A Utah man convicted of aggravated murder in the brutal killing of his girlfriend's mother in 1998 was put to death by lethal injection early Thursday, marking the state's first execution since 2010.
The convicted man, who was 22 at the time of the crime, broke into the victim's home in Cedar City after a day of heavy drinking and drug use. He proceeded to slash her throat and stab her multiple times while her grandchildren, including his own 2-year-old daughter, were present in the house.
The judge who sentenced him to death cited aggravating factors, including sexual abuse of one of the children, in reaching the decision.
Despite decades of legal appeals, the execution warrant was signed in June, leading to the use of a high dose of pentobarbital for the lethal injection. The condemned man's last meal consisted of a cheeseburger, french fries, and a milkshake.
Anti-death penalty protesters gathered outside the prison with signs advocating for the sanctity of all life and singing hymns.
Efforts to commute the sentence to life in prison were unsuccessful, with both the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole and Governor Spencer Cox denying appeals for clemency and a delay in the execution.
The condemned man expressed remorse during the parole hearing, stating that he would not have committed the crime if he had been in his right mind. His daughter also pleaded for his life, citing their relationship.
However, other family members of the victim argued against mercy, describing the victim as a beloved member of the community and family.
The execution of the man, one of six facing the death penalty in Utah, proceeded as scheduled. Meanwhile, the death sentence of another individual in a separate case was recently overturned by the Utah Supreme Court.
In a separate incident, a man in Texas was executed for a 1997 murder, with his lawyers claiming he was intellectually disabled. The victim, a mother of three, was found beaten and strangled near a jogging trail.
