Texas executes death row inmate for 1st time in nearly a year

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Quintin Jones was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville on Wednesday night, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Jeremy Desel.

Jones, 41, is the first inmate executed in the state of Texas since July 2020, and only the third person put to death in the state since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to TDCJ online records.

He was convicted of killing his great-aunt and stealing property from her residence in 1999, state records show.

"I would like to thank all of the supporting people who helped me over the years," Jones said in his last statement. "Love all my friends and all the friendships that I have made. They are like the sky. It is all part of life, like a big full plate of food for the soul. I hope I left everyone a plate of food full of happy memories, happiness and no sadness. I'm done warden."

Jones was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. CT, according to Desel.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied the stay of execution earlier Wednesday, which allowed Jones' execution to proceed.