A double murderer’s final words called for the world to find “love and peace” before he was executed in Missouri.
Carman Deck was given a lethal injection at 6pm local time after being sentenced to death for the murder of elderly couple James and Zelma Long in 1996.
The execution has been shrouded in controversy as the ruling was overturned on three occasions due to procedural errors.
Deck is the fifth person to be executed this year in the United States and his fate was sealed after Missouri Governor Mike Parson refused to offer him clemency on Monday.
He made a last statement ahead of the execution where he called for “peace”.
He wrote: “My hope is that one day the world will find peace and that we all will learn to be kind and loving to one another.
“We all are a part of this journey through life, connected in every way. Please give love, show love, BE LOVE!”
A rally was held opposing the death penalty last week outside the Missouri State Capitol.
A clemency petition on behalf of Deck cited both physical and sexual abuse he was subjected to as a child and claimed that he and his brothers and sisters were often left without food.
But the Missouri Supreme Court decided not to act to stop the execution and following that, Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Monday the execution would proceed.
“Mr Deck has received due process, and three separate juries of his peers have recommended sentences of death for the brutal murders he committed,” Mr Parson said in a statement.
“The State of Missouri will carry out Mr Deck's sentence according to the Court's order and deliver justice.”
The 1998 death sentence was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court when it was discovered Deck’s attorney had committed serious errors during the trial.
Then a second death penalty ruling was thrown out in 2005 when it was decided he had been prejudiced with the jury having seen him in shackles.
Finally a third decision to execute Deck in 2008 was annulled after a trial witness did not appear during sentencing.
But a three-judge panel of the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the death penalty in October, 2020, ruling Deck should have voiced his concerns in the state and not the federal court.
