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Man's execution 2nd in 2 days in Texas
07:56 PM CDT on Thursday, March 29, 2007
Associated Press
HUNTSVILLE - Hours after setting a fire in his cell to protest his punishment, a Houston air conditioning contractor was executed Thursday night for the deaths of two Florida men gunned down in a dispute over missing drug money.
Roy Lee Pippin, 51, had vowed to fight his execution and be uncooperative with corrections officers, but he walked to the death chamber and caused no additional disturbances.
"I charge the people of the jury, the trial judge, the prosecutor that cheated to get this conviction, I charge each and every one of you with the murder of an innocent man," Pippen said defiantly from the gurney. In a blanket statement meant for all the courts that heard his case, he added, "You will answer to your maker when God has found out that you have executed an innocent man. May God have mercy on your souls."
Pippen expressed love to family members and then asked for forgiveness from "all the people of the United States for all the poison I brought into the country I love. Please forgive me for my sins. If my murder makes it easier for everyone else, let the forgiveness be part of the healing."
He ended his final statement by telling the warden, "Go ahead warden, murder me. Take me home Jesus."
He was pronounced dead at 6:42 p.m., eight minutes after the lethal drugs began to flow.
At midday, before being moved to the prison where executions are carried out, he made a pile of trash and ignited it by sticking a wire in an electric outlet, filling his cell with smoke before officers used a water hose put out the blaze.
Prison officials credited talks he had throughout the afternoon with a prison chaplain with calming him before the execution.
07:56 PM CDT on Thursday, March 29, 2007
Associated Press
HUNTSVILLE - Hours after setting a fire in his cell to protest his punishment, a Houston air conditioning contractor was executed Thursday night for the deaths of two Florida men gunned down in a dispute over missing drug money.
Roy Lee Pippin, 51, had vowed to fight his execution and be uncooperative with corrections officers, but he walked to the death chamber and caused no additional disturbances.
"I charge the people of the jury, the trial judge, the prosecutor that cheated to get this conviction, I charge each and every one of you with the murder of an innocent man," Pippen said defiantly from the gurney. In a blanket statement meant for all the courts that heard his case, he added, "You will answer to your maker when God has found out that you have executed an innocent man. May God have mercy on your souls."
Pippen expressed love to family members and then asked for forgiveness from "all the people of the United States for all the poison I brought into the country I love. Please forgive me for my sins. If my murder makes it easier for everyone else, let the forgiveness be part of the healing."
He ended his final statement by telling the warden, "Go ahead warden, murder me. Take me home Jesus."
He was pronounced dead at 6:42 p.m., eight minutes after the lethal drugs began to flow.
At midday, before being moved to the prison where executions are carried out, he made a pile of trash and ignited it by sticking a wire in an electric outlet, filling his cell with smoke before officers used a water hose put out the blaze.
Prison officials credited talks he had throughout the afternoon with a prison chaplain with calming him before the execution.
AP
Roy Lee Pippin
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