US President Donald Trump’s administration continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his two-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.
Alfred Bourgeois, 56, was pronounced dead at 8:21pm on Friday at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
His lawyers had argued he had an IQ that put him in the intellectually disabled category, saying that should have made him ineligible for the death penalty.
Photo: AP
In his last words, Bourgeois, strapped to a gurney, offered no apology and instead struck a deeply defiant tone, insisting that he neither killed nor sexually abused his baby girl.
“I ask God to forgive all those who plotted and schemed against me, and planted false evidence,” he said. “I did not commit this crime.”
Later, the girl’s relatives released a joint statement calling Bourgeois “a monster.”
“None of us thought she would return from [visiting Bourgeois] in a casket,” it said. “It should not have taken 18 years to receive justice for our angel.”
Bourgeois was the 10th federal death-row inmate put to death since federal executions resumed under Trump in July after a 17-year hiatus. He was the second federal prisoner executed this week, with three more executions planned in January.
The last time the number of civilians executed federally was in the double digits in a year was under then-US president Grover Cleveland, with 14 in 1896.
As a lethal injection of pentobarbital began flowing through IVs into both of his arms, Bourgeois tilted his head to look at his spiritual adviser in a corner of the death chamber clutching a Bible. Bourgeois gave him a thumbs-up sign, and his spiritual adviser raised his thumb in reply.
Seconds later, Bourgeois peered up toward the glass dividing him from the media and other witnesses in adjoining rooms, and then grimaced. He began to exhale rhythmically, and his stomach started to quiver.
After five minutes, the heaving of his stomach stopped and his body became still. He did not move for about 20 minutes before he was pronounced dead.
The series of executions under Trump since Election Day, is also the first time in more than 130 years that federal executions have occurred during the period between elections and the inauguration of officials.
Bourgeois’ lawyers said that the apparent hurry by Trump to get executions in before the Jan. 20 inauguration of death-penalty foe US president-elect Joe Biden deprived their client his rights to exhaust his legal options.
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