Alabama to execute a long-serving death row inmate for the 1988 beating death of a woman he dated
Share this @internewscast.com

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man found guilty of fatally beating a woman nearly 37 years ago is set to be executed in Alabama on Tuesday, marking the nation’s sixth use of nitrogen gas for executions.

Gregory Hunt is planned to face execution Tuesday night at a prison in southern Alabama. Hunt was found guilty of murdering Karen Lane, a woman he had been seeing for approximately a month, as per court documents.

This Alabama execution is among four scheduled in the United States this week, with others planned in Florida and South Carolina. On Monday, an Oklahoma judge temporarily blocked an execution in that state, though the state attorney general is attempting to have the stay lifted.

Lane was 32 when she was murdered Aug. 2, 1988, in the Cordova apartment she shared with a woman who was Hunt’s cousin.

Prosecutors said Hunt broke into her apartment and killed her after sexually abusing her. A physician who performed an autopsy testified that she died from blunt force trauma and that Lane had sustained some 60 injuries, including 20 to the head.

A jury on June 19, 1990, found Hunt guilty of capital murder during sexual abuse and burglary. Jurors recommended by a vote of 11-1 that he receive a death sentence, which a judge imposed.

Hunt’s final request for a stay of execution, which he filed himself, focused on claims that prosecutors made false statements to jurors about evidence of sexual abuse. The element of sexual abuse is what elevated the crime to a death penalty offense.

In a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hunt, acting as his own attorney, wrote that a prosecutor told jurors that cervical mucus was on a broomstick near Hunt’s body. However, the victim did not have a cervix because of an earlier hysterectomy. The Alabama attorney general’s office called the claim meritless and said even if the prosecutor erred in that statement, it did not throw the conviction into doubt.

Hunt, speaking by telephone last month from prison, did not dispute killing Lane but maintained he did not sexually assault her. He also described himself as someone who was changed by prison.

“Karen didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Hunt said.

Hunt said he had been drinking and doing drugs on the night of the crime and became jealous when he saw Lane in a car with another man.

“You have your come-to-Jesus moment. Of course, after the fact, you can’t believe what has happened. You can’t believe you were part of it and did it,” Hunt said.

Hunt, who was born in 1960 and came to death row in 1990, is now among the longest-serving inmates on Alabama’s death row. He said prison became his “hospital” to heal his broken mind. He said since 1988, he has been leading a Bible class attended by two dozen or more inmates.

“Just trying to be a light in a dark place, trying to tell people if I can change, they can too. … become people of love instead of hate,” he said.

Lane’s sister declined to comment when reached by telephone. The family is expected to give a written statement Tuesday night.

“The way she was killed is just devastating,” Denise Gurganus, Lane’s sister, told TV station WBRC at a 2014 vigil for crime victims. “It’s hard enough to lose a family member to death, but when it’s this gruesome.”

The Alabama attorney general’s office, in asking justices to reject Hunt’s request for a stay of execution, wrote that Hunt has now been on death row longer than Lane was alive.

Alabama last year became the first state to carry out an execution with nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has now been used in five executions — four in Alabama and one in Louisiana. The method involves using a gas mask to force an inmate to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving them of the oxygen needed to stay alive.

Hunt had named nitrogen as his preferred execution method. He made the selection before Alabama had developed procedures for using gas. Alabama also allows inmates to choose lethal injection or the electric chair.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
He fought two forms of cancer at the same time, here's what he learned

Battling Dual Cancers: Inspiring Lessons from a Survivor’s Journey

An Arkansas resident is recounting his extraordinary battle against two distinct types…
Christian ministry founder and daughter die in Florida plane crash en route to Jamaica

Founder of Christian Ministry and Daughter Perish in Florida Plane Crash En Route to Jamaica

Tragedy struck on Monday as a father and daughter lost their lives…
Knicks rout Grizzlies for 5th straight win, improve to 7-0 at home

Unstoppable Knicks Dominate Grizzlies: Extend Home Winning Streak to 7-0!

At 1 Penn Plaza, the momentum is palpable. The New York Knicks…
Video captures 3rd break-in at Bridgeport, Chicago restaurant Franco's on 31st Street after decades without crime: owner

Shocking Video: Third Burglary Hits Beloved Bridgeport Restaurant Franco’s, Ending Decades of Peace

CHICAGO (WLS) — For 35 years, Franco’s restaurant in Bridgeport enjoyed a…
Suspect accused of killing college pre-med student has a criminal history: court records

Court Records Reveal Criminal Past of Suspect in College Student’s Tragic Death

A tragic incident in Lawrence, Kansas, has left the community in shock…
US surgeon performs world's first 'remote' surgery — from 4K miles across the Atlantic

U.S. Surgeon Achieves Milestone with First Transatlantic Remote Surgery

In a pioneering advancement for medical science, doctors from the United States…
Sally Kirkland, stage and screen star who earned an Oscar nomination in 'Anna,' dies at age 84

Remembering Sally Kirkland: Celebrated ‘Anna’ Actress and Oscar Nominee Passes Away at 84

Sally Kirkland, a former model who transitioned into a stalwart figure on…
Former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff Linked to January 6 Pipe Bombs

Ex-Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff Implicated in January 6 Pipe Bomb Investigation

A forensic investigation commissioned by Blaze News has identified former U.S. Capitol…
ICE Chicago news: Judge considers releasing hundreds arrested in Chicago immigration operation 'Midway Blitz'

Judge Deliberates on Potential Release of Hundreds Detained in Chicago’s ‘Midway Blitz’ Immigration Operation

CHICAGO (WLS) — A federal judge is currently deliberating on whether to…
FDA removes long-standing warning from HRT, or hormone-replacement-therapy-based menopause drugs

FDA Lifts Decades-Old Warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy Drugs for Menopause: What It Means for Women’s Health

WASHINGTON — In a significant shift, the Food and Drug Administration announced…
Nico Harrison makes Instagram change after Mavericks firing

Nico Harrison Updates Instagram Following Departure from Mavericks

Nico Harrison’s tenure with the Dallas Mavericks came to an abrupt end,…
Chicago flights canceled today LIVE: More than 146 flights canceled at O'Hare, Midway airports; FAA's drop in 6% flights kicks in

Chicago Flight Chaos: Over 146 Cancellations Hit O’Hare and Midway Amid FAA’s 6% Reduction Implementation

CHICAGO — Traveling by air could become even more of a hassle…