Atlanta, Georgia – A Georgia man, Willie James Pye, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening for the kidnapping, murder, and rape of his former girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. Pye, 59, was convicted in 1996 and is set to be put to death using pentobarbital at 7 p.m. local time, making him the first person in over four years to be executed in Georgia. Despite a last-minute clemency application citing mental disability, Pye’s request was denied by a judge following a closed-door hearing.
Pye, along with two other individuals, shot and killed Yarbrough after abducting and raping her in 1993. The motive for the crime stemmed from Pye’s belief that Yarbrough’s baby, whom another man had signed the birth certificate for, was actually his. Evidence at the scene, including Pye’s DNA and a bullet likely fired from a handgun Pye had purchased, led to his conviction.
Despite multiple appeals over the years, including claims of unfair trial preparation and a denial of fetal alcohol syndrome impacting his case, Pye’s death sentence remained. The U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of his appeal in October 2021 marked the end of his legal challenges. Pye’s execution, if carried out, will bring the total number of executions in Georgia to 54 by lethal injection since the reinstatement of the death penalty by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976.
For his last meal, Pye requested specific items, including two chicken sandwiches, two cheeseburgers, french fries, potato chips, and lemon-lime sodas. The case has sparked debates on the use of the death penalty and the effectiveness of legal representation in capital punishment cases. Despite efforts to spare his life through clemency applications and appeals, Pye’s fate is set to be decided by the scheduled execution on Wednesday evening.