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| The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., is shown Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.Michael Conroy / AP |
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A man convicted of kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old Texas girl before dousing her with gasoline and burying her alive was executed Thursday, the eighth federal inmate put to death this year after a nearly two-decade hiatus.
Orlando Hall, 49, was pronounced dead at 11:47 p.m. ET after being given a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. In his final words, Hall invited others to Islam, thanked those who supported him and sought to reassure them, saying, “I’m OK.” After a statement was read recounting his crimes, Hall took one last opportunity to look to his supporters and say: “Take care of yourselves. Tell my kids I love them.”
The late-night execution came after the Supreme Court denied last-minute legal challenges from Hall’s attorneys, who had argued that racial bias played a role in his sentencing and had also raised concerns about the execution protocol and other constitutional issues.
As the drug was administered, Hall lifted his head, appeared to wince briefly and twitched his feet. He appeared to mumble to himself and twice he opened his mouth wide, as if he was yawning. Each time that was followed by short, seemingly labored breaths. He then stopped breathing and soon after, an official with a stethoscope came into the execution chamber to check for a heartbeat before Hall was officially declared dead.
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