A Georgia man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend 30 years ago is scheduled to be executed Wednesday, the state’s first execution in more than four years.
Willie James Pye, 59, was convicted of murder and other charges in the November 1993 murder of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. The planned lethal injection using the sedative pentobarbital is scheduled to take place at the state prison in Jackson at 7 p.m.
In their petition for clemency, Pai’s lawyers called the 1996 trial a “shocking relic” and said the local public defender system had serious flaws in the 1990s. .
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The failures of the local justice system had the effect of “turning accused defendants into convicted felons with all the efficiency of a Henry Ford line of work,” Pai’s lawyers wrote in the clemency application. I mentioned it in.
“Had the defense attorney not abdicated his role, the jury would have known that Mr. Pai is mentally retarded and has an IQ of 68,” he said, citing the state’s expert findings. ” he said.
Defendants with intellectual disabilities are not eligible for the death penalty. Experts argued that although Mr. Pai met the standard, Georgia’s burden of proof was too high to meet.
This image provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows inmate Willie James Pye. On February 29, 2024, a judge signed the execution order for Pai, who was convicted of murder and other charges in the November 1993 murder of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. (Georgia Department of Corrections, Associated Press)
“They would also have learned that the challenges he faced from the time he was born – severe poverty, neglect, constant violence, and the chaos in his family home – hindered his chances of healthy growth.” the researchers wrote. “This is the very evidence that supports a life sentence.”
But the Georgia Parole Board rejected those claims and rejected Mr. Pai’s request for clemency after a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
Pai had an on-and-off romantic relationship with Yarbrough, but at the time of her murder, Yarbrough was living with another man. Prosecutors said Pai, Chester Adams and a 15-year-old boy planned to rob the man and bought a handgun before heading to a party in a nearby town.
The three left the party around midnight and went to the house where Yarbrough was living, where they found Yarbrough alone with the baby. Prosecutors said they broke into the home, stole a ring and necklace from Yarbrough, forced her to come with them and left the baby alone.
Prosecutors said the group drove to a motel where they raped Yarbrough and then left the motel with her in the car. They turned onto a dirt road and Pye ordered Yarbrough out of the car, made him lie face down and shot him three times, according to court filings.
Ms. Yarbrough’s body was discovered on November 17, 1993, hours after she was murdered. Pye, Adams, and the teenager were quickly arrested. Pye and Adams denied knowing anything about Yarbrough’s death, but the teenager confessed and claimed two others were also involved.
The teenager reached a plea deal with prosecutors and became a key witness in Pai’s trial. In June 1996, a jury found Pai guilty of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and robbery and sentenced him to death.
Pai’s lawyers argued in court filings that prosecutors relied heavily on the boy’s testimony, but that Pai then gave inconsistent statements. Lawyers said in court filings that those statements and Pai’s testimony during trial show Yarbrough voluntarily left home and went to a motel to exchange sex and drugs. Ta.
Lawyers representing Pai also said in court filings that their client grew up in extreme poverty in a home that lacked indoor plumbing and access to adequate food, shoes and clothing. writing. His lawyer said his childhood was marked by neglect and abuse by often drunken family members.
Lawyers also argued that Pai suffered from frontal lobe brain damage, which can be caused by fetal alcohol syndrome, which impaired her planning ability and impulse control.
Pai’s lawyers have long argued in court that he should be held accountable because his trial lawyers did not adequately prepare him for the sentencing phase of the trial. His defense team argued that trial attorneys failed to adequately investigate his “life, background, and physical and mental health” in order to present mitigating evidence to the jury at sentencing.
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A federal judge rejected those claims, but a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reached an agreement with Pai’s lawyers in April 2021. However, the case was later reconsidered by a federal appeals court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision was overturned in October 2022. .
Pai’s co-defendant Adams, now 55, pleaded guilty in April 1997 to charges of malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, armed robbery, rape, and aggravated sodomy. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences and remains in prison.
Pai is scheduled to be the first execution in Georgia since January 2020.
