Alabama Death Row Inmate Uses Final Words to Criticize Warden
Alabama death row inmate, Casey McWhorter, was put to death on Thursday for his role in a 1993 robbery and murder. In his final statement, McWhorter expressed love for his family and apologized to the victim's family for his actions. However, he also took the opportunity to criticize the prison w...
Alabama death row inmate, Casey McWhorter, was put to death on Thursday for his role in a 1993 robbery and murder. In his final statement, McWhorter expressed love for his family and apologized to the victim's family for his actions. However, he also took the opportunity to criticize the prison warden, Terry Raybon, for his history of alleged domestic abuse.
According to reports, Raybon had faced accusations of domestic abuse in the past, leading McWhorter to suggest that it was not lost on him that someone with Raybon's history was overseeing his execution. Raybon had been fired from the state trooper's office in 1999 after being accused of mercilessly beating a woman. Another incident in 1998 involved Raybon allegedly beating a woman to the point where she required hospital treatment.
McWhorter, who was convicted of capital murder at the age of 18, conspired with two other teenagers to rob and kill Edward Lee Williams during a home invasion. Williams' 15-year-old son was also involved in the crime. McWhorter was sentenced to death by a jury vote of 10-2, while the other teens received life sentences.
During his execution, McWhorter initially moved slightly before his breathing slowed down and eventually stopped. The prison warden read the death warrant and the governor's order of execution before McWhorter ceased breathing within nine minutes of the procedure.
Family members of the victim expressed their grief over the loss and emphasized that McWhorter had ample time to change his mind before committing the murder. McWhorter himself acknowledged the impact of one bad decision on the lives of others and urged others to think through their choices.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said that McWhorter had answered for his actions by paying for the life he took. However, the Reverend Jeff Hood, a death row minister, called for an end to the cycle of violence and urged society to stop killing each other.
Casey McWhorter spent nearly three decades on death row, making him one of the state's longest-serving death row inmates.
