In a long-awaited development, Willie James Pye, a 59-year-old man convicted of the abduction, rape, and murder of his former girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough, in November 1993, was executed on Wednesday evening in Georgia's first execution in over four years. Pye received a lethal injection of the sedative pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. at the state prison in Jackson.

Pye's execution followed a series of legal battles as his defense team filed appeals, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. However, their efforts were unanimously rejected by the justices, leading to the execution proceeding as scheduled.

During his final moments, Pye was asked by the warden if he had any last words, to which he indicated no. However, when asked if he wanted a prayer, he accepted, and a member of the clergy said a brief prayer for him. As the drugs were administered, Pye remained mostly still but exhaled rapid bursts of air a few times before becoming still. Minutes later, the warden announced his time of death.

Pye's lawyers had raised concerns about the state's eligibility to resume executions after the COVID-19 pandemic and argued that Pye should be spared due to an intellectual disability. However, the state responded by stating that these claims had been previously addressed and settled by the courts.

The gruesome crime for which Pye was convicted took place when he, along with Chester Adams and a 15-year-old accomplice, planned to rob a man Yarbrough was living with at the time. After attending a nearby party, the trio forced their way into Yarbrough's residence, stealing valuables from her and leaving her baby behind. They then drove to a motel where Yarbrough was raped before being taken to a dirt road, where Pye shot her three times.

Yarbrough's body was discovered on November 17, 1993, and Pye, Adams, and the teenager were swiftly apprehended. Pye and Adams initially denied any involvement, but the teenager confessed and incriminated the two. Pye was subsequently found guilty of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and burglary in a June 1996 trial, leading to a death sentence.

Pye's defense team had raised arguments surrounding the inconsistency of the witness testimony and Pye's own testimony during trial. They also highlighted Pye's challenging upbringing marred by poverty, neglect, and abuse, which they claimed had a detrimental impact on his mental health and decision-making abilities.

Furthermore, Pye's defense maintained that his trial lawyer inadequately prepared for the sentencing phase, failing to present sufficient mitigating evidence about his life, background, and mental health to the jury.

While a federal appeals court initially sided with Pye's lawyers in April 2021, overturning the rejection of resentencing by a federal judge, the decision was ultimately overturned by the full federal appeals court in October 2022.

Pye's co-defendant, Chester Adams, pleaded guilty to his involvement in the crime in April 1997 and received multiple life sentences.

Pye's execution marks the 54th lethal injection in Georgia since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Presently, there are 35 men and one woman on death row in Georgia.

This execution brings closure to a tragic 29-year-old case, albeit amidst ongoing debates surrounding the ethics and efficacy of capital punishment in the United States.