The final words of a death row inmate who was convicted of murdering a pastor have been revealed.
In 2011, Steven Lawayne Nelson killed 28-year-old Clint Dobson, a pastor at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.
As well as the young pastor being killed, Dobson's secretary, Judy Elliot, was badly beaten but survived.
But Nelson claimed that he didn't kill Dobson and that he'd entered the church on that fateful day to be lookout as his accomplices robbed the establishment.
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During his testimony, he claimed Dobson and Elliot were already on the floor when he entered the church, adding that they were still breathing at that point.
Despite Nelson insisting that he was innocent, he was still sentenced to death and died by lethal injection yesterday (February 5).
Before his death, he shared his final words, telling his wife, whom he married while incarcerated, to 'enjoy life' while also saying: "It is what it is."
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"I'm not scared, I'm at peace," Nelson continued, as per Associated Press. His final three words were: "Let's ride, Warden."
The 37-year-old died 24 minutes after the injection was administered and was pronounced dead at 6.50pm CST.
Speaking before his passing yesterday, Nelson insisted that he wasn't 'the monster they say I am'.
As to what he would say to Dobson's secretary who was badly hurt in the ordeal, Nelson told NewsNation: "I will tell you that I'd like to apologize for my actions in the role that I played — even though I wasn't the person who assaulted her. It still hurts to this day that I couldn't do nothing at the time, you know?"
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While most death row inmates get a final meal request, this wasn't the case for Nelson.
As to why he didn't get one, it comes after the actions of another death row inmate – Lawrence Russell Brewer.
Brewer was executed in 2011 and before his death, he reportedly requested two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover’s pizza, a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts.
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But Brewer didn't eat a single bite of the meal.
As a result, the state of Texas abolished all special meal requests for death row inmates. Instead, inmates who are set to be executed simply get whatever is served in the cafeteria.
"It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege," Senator John Whitmire, chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said at the time the decision was made.
Niamh Shackleton