Alabama to execute a long-serving death row inmate for the 1988 beating death of a woman he dated
ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man convicted of beating a woman to death nearly 37 years ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday in Alabama in what will be the nation's sixth execution with nitrogen gas.
Gregory Hunt is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday night at a south Alabama prison. Hunt was convicted of killing Karen Lane, a woman he had been dating for about a month, according to court records.
The Alabama execution is one of four that had been scheduled this week in the United States. Executions are also scheduled in Florida and South Carolina. On Monday a judge in Oklahoma issued a temporary stay for an execution in that state, but the state attorney general is seeking to get it lifted.
Lane was 32 when she was murdered Aug. 2, 1988, in the Cordova apartment she shared with a woman who was Hunt's cousin.
Prosecutors said Hunt broke into her apartment and killed her after sexually abusing her. A physician who performed an autopsy testified that she died from blunt force trauma and that Lane had sustained some 60 injuries, including 20 to the head.
A jury on June 19, 1990, found Hunt guilty of capital murder during sexual abuse and burglary. Jurors recommended by a vote of 11-1 that he receive a death sentence, which a judge imposed.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Hunt's request for a stay Tuesday afternoon, clearing the way for the execution to go forward.
Hunt's stay final request for a stay, which he filed himself, focused on claims that prosecutors made false statements to jurors about evidence of sexual abuse, which is what what elevated the crime to a death penalty offense.
The Alabama attorney general's office called the claim meritless and said that even if the prosecutor erred in that statement, it did not throw the conviction into doubt.
Hunt, speaking by telephone last month from prison, described himself as someone who was changed by prison.
'Karen didn't deserve what happened to her,' Hunt said.
Hunt said he had been drinking and doing drugs on the night of the crime and became jealous when he saw Lane in a car with another man.
'You have your come-to-Jesus moment. Of course, after the fact, you can't believe what has happened. You can't believe you were part of it and did it,' Hunt said.
Hunt, who was born in 1960 and came to death row in 1990, is now among the longest-serving inmates on Alabama's death row. He said prison became his 'hospital' to heal his broken mind. He said since 1988, he has been leading a Bible class attended by two dozen or more inmates.
'Just trying to be a light in a dark place, trying to tell people if I can change, they can too. ... become people of love instead of hate," he said.
Lane's sister declined to comment when reached by telephone. The family is expected to give a written statement Tuesday night.
'The way she was killed is just devastating,' Denise Gurganus, Lane's sister, told TV station WBRC at a 2014 vigil for crime victims. 'It's hard enough to lose a family member to death, but when it's this gruesome.'
The Alabama attorney general's office, in asking justices to reject Hunt's request for a stay of execution, wrote that Hunt has now been on death row longer than Lane was alive.
Alabama last year became the first state to carry out an execution with nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has now been used in five executions — four in Alabama and one in Louisiana. The method involves using a gas mask to force an inmate to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving them of the oxygen needed to stay alive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Ex-Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan — the longest-serving legislative leader in US history — sentenced in corruption case
The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan's political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced the 83-year-old in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Nicknamed the 'Velvet Hammer' for his quiet but hard-nosed style, Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts in a remarkable corruption trial that lasted four months. 3 Michael Madigan was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison Friday after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies. AP The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs and taped conversations. Federal prosecutors sought a 12 1/2-year prison term. Madigan's attorneys wanted five years' probation, saying he is a good man who tried to do right by taxpayers and needs to be home to care for his ailing wife, Shirley, who submitted a videotaped statement to the court requesting her husband be able to come home. But Blakey noted that federal sentencing guidelines allowed for a term of 105 years based on findings in evidence — notably that Madigan committed perjury when he took the stand in his own defense. Blakey was particularly piqued over what he called 'a nauseating display of perjury and evasion.' 'You lied. You did not have to. You had a right to sit there and exercise your right to silence,' Blakey said. 'But you took the stand and you took the law into your own hands.' 3 Madigan was convicted on 10 of 23 counts for a corruption trial that lasted 4 months. AP During a legislative career spanning half a century, Madigan served nearly four decades as speaker, the longest on record for a U.S. legislator. Combined with more than 20 years as chairperson of the Illinois Democratic Party, he set much of the state's political agenda while handpicking candidates for political office. More often than not, he also controlled political mapmaking, drawing lines to favor his party. Meanwhile, prosecutors said, the Chicago Democrat built a private legal career that allowed him to amass a net worth of $40 million. Madigan was convicted on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and other charges for ensuring approval of legislation favorable to utility giant ComEd in exchange for kickbacks and jobs and contracts for loyalists, including a Chicago alderman seeking a paid job on a state board after retiring from government. The jury deadlocked on six counts, including an overarching racketeering conspiracy charge, and acquitted him on seven others. Madigan spoke briefly before sentencing, asking to avoid prison so he could care for his wife and spend his final years with his family. 'I'm truly sorry for putting the people of the state of Illinois through this,' Madigan said. 'I tried to do my best to serve the people of the state of Illinois. I am not perfect.' During a three-and-a-half-hour hearing, Blakey noted the numerous letters sent to the court supporting Madigan. The judge said Madigan was a good family man and a kind man, helping his neighbors without pause. But he said, 'Being great is hard. Being honest is not. It's hard to commit crimes. It actually takes effort.' Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker hammered home the fact that Madigan has not taken responsibility for the crimes or shown any remorse. 3 Federal prosecutors wanted him sentenced for 12 1/2 years. AP Streicker noted that Madigan, having served as speaker through seven governors, 'had every opportunity to set the standard for honest government.' Instead, she said, 'he fit right into the mold of yet another corrupt leader in Illinois.' Defense lawyers had called the government's recommended sentence 'draconian' and, given Madigan's age, a life sentence. 