A man who was convicted of slaughtering his ex-girlfriend has been executed after spending more than 30 years on death row.
William James Pye kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend Alicia Lynn Yarbrough before shooting her three times in the back of the head.
He was found guilty in 1996 and sentenced to death. Now, over three decades after committing the horrific crime, Pye has been executed via lethal injection.
The 59-year-old took his last breaths on March 22 at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia, in a specialised execution chamber.
Witnesses reported that he did not move much as the injection was administered and began exhaling rapid bursts of air about six times, causing his cheeks to expand and his lips to quiver.
Then, he was still.
The warden then walked into the death chamber and pronounced Pye dead at 11.03pm.
In the United States, it is common practise for those who are about to be executed if they have any final words they would like to say before they die.
Some might use this as a last chance to plead their innocence, while others may apologise for their crimes or speak to the victims and their families.
But when the warden asked Pye if he had anything he would like to say, he just gave a simple one-word response: “No.”
When asked if he wanted a prayer, the convicted killer indicated that he did. A clergy member then said a short prayer, asking God to give him “grace and mercy”.
Although he did not have any final words, Pye did request a large last meal of two chicken burgers, two cheeseburgers, French fries, two bags of plain potato chips and two lemon-lime sodas.
Horrific crime
It was alleged that in 1993, Pye, then aged 28, became furious after his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend fell pregnant with another man’s child after she broke up him for the final time.
The pair had been in what was described as an “on again, off again” romantic relationship for some time, which lead Pye to feel slighted when she moved on with another man.
In an act of revenge, he planned to go to Yarbrough’s new boyfriend’s house and rob him. On the day in question, he armed himself with a newly bought pistol and brought along two others, Anthony Freeman, 15, and Chester Adams, 25.
Instead of finding him there, Pye was shocked to see his ex-girlfriend and her new baby alone in the house.
He and his accomplices then kidnapped Yarbrough, leaving the infant alone in the house, and later raped her at a nearby motel. Her jewellery was also stolen by the trio.
When they were done, they drove her down a dirt road track and Pye ordered her out of the car.
He then ordered her to lie facedown on the ground and shot her three times in the back of the head, killing her, according to court filings.
Her body was discovered a few hours later and the trio was arrested. While Pye and Adams denied any involvement, the teenage Freeman confessed to the murder, implicating the other two.
DNA tests would later confirm that semen discovered on the victim’s corpse belonged to Pye, which allowed authorities to charge him as a suspect for the murder.
He was convicted of murder, kidnapping, rape, burglary and robbery in June 1996 and sentenced to death.
His appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1998.
The other perpetrator in the crime, Chester Adams, was tried in a separate court for the same charges as Pye, and pleaded guilty in April 1997.
However, Adams was spared the death penalty and instead received five consecutive life sentences for his role in Yarbrough’s murder, and is still incarcerated as of 2024.
Freeman, who was a teenager at the time of the crime, was similarly sentenced to life in prison for charges of murder, robbery, and burglary.
After serving 24 years behind bars, Freeman was released on parole on May 4, 2020.
Last ditch efforts
In the days before it was scheduled, Pye’s lawyers attempted to stay his execution, arguing that he had an “intellectual disability” and feels remorse for his actions.
They said their client had an IQ of 68, and had been “effectively abandoned” by his previous lawyers during his trial.
They also brought up other factors, including the alleged poverty, neglect, and violence he faced since birth.
Pye’s lawyers further argued that the state of Georgia had not met the necessary conditions for resuming executions after the pandemic.
The last execution in the state was conducted in January 2020.
However, the board rejected the request, confirming Pye’s execution would go ahead as planned.
jasmine.kazlauskas@news.com.au
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