The first executions since the Oklahoma botched lethal injection in April were performed late last night. Georgia inmate Marcus Wellons was executed yesterday at 11:56 p.m.; his last words were reportedly, “I’m going home to be with Jesus.”
Wellons had previously apologized to the family of the teenager he had raped and killed in 1989. He said, “I ask and hope they will find peace in my death.”
John Winfield’s execution followed Wellon’s; the convicted murderer was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. Another death row inmate is scheduled to be executed tonight in Florida.
The botched execution in April caused an outpouring of support for the anti-capital punishment movement. Activist and author Shane Claiborne wrote, "It's not just liberals anymore, but all sorts of reasonable people (including conservatives and faith leaders) who are convinced that we can do better than this as a country...and we must.”
Publication date: June 18, 2014