'He did not seek to be greedy. He lived a very frugal life …,' Madigan attorney Dan Collins said. 'The rhetoric wants to make Mike responsible for the long history of corruption in Illinois. He is not, Judge. He is one man.' They asked Blakey to consider the totality of Madigan's life and work and the need to care for his wife in requesting a sentence of five years' probation, with one year of home confinement, a requirement to perform community service and a 'reasonable fine.' In a video submitted to the court, Shirley Madigan said she needed her husband to come home. 'I really don't exist without him,' she said. 'I wish I could say that I do, but I don't know what I would do without Michael. I would probably have to find someplace to live and I'd probably have to find care.' Tried alongside Madigan was his former legislative colleague and longtime confidant, Michael McClain. The jury couldn't reach a decision on any of the six counts against McClain. He was convicted, though, in a separate trial over the ComEd conspiracy last year.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Marines temporarily detain man while guarding LA federal building
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shortly after they began guarding a Los Angeles federal building Friday, U.S. Marines detained a man who had walked onto the property and did not immediately hear their commands to stop. The brief detention marked the first time federal troops have detained a civilian since they were deployed to the nation's second-largest city by President Donald Trump in response to protests over the administration's immigration arrests. The Marines were activated earlier this week but began their duties Friday. The man, Marcos Leao, was later released without charges and said the Marines were just doing their jobs. A U.S. Army North spokesperson said the troops have the authority to temporarily detain people under specific circumstances. He said those detentions end when the person can be transferred to 'appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel.' Leao's detention shows how the troops' deployment is putting them closer to carrying out law enforcement actions. Already, National Guard soldiers have been providing security on raids as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past a piece of caution tape outside the federal building. He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him. 'I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear them,' Leao said. 'They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying.' Leao was placed in zip ties and held for more than two hours by the Marines and members of the National Guard, he said. After Los Angeles police arrived, he was released without charges, he said. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'I didn't know it was going to be this intense here," he said later. A U.S. official told the AP that a civilian had stepped over the line. He was warned they would take him down and they did, according to the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. About 200 Marines out of the 700 deployed arrived in the city Friday, joining 2,000 members of the National Guard that have been stationed outside federal buildings this week in Los Angeles. Another 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week. Before the unusual deployment, the Pentagon scrambled to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil. The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, the military has said. But the use of the active-duty forces still raises difficult questions. 'I believe that this is an inevitable precursor of things yet to come when you put troops with guns right next to civilians who are doing whatever they do,' said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps. prosecutor and military judge. He said it's an example of Trump's attempt to unravel the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars active-duty forces from conducting law enforcement. ___ Watson reported from San Diego and Baldor from Washington.
Hamilton Spectator
38 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Marines temporarily detain man while guarding LA federal building
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shortly after they began guarding a Los Angeles federal building Friday, U.S. Marines detained a man who had walked onto the property and did not immediately hear their commands to stop. The brief detention marked the first time federal troops have detained a civilian since they were deployed to the nation's second-largest city by President Donald Trump in response to protests over the administration's immigration arrests. The Marines were activated earlier this week but began their duties Friday. The man, Marcos Leao, was later released without charges and said the Marines were just doing their jobs. A U.S. Army North spokesperson said the troops have the authority to temporarily detain people under specific circumstances. He said those detentions end when the person can be transferred to 'appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel.' Leao's detention shows how the troops' deployment is putting them closer to carrying out law enforcement actions. Already, National Guard soldiers have been providing security on raids as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown . Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past a piece of caution tape outside the federal building. He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him. 'I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear them,' Leao said. 'They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying.' Leao was placed in zip ties and held for more than two hours by the Marines and members of the National Guard, he said. After Los Angeles police arrived, he was released without charges, he said. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'I didn't know it was going to be this intense here,' he said later. A U.S. official told the AP that a civilian had stepped over the line. He was warned they would take him down and they did, according to the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. About 200 Marines out of the 700 deployed arrived in the city Friday, joining 2,000 members of the National Guard that have been stationed outside federal buildings this week in Los Angeles. Another 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week. Before the unusual deployment, the Pentagon scrambled to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil. The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, the military has said. But the use of the active-duty forces still raises difficult questions. 'I believe that this is an inevitable precursor of things yet to come when you put troops with guns right next to civilians who are doing whatever they do,' said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps. prosecutor and military judge. He said it's an example of Trump's attempt to unravel the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars active-duty forces from conducting law enforcement. ___ Watson reported from San Diego and Baldor from Washington. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
