He wanted a cheese pizza as his last meal. Oh Yes! Jeremy Williams ate down to the last slice. Then he got up, wiped his hands and mouth and smiled.
“I am ready,” he said. Minutes later, Williams was executed at the William Holmore Correctional Facility in Alabama on Thursday evening for the 2021 rape and murder of a young Georgia girl, Kamarie Holland, aged 5, marking the state’s first execution of the year. Two other killers were also executed on Thursday in Alabama.
LAST MOMENTS
The curtain to the execution window opened at 5:53 p.m. for the scheduled 6 p.m. execution.
Williams, who was strapped to a gurney and covered mostly by a white sheet, looked toward his witness room. Three of his witnesses were present. One woman wearing a shirt that said ‘Mama loves you’, began to cry.
When asked if he had any last words, Williams said “I want to thank God for forgiving me for my sins so I can meet him in peace. Goodnight.”
The lethal injection – a three drug protocol that included a sedative – began around 5:56 p.m. His head moved side to side and he appeared to be smiling. His eyes opened and shut.
Jeremy Williams was executed on Thursday
At 5:59 p.m. Williams was either talking or singing to himself but no audio could be heard from the media witness room.
A member of the execution team first did a consciousness check, saying “inmate Williams” loudly into his ear, at 6:01 p.m. At the time Williams did not give a response but he was visibly breathing.
Williams continued taking deep breaths, some through his mouth.
Another consciousness check was done at 6:04 p.m. Williams did not give a response but he was still visibly breathing.
All visible breaths stopped at 6:06 p.m. and Williams’ eyes remained shut. A minute later, drool appeared in the corner of his mouth.
At 6:10 p.m., the curtain to the execution window closed.
Williams had previously written to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office requesting an immediate execution date, claiming he wanted to provide the victim’s family with closure.
However, local law enforcement officials questioned his motives. Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, who called the case the worst he had investigated in 39 years of law enforcement, suggested Williams sought a quick execution to avoid the reality of prison life.
“He didn’t want to look over his shoulder for 30 years, in my opinion,” Taylor said.
Russell County District Attorney Richard Chancey pushed back sharply against Williams’ final statements regarding dying in peace.
“That baby didn’t die in peace,” Chancey said during a post-execution news conference, describing Kamarie’s final moments as “horrific.”
Remembering Kamarie Holland
Corey Holland, Kamarie’s father, remembered his daughter as an exuberant child who brought joy and laughter to those around her.
“She loved playing dress-up, all her little Halloween costumes and her princess stuff I got her,” Holland recalled.
The end of a chapter.
