ATOMORE, ALABAMA: A man who killed the father of one of his teenage accomplices in a robbery in 1993 was executed by lethal injection in Alabama on Thursday, November 16.
Casey McWhorter, 49, was pronounced dead at 6.56 pm at a prison in southwest Alabama, as per reports.
Who was Casey McWhorter's victim?
Casey McWhorter was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for shooting Edward Lee Williams, 34, 11 times at his home.
Before the lethal injection, McWhorter expressed his love for his mother and family and his sorrow for the victim’s family in his final words.
He also made a sarcastic comment about the prison warden who performed the execution, calling him a “habitual abuser of women."
"I would like to say I love my mother and family," McWhorter said in his final words, adding "I would like to say to the victim's family I'm sorry. I hope you find peace," he said as reported by the Associated Press.
Casey McWhorter was 18 when he, along with two other teens, planned to rob and kill Edward Lee Williams
McWhorter was reportedly 18 years old when he and two other teens Edward Lee Williams Jr, 15, and Daniel Miner, 16 planned to rob and kill Williams at his home.
They used rifles with homemade silencers made from a pillow and a milk jug. When Williams came home and confronted them, he grabbed Miner’s rifle and a struggle ensued.
McWhorter shot Williams first and then fired 10 more times as he lay on the ground.
McWhorter’s lawyers, as per the report, had asked the Supreme Court to stop the execution, arguing that he was not a legal adult when he committed the crime. Alabama law sets the age of majority at 19.
Casey McWhorter says he was a 'confused kid'
McWhorter, who said he was a “confused kid” at the time of the murder, said he did not mean to kill Williams, the report mentioned.
He also said he hoped young people would learn from his mistake and think twice before making a bad decision.
“Anything that comes across them that just doesn’t sit well at first, take a few seconds to think that through,” he told The Associated Press in an interview last week.
“Because one bad choice, one stupid mistake, one dumb decision can alter your life — and those that you care about — forever," he added.
Victim’s family finds peace after a 'long wait'
The victim’s brother and daughter witnessed the execution and said they were glad that justice was finally served.
“It’s kind of unfortunate that we had to wait so long for justice to be served, but it’s been served,” Bert Williams told reporters. He said McWhorter died peacefully, unlike his brother.
April Williams said her father should be alive today, enjoying his retirement and grandchildren.
“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and how I miss him,” she said in a statement read by Corrections Commissioner John Q Hamm.
Casey McWhorter was one of the longest-serving inmates on Alabama’s death row
“Casey McWhorter had several hours in that house to change his mind from taking the life of my Dad," the victim's daughter said.
The jury recommended a death sentence for McWhorter by a 10-2 vote, which the judge followed. The other two teens received life sentences.
McWhorter was one of the longest-serving inmates on Alabama’s death row where he spent nearly 30 years. There are 165 inmates on death row in the state.
Who is Terry Raybon, the warden who faced domestic violence accusations decades ago?
Terry Raybon became the warden of William C Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore in 2021, as the state executioner.
However, Holman who faced domestic violence accusations decades ago was fired from the state trooper's office in 1999 after a judge ruled he had beaten "a woman mercilessly", as reported by AI.
He also was fired for refusing to work and owing money to felons. He sued for racial discrimination, but a judge dismissed his case and said, “The police should not be required to employ persons of questionable character.”
Raybon started working at the Alabama Department of Corrections in 2000 about one year after being fired from the state trooper’s office. Raybon served at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
