Posted on 07/26/2007 7:17:55 PM PDT by LdSentinal
Darrell Grayson was put to death by lethal injection at Holman Correctional Facility this evening for the Christmas Eve 1980 murder of 86-year-old Montevallo widow Annie Laura Orr.
The 46-year-old Grayson, pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m., had been adopted by activists as an example of the need for a state law mandating DNA testing for Death Row inmates. The Innocence Project, a New York-based non-profit that represents the condemned, had argued that DNA tests not available at the time of Grayson's trial might have proved him innocent.
The U.S. Supreme Court in a two-sentence order this afternoon denied a request for a stay of execution. The Alabama Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request to postpone the execution.
Gov. Bob Riley, who chose not to commute Grayson's sentence or issue a reprieve, said attention had been focused on Grayson, and "seemingly ignored has been consideration of his victim."
Riley cited Grayson's repeated confessions and his failed appeals as influencing his decision to not stop the execution.
"No new evidence has come to light that would warrant a reprieve or a commutation," he said in a prepared statement.
During his execution, Grayson raised his head to look at Esther Brown, an anti-death penalty activist who had become his friend, and smiled.
"I love you," she mouthed, and he answered in kind. Asked by the warden if he had a statement, he answered, "Peace" and smiled again.
Watching from a separate room, Orr's granddaughter, Lee Rawlings Binion, wiped away tears.
After several minutes, Grayson turned his head to the right, closed his eyes, and took his last breath.
As witnesses were escorted out of the witness rooms, Brown stood and said, under her breath, "Bloody murderers."
I was looking for the name of a female prison guard raped and murdered years ago here in Jackson Michigan. Sadly all I found was story after story of poor innocent inmates brutalized and killed by evil prison guards.
I’m sure there will be bleeding hearts shedding tears when the two scum in Connecticut who murdered a family are executed
Need to be tried, convicted and sentenced first, although I daresay you're probably right...
the infowarrior
Grayson's repeated confessions ...
And we need DNA evidence why?
"seemingly ignored has been consideration of his victim."
Brown stood and said, under her breath, "Bloody murderers."
The Kook hould have said that for the murdered victim of her love pet Murderer.
Yes, they deserve the benefit of justice, Texas style-- catch 'em, give 'em a fair trial, and hang 'em in the morning.
Only 27 years too late! The world is a safer, better place.
It should not have taken 27 YEARS to do this.
If he really did the murder, OK. And in that case he should have been executed 27 years ago.
But he claims he was passed out drunk at the time, and can’t remember anything. Police convinced him he had been the killer, so he confessed.
Maybe so. But if DNA testing can prove he wasn’t the rapist/killer, then why not wait 30 more days and find out?
After the Duke case, I’m willing to believe that law enforcement can go to any length to get a conviction; and not willing to put someone to death until I’m satisfied
absolutely that they are indeed guilty. (And if so, then fry them.)
Apparently, he confessed to the murder on a number of occasions. It seems that the State of Alabama did the right thing to execute this man.
Great idea, but they would need a time machine to go back and get DNA samples from the crime scene. Hey, maybe John Wilkes Boothe was innocent! After all, there was no DNA proof, right?
I’m with you. I’m pro-death penalty but only if it is positive that the convicted person is the one who really did the murder.
I’ve seen so many instances of false confessions on TV that I’d be very leery if the confession was not on tape.
The case of Martin Tankleff is one of the worst injustices that I’ve seen. The detective talked him into believing that he killed his parents.
Remember, there have been 205 DNA exonerations in the last few years and there are sure to be a lot more. The Innocense Project wouldn’t have requested a DNA test unless there was DNA to test.
I have to agree, that if there is evidence that is pretty conclusive, like DNA, then it should be examined if at all possible. Typically evidence isn’t conclusive, so it wouldn’t apply. But if DNA is there, and there is no reason for it to be there, it is pretty damning.
Just being obstinate and refusing to examine what could be conclusive evidence, is unjust. Confessions are not conclusive, just strong. A lot of cops know some kook who will confess to anything, if asked.
And yes, there are a lot of kooks who would gladly confess to a crime if it led to their execution. There is no limit to nut-cases. But that doesn’t mean either that they deserve to die, or that the real killer should escape pursuit.
She must have been referring to her friend and those like him.
I’m sure there was plenty of other evidence as well.
The trouble with listening to the anti death sentence crowd and their “logic” is you never hear the damning evidence.
They also say let God be the judge.
I say, who’s to say he wasn’t? The Lord works in mysterious ways.
EXECUTION FACTS: VICTOR KENNEDY 8/6/1999, ATMORE, AL
THE CRIME: Raped and murdered an 86-year-old woman who hired him to do odd jobs at her home.
LAST MEAL: NO FINAL MEAL INFORMATION PROVIDED
LAST WORDS: Kennedy “expressed sorrow to the family for what he had done and thanked his lawyer for standing by him.”
NOTABLES: Kennedy was the second man executed in Alabama in 1999, the 19th since 1983. Alabama uses the electic chair. Kennedy was 19 at the time of the crime. He had a partner in the murder, who is on death row appealing his conviction and sentence.
The partner was Darrell Grayson and he was lucky , he got the needle,the CHAIR should be used in every state.The world is safer with these two despicable human beings gone.FINALLY
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