Cases and articles

Like other Virginia inmates, a man convicted of raping and murdering a 23-year-old woman was allowed to choose how he would be executed: lethal injection or electric chair. Apparently fearful of lethal injection, Brandon Hedrick on Thursday became the 1st person in the nation to die in the electric chair in more than 2 years.

Pagan death row inmate wants stay of execution because jury consulted Christian Bible

A convict who's to be put to death for killing a fellow inmate during a pagan ritual says the Supreme Court should grant him a stay because his jury consulted the Bible.

Michael Lenz is scheduled to die by injection in Virginia next Thursday. He and his victim belonged to a neo-pagan group that had gathered for a ceremony in prison. Lenz testified that the other inmate hadn't been taking the religion seriously, and had to be killed to protect the honor of the gods.

Lenz's attorneys contend that the jury consulted a Bible during sentencing deliberations, and that some jurors pointed to scriptures that supported the death penalty for killers.

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Gov. Tim Kaine on WVTF Public Radio’s Evening Edition program on July 18th mentioned that it was partly due to the overwhelming number of calls, letters and emails that he received about the case of Percy Walton that caused him to grant a reprieve of 6 months to further examine the issues in that case.

He went on to say that his office has not had a similar outpouring of requests in either of the two executions scheduled for July 20 and 27.

Brandon Hedrick is to be executed by electrocution in retribution for the murder of Lisa Crider tomorrow evening, July 20th, and Michael Lenz by lethal injection on July 27th for the stabbing death of fellow inmate  and convicted murderer, Brent Parker.

Reflecting on a last meal of fried shrimp, Oreo ice cream 

By SID SALTER,
Hattiesburg American

The infuriating fiasco that became the non-execution of Death Row inmate Bobby Glen Wilcher on Tuesday night at Parchman was broken by only one moment that can be remotely described as humorous.

That came as the Department of Corrections dutifully informed the media of the condemned man's last meal.