Joseph Burns was executed by the State of Mississippi for the murder of Floyd Melvin McBride
According to court documents Joseph Burns decided to rob a motel his friend Floyd Melvin McBride worked at. In the process McBride would be fatally stabbed
Joseph Burns was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Joseph Burns would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Joseph Burns was executed by lethal injection on July 21 2010
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When Was Joseph Burns Executed
Joseph Burns was executed on July 21 2010
Joseph Burns Case
Joseph Daniel Burns apologized to Mike McBride’s family members for the “evil” he brought upon them 16 years ago. “I pray you will one day forgive me, not for myself but for yourself,” he said Wednesday night.
Minutes later, Burns, 42, nicknamed “JoJo,” was executed for the Tupelo motel manager’s murder – becoming the third inmate put to death at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman since May. His official time of death was 6:50 p.m.
Greg Gordon, McBride’s brother-in-law, said Burns’ death brought some closure to their family. “For nearly 16 years the wheels of justice have had our family on a nightmare of a roller coaster ride,” he said. “Today, justice was served for that senseless act, and the ride has finally come to an end.”
McBride’s beaten and stabbed body was found in his residence, adjacent to the Town House Motel’s main office, in November 1994.
The execution was delayed several minutes Wednesday while the U.S. Supreme Court completed its review of a last-minute appeal on Burns’ behalf. The Mississippi Department of Corrections received word to go forward with the execution shortly after 6 p.m. – around the time he originally was scheduled to be executed. The state Supreme Court earlier had denied a stay of execution, and Gov. Haley Barbour denied a petition for clemency.
Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said Burns appeared to have accepted that he would be executed and was religious in his final hours.
Burns visited with his three daughters, his mother and his sister, as well as prison chaplain James Whisnant in his final hours. His mother, Imogene Henry, and sister, Delana Loveless, then witnessed his death. Henry appeared visibly shaken as she exited the witness room. None of his family members was made available to the media.
Burns made no request for a last meal and ate turkey and roast beef sandwiches in the afternoon. He did not take a sedative or a shower before the execution, Epps said.
MDOC records show Burns had racked up more than 40 infractions, including violations for a 2000 hunger strike, refusing several drug screenings and possession of illegal items in prison.
The murder of Mike McBride wasn’t Burns’ first brush with the law. Court records show Burns had been convicted of burglary and larceny in 1987. He also had an earlier conviction, but that record is sealed because he was a juvenile at the time. Burns was sentenced to five years but given a chance to enter into the state’s RID program. He also was told to undergo alcohol and drug rehab.
Burns was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for robbing and killing McBride, 57. Phillip Hale, 39, Burns’ accomplice, received a life sentence in 1997 for his part in the murder, but MDOC records show he was released on parole Dec. 1, 2008. Records show he is living in Lee County. The Clarion-Ledger has not been able to reach him.
Hale testified at Burns’ trial that two men had been hanging out with McBride when the motel manager asked them if they wanted to help him count the motel’s cash. They decided to steal the money.
In court testimony, Hale admitted he hit McBride and knocked him down. He said he then left the room to see if anyone was coming, but when he returned, ” Burns was stabbing McBride in the back of the neck with a knife, a fork and a Phillips head screwdriver.” Hale testified McBride kept repeating “Why me?” during the stabbing.
The following weekend, Burns and Hale spent the stolen money at casinos in Tunica.
“It is only through God’s love, mercy and grace that we were able to forgive and pray for the two individuals responsible for Mike’s death,” Gordon said. “Our faith in God is strong and he has carried us through this tragic loss.”
About a dozen protesters gathered outside the gates of Parchman in opposition to the death penalty. Several more gathered at Smith Park in downtown Jackson.
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