Texas Death Row Inmate Executed Without Final Words
On Wednesday evening, a Texas death row inmate, LeJames Norman, faced execution for the 2005 murders of three individuals during a failed robbery. Surprisingly, he had no final words.
When asked by the warden if he wanted to make a statement, Norman simply shook his head. He was put to death by lethal injection at a state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Norman, aged 40, was convicted for the fatal shootings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38, in their shared home located about 100 miles southwest of Houston. Court records indicate that Norman and an associate, Ker’Sean Ramey, believed there was cocaine in the house and intended to steal it, though they ultimately found no drugs.
Ramey was also sentenced to death for his role in the killings, with his own execution scheduled for the following week. Norman was arrested roughly five months after the crimes while attempting to return to the United States from Mexico. He later pleaded guilty to capital murder, leaving the decision of his sentence to a jury. A recent attempt by Norman’s legal team to halt the execution was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his last moments, Norman lay on a thin mattress on a steel table, gazing toward a window. His sister, as well as two of his children and a friend, were present to witness the execution.
After receiving a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital, Norman took a few deep breaths, yawned, and made snoring sounds before he became still. A physician confirmed his death about 30 minutes later, marking the time as 6:44 p.m.
Interestingly, none of the relatives or friends of the three victims attended the execution. This marked the fifth execution in Texas for the year.
In another case, an execution that was supposed to take place the same night in Georgia was halted. Stacey Humphreys, who was convicted of murdering two real estate agents, had faced execution, but a judge intervened late Tuesday after defense attorneys requested a delay due to a newly enacted law that allows victims of childhood abuse to seek sentence reductions.
