Texas executed a man who killed an 80-year-old woman during carjacking 23 years ago.
Jedidiah Murphy, 48, was given a lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary’s Huntsville Unit on Tuesday night.
He was convicted in 2001 for the murder of Bertie Lee Cunningham, an 80-year-old grandmother while attempting to steal her car in the Dallas suburb of Garland.
On October 4, 2000, Murphy approached Cunningham at the Collin Creek Mall and forced her to give him a ride at gunpoint, prosecutors said.
About 30 minutes later, he shot her in the back of the head and placed her in her car’s trunk.
He later dumped Cunningham’s body in a river before stealing her credit card to buy cigarettes and alcohol.
Murphy eventually confessed to killing, but claimed he could only remember parts of the event due to heavy cocaine use at the time.
Prosecutors also alleged Murphy was responsible for two robberies and a kidnapping that occurred around the same time.
Although Murphy admitted to killing Cunningham, but maintained his innocence on the other charges.
Prosecutors used the robbery and kidnapping charges to argue that Murphy was a danger to society. A jury sentenced him to death in 2001.
Murphy long sought to delay the execution, claiming that prosecutors never analyzed DNA evidence that would prove his innocence.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Murphy on Monday, delaying his execution until the DNA could be analyzed.
However, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision, paving the way for Murphy’s execution on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night, Murphy was brought to an execution chamber at the Huntsville Unit, which houses Texas’s death row.
‘To the family of the victim, I sincerely apologize for all of it,’ Murphy said. ‘I hope this helps, if possible, give you closure,’
Murphy then began to recite Psalm 34, a lengthy 23-line passage from the Bible.
‘God bless all of y’all,’ he said in his last statement. ‘It’s OK. Tell my babies I love them.’
He then shouted ‘Bella is my wife!’ before the drugs began to take effect.
Murphy was pronounced dead around 10.15pm, about 25 minutes after the lethal injection was administered.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.