A death row inmate insisted he was ‘not the monster’ he had been portrayed as ahead of his execution yesterday (February 5), issuing two final words to his wife before he died by lethal injection.
Steven Lawayne Nelson was convicted of the 2011 killing of 28-year-old Clint Dobson, a pastor at North Pointe Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.
However, he continued to proclaim his innocence up to his death arguing that the robbery gone wrong was conducted with two other individuals while he was just a lookout.
During his testimony, he claimed Dobson was already on the floor when he entered the church, adding that he was still breathing at that point. Dobson’s secretary, Judy Eliot, was also in the church and was found badly beaten but survived.
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Before his death, Nelson spoke with his wife and told her ‘it is what it is’ while giving her a final two-word message: ‘enjoy life’.
Before he was executed, he said that he was ‘not scared and was at peace’. 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.
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Nelson has been determined to prove his innocence and said he was willing to take a lie detector test to prove that he did not murder Dobson or beat Eliot.
Nelson also insisted he wasn't 'the monster they say I am'.
Speaking on Newsnation about his role in the crime he said: “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 it is common for death row inmates to get a final meal, this was not extended to Nelson.
This is due to the actions of another death row inmate in Texas - Lawrence Russell Brewer.
Brewer, who was executed in 2011, requested a rather extensive final order of 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.
However, prison officials confirmed that the inmate refused to take a single bite of his expansive meal.
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As a result, steps were taken to remove this special meal request for inmates facing execution in Texas.
Gerrard Kaonga