TEXAS, USA. HERRON EXECUTED FOR MURDERS
May 17, 2006: Jermaine Herron, a man convicted in the shooting deaths of a woman and her son in 1997 was executed, hours after a court rejected his appeal that the drugs used in lethal injections cause excessive pain.
âI just hope this brings some kind of peace to your family,â Herron told the man whose wife and son were killed. âI wish I could bring them back, but I can't. I hope my death brings peace. Don't hang on to the hate.â
Herron then looked at his mother, who watched from a nearby window.
âMomma, stay strong,â he said. âLord, forgive me for my sins because here I come.â
As the drugs began to take effect, Herron kept his eyes on his family. Three members of the victims' family braced their hands on each other's shoulders as they watched.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had rejected an appeal from Herron that claimed lethal injection was cruel and unusual punishment. A last-minute appeal to the US Supreme Court was turned away too. (Sources: AP, 17/05/2006)
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