Thomas Arthur was executed by the State of Arkansas for the contract killing of Troy Wicker
According to court documents Thomas Arthur who served prison time for murder was paid to murder Troy Wicker
Thomas Arthur would break into Troy Wicker home and murder him
Thomas Arthur would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Thomas Arthur would be executed by lethal injection on May 25 2017
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When Was Thomas Arthur Executed
Thomas Arthur was executed on May 25 2017
Thomas Arthur Case
On his eighth scheduled execution date, Alabama Death Row inmate Tommy Arthur was put to death by lethal injection for a 1982 murder for hire.
Arthur made a thumbs up gesture with his left hand to his daughter Sherrie Stone who was in the witness room between Arthur’s attorney Suhana Han and Jordan Razza, a long-time legal adviser to Arthur. At one point he also winked toward his daughter.
Arthur, his voice quivering and choking up, read out the names of his children. “I’m sorry I failed you as a father. I love you more than anything on Earth,” he said.
He did not admit to or mention anything about the crime that landed him on death row – the shooting death of Troy Wicker Jr.
The execution began about 11:50 p.m., ten minutes before the death warrant was to expire, said Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn.
As long as the execution begins before midnight then the Alabama Attorney General stated they should complete the execution, Dunn said. “It went exactly according to protocol,” he said.
The execution was to have begun at 6 p.m. but was delayed by appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the execution had not begun by midnight, the state would have been forced to seek another execution date.
The execution was in contrast to the Dec. 8 execution of Alabama Death Row inmate Ronald Bert Smith, who for 13 minutes heaved and gasped for breath and two consciousness tests were performed before the lethal drugs were administered. Smith’s attorneys called it “botched” but Dunn said it too had gone to protocol.
Arthur slowly drifted off after they began administering the first of three drugs about 11:50 p.m. and his breathing became more shallow. He was pronounced dead at 12:15 a.m.
Gov. Kay Ivey’s office issued this statement minutes after Arthur’s death:
“How to proceed when faced with a potential execution is one of the most difficult decisions I will ever have to make as governor. After much prayer and careful and deliberate consideration, I thought it best to allow the decision of a jury of Tommy Arthur’s peers to stand. In allowing the execution to proceed this evening, the rule of law was upheld, and Mr. Wicker’s family can finally rest knowing that his murderer has faced justice
“Three times Tommy Arthur was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Each time his case was reviewed thoroughly at every level of both our state and federal courts, and the appellate process has ensured that the rights of the accused were protected.
“No governor covets the responsibility of weighing the merits of life or death; but it is a burden I accept as part of my pledge to uphold the laws of this state. Mr. Arthur was rightfully convicted and sentenced, and tonight, that sentence was rightfully and justly carried out.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said he hoped the family of Troy Wicker can begin to recover.
“Thirty-four years after he was first sentenced to death for the murder of a Colbert County man, Thomas Arthur’s protracted attempt to escape justice is finally at an end. Most importantly, tonight, the family of Troy Wicker can begin the long-delayed process of recovery from a painful loss.”
Wicker’s two sons witnessed the execution, but had no statement, prison officials said.
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2017/05/live_updates_alabama_death_row.html
