An Alabama man received a lethal injection Thursday for the killing of an elderly couple in 2004, the first inmate put to death by the state since it became the first in the nation to execute an inmate using nitrogen gas months ago.
Jamie Ray Mills, 50, was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. after a three-drug injection at a southwest Alabama prison, authorities said. Lethal injection remains Alabama’s default execution method unless a condemned inmate requests nitrogen gas or the electric chair.
Mills was convicted of capital murder in the deaths of Floyd Hill, 87, and his wife Vera, 72. Prosecutors said they were attacked on June 24, 2004, with a hammer, machete and tire tool at their home about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Birmingham.
“Tonight, two decades after he committed these murders, Jamie Mills has paid the price for his heinous crimes. I pray for the victims and their loved ones,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.
As the execution began, Mills gave a thumbs up to family members, who were watching from a witness room, and later mouthed, “I love you” in their direction.
“I love my family. I love my brother and sister. I couldn’t ask for more,” Mills said as he looked in the direction of his brother and sister. He also thanked his attorney, Charlotte Morrison of the Equal Justice Initiative. “Charlotte, you fought hard for me. I love y’all. Carry on.” Some of his relatives cried softly through the execution.
