09 February 2023 , 00:53
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A 54-year-old man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept has been executed.
John Balentine was put to death by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas on Thursday amid allegations that his trial was marred by racial bias.
He appeared jovial as he entered the chamber, reportedly asking someone if they could help massage his feet and chuckling as he was placed on the gurney.
Following a short prayer from a spiritual adviser, who accompanied him into the room, Balentine gave a short statement where he thanked his friends for their support.
He then turned towards a window where the family of the victims were sitting, saying: “I want to apologise for the wrong I did".
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He was convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a 1998 murder (Texas Department of Criminal Jus)A powerful sedative pentobarbital was then injected into his arms, causing him to snore several times before he passed away.
It had been initially unclear whether his execution - the second to take place in the US in just over 24 hours - would go forward after a judge withdrew the execution date and warrant last week.
The judge delayed the execution because the inmate's attorneys had not been properly notified of the upcoming lethal injection, which is required under state law.
Balentine, 54, was convicted of the January 1998 shooting deaths of Edward Mark Caylor, 17, Kai Brooke Geyer, 15, and Steven Watson, 15, at a home in Amarillo.
He was 28 years old at the time.
Prosecutors said all three were shot once in the head as they slept.
Caylor's sister was Balentine's former girlfriend, and the shootings were reported to stem from a feud between Caylor and Balentine.
Ballentine had argued that Caylor and others had threatened his life over his interracial relationship.
The appeals court also denied a request from Balentine's lawyers to stay his execution over allegations that "racism and racial issues pervaded" his trial. The appeals court denied the stay request on procedural grounds without reviewing the merits of the claims.
His attorneys alleged the jury foreman, Dory England, held racist views and used racial slurs during his life and bullied other jurors who had wanted a life sentence into changing their minds.
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