Almost 16 years after what was known as the "Deadliest Day" in the history of Birmingham Police Department, one of the convicted killers in the shooting of officers Carlos Owen, Harley A. Crisholm III, and Charles R. Bennet was executed through lethal injection despite outcries from human rights groups and celebrities, that he did not fire the shots that killed the officers, Thursday.
The execution pushed through despite the pleads of Martin Luther King III , and other celebrities to Alabama's governor to not go through with the lethal injection. The civil rights leader's son claims that as per authorities the co-defendant did the shooting of the three police officers in 2004 and not the other inmate.
The conviction of Nathaniel Woods and co-defendant Kerry Spencer made the city of Mobile relieved as they were sentenced to death after firing an array of shots that killed the lives the of police officers. However, based on the prosecutor's investigation, Spencer was the only shooter in the incident leaving Woods a questioned conspirator for the slaying happened when the police officers served Woods a warrant for misdemeanor domestic assault.
Spencer admitted that he is the sole person who did the slaying but despite the appeals made by Woods' attorneys the U.S. Supreme Court turned down the request. Last year, multiple errors in the trial were cited by the inmate's attorneys.
Woods' execution took place at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. After the execution, Jeff Dunn, commissioner of Alabama Department of Corrections spoke a few words, which was immediately followed by a statement from Starr Sidelinker sister of Officer Crisholm one of the officers that died the night of the shooting.
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The statement she read was written by one of their siblings Rhonda Hembd saying that partial justices were already served for their family. It was also stressed in the statement that Woods has already chosen his faith when he decided to play a part on the crime that killed their brother and other police officers on June 117, 2004. Also adding that the horrific event could have been prevented if Woods had any respect for law enforcement.
Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama also issued a statement regarding the execution which she decided to push through despite being flooded with requests to stop. She stated that under Alabama law if a person helps someone kill a police officer he is just as guilty as the one who committed the crime. Alabama has already executed two people who were accomplices to murder since 1983.
Furthermore, she also stated that the state decided to push through with Woods' execution and impose his sentence after thorough consideration of facts, the jury's decision and legal challenges.
At 8:37 PM curtains to the viewing room of the chamber where Woods' was to be executed were opened. Woods' Imam who was set to be present during the execution failed to show up. The convicted did not have any last words and had no friends or family present to see the sentence imposed.
The warden then read Woods' death warrant as the convicted felon sat up and stared straight ahead to the empty viewing rooms. When the warden left, Woods laid down his head. At around 8:40 in the evening, Woods began mouthing words and sat back up with his fists clenched and his right index finger stuck out in a sign of his Islamic faith. At 9:01 PM, Nathaniel Woods was pronounced dead.
