Alabama execution first with new mix of drugs
ATMORE, Ala. — A man convicted of the 1992 rape and beating death of a woman received a lethal injection Thursday evening in Alabama’s first execution in more than two years.
Christopher Eugene Brooks, 43, was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. at the Holman Correctional Facility, authorities said. The procedure began several minutes after 6 p.m. shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court had denied a last-minute defense request for a stay.
Brooks was convicted of the capital murder of 23-year-old Jo Deann Campbell, a woman authorities say he first met when they worked at a camp in upstate New York.
Prior to a three-drug combination being administered, Brooks had some final words, saying: “I hope this brings closure to everybody.” He thanked his loved ones repeatedly, adding “love you all. ... I will take you with me in my heart ... I love y’all. Bye. I love y’all.”
A prison chaplain held Brooks’ hand and appeared to pray with him as the first drug, a sedative, was administered. Brooks’ eyes closed, his mouth gaped open and his breathed slowed. A prison captain pinched his upper left arm and pulled open his eyelid to check for consciousness before the final two drugs were administered.
Authorities said it was the first execution since Alabama announced in 2014 that it was changing two of the three drugs, including switching to the sedative midazolam to render an inmate unconscious.