Alley Executed

Early this morning Tennessee carried out only its second execution since 1960. Sedley Alley was given a lethal injection at 2-02 A-M at Nashville’s Riverbend Maximum Security Institution following a roller coaster of court interventions.The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a previous stay which had been made by a single judge on the panel.

Alley died just ten minutes after the injection and saying his last words “be strong” to his son and daughter who witnessed the execution. Alley’s defense team continued to fight until the final minutes with petitions challenging the state’s method of lethal injection and making pleas to consider D-N-A evidence.

Alley was convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a female Marine who was out for a jog near Memphis. A statement from the victim’s family was read minutes after the execution and complained of constant delays on the state’s death row.

“Based on our own nineteen years of very painful experience, the capital punishment process in this state has been grievously abused. It cries out for fundamental repair. It is simply not working. In its current condition, it is a sham.”

Protesters who were on-hand during the hours leading up to Alley’s death agreed, but for different reasons.

Founder of Nashville’s Campus for Human Development Charles Strobel says a moratorium should be placed on capital punishment to further study its effectiveness. Strobel’s mother was murdered 20 years ago in a string of serial killings. He did not seek the death penalty.

“Someone would ask, well what if it happened to a member of your own family and I remember answering…even if it happened to a member of my own family, I would be opposed to it. Never ever expecting that one day that might happen.”

Inmate Paul Dennis Reid was also scheduled for execution this morning. It was put on hold after the Sixth Circuit Court granted a temporary stay. They are expected to make a decision first thing this morning. Officials say Reid could still be executed today if that stay is lifted.