American Executed in Texas After Conviction for 2000 Store Clerk Murder
Jamal Howard was executed in Texas after being convicted of killing Vicki Swartout in 2000.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
A man from Texas was executed Wednesday evening after shooting a store worker, killing her, making him the 30th person executed in the United States this year and the first since Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection two weeks ago.
Jamal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the state prison in Huntsville. He had been convicted of killing Vicki Swartout, 42, during a store robbery in 2000, an act captured on surveillance cameras.
When asked by prison officials if he had a final statement, Howard offered a heartfelt apology to the victim’s family members, who were watching through a viewing window just a few feet from the execution chamber.
Shortly before the injection began, he said, “I hope you will accept my apology and I ask for your forgiveness. I am sorry for what happened, and I hope you can forgive me someday.”
He was pronounced dead 19 minutes later.
