Texas: New execution of a death row inmate – The 21st this year in the country – For a murder he committed in 1990
A 53-year-old American, who was sentenced to death more than 30 years ago, was executed yesterdayThursday, in Texas, USA.
Brent Brewer’s last-ditch appeal was rejected Tuesday by a Texas appeals court. His death occurred at 18:38 (yesterday afternoon local time, 02:38 this morning Greek time), according to a statement from the state authorities.
His lawyers had pointed out in their appeal that he was given the death penalty based on the testimony of a psychiatrist who concluded that brewer is dangerous without examining himdespite his “exemplary” behavior in prison.
They also added that one of the jurors who wanted to vote to sentence Brewer to life in prison, voted for the death penalty because of the wrong instructions he received from the court.
He was originally sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder last year of 66-year-old Robert Laminack, who had picked up Brewer and his girlfriend, Christy Lynn Nystrom, in his car. After stabbing Laminac, the pair fled with his wallet containing $140.
Brewer’s death sentence was overturned in 2007 by the US Supreme Court, but in a retrial in 2009 he was re-sentenced to life. A key role in this decision was played by the testimony of a psychiatrist on the assessment of his “future dangerousness”, which was later deemed unreliable by the Texas justice system.
Brewer has expressed remorse for his actions in a video explaining that he realized the gravity of the events after his arrest.
According to a recent Gallup poll on the death penalty, a majority of Americans (50% versus 47%) believe, for the first time since 2000, when research on the issue began, that it is not applied impartially in the US.
However, the majority of respondents (53%) still favor the death penalty.
This was the 21st execution to take place in the US this year and the seventh in Texas. All executions were by lethal injection.
But the state of Alabama has announced its intention to execute Kenneth Smith in January 2024 by nitrogen inhalation, which will be the first time this has happened. In this type of execution death is caused by hypoxia.
Smith’s execution by lethal injection in November 2022 for a murder he committed in 1986 was called off at the last minute because prison officials failed to start the IV before the execution warrant expired at midnight.
