Man put to death for 1993 killing of ex-girlfriend, Georgia’s first execution in years

Published March 19, 2024 11:05 PM

By JEFF MARTIN
Associated Press

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man convicted of killing his former girlfriend three decades ago has been put to death in the state’s first execution in more than four years. Authorities say 59-year-old Willie James Pye was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. Wednesday evening following an injection of the sedative pentobarbital. Pye was convicted of murder and other crimes in the November 1993 abduction, rape and shooting death of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. Lawyers for Pye had sought clemency, saying Pye was intellectually disabled and remorseful. The last execution in Georgia was conducted in January 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic gained force.

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