
They said in a statement that they had forgiven him and would not be attending the execution.
He shot dead his ex-girlfriend after breaking down the door of her friend’s apartment and attacking her. James was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1996, then again following a retrial in 1999.
Alabama Representative Juandalynn Givan released a statement on behalf of Faith Hall’s family. “Today is a tragic day for our family. We are having to relive the hurt that this caused us many years ago.
"We write to inform you that we have decided to not attend the execution of Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. We’ve asked Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to hear our voices and respect our wishes. We know they decided not to.
“We hoped the state wouldn’t take a life simply because a life was taken and we have forgiven Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. for his atrocities toward our family. We have relied upon our faith to get us through these dark days. Although we knew this day would come, we hoped to have our voices heard through this process.
"We’d like to thank State Representative Juandalynn Givan for her help and assistance by reaching out to the Governor’s office. We pray that God allows us to find healing after today and that one day our criminal justice system will listen to the cries of families like ours even if it goes against what the state wishes. Our voices matter and so does the life of Mr. Joe Nathan James, Jr.”
The execution, at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, followed 25 years of appeals to overturn by James’ lawyers with the final rejected by the US Supreme Court.
His final appeal was based on the fact the victim’s family didn’t want the execution to go ahead, the execution would violate the First Amendment rights of the victims and as a practicing Muslim it would violate his First Amendment rights.
In the motion presented before the US Supreme Court he also cited a passage from the Quran where mercy should be shown to those who have been forgiven by the victim’s family.
But Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said she had considered the appeal and argued that James “fails to identify any infringement beyond his execution itself and fails to cite any authority for a First Amendment right “not to be executed”.
