Russell Brewer Executed For Brutal Murder Of James Byrd Jr.

Troy Davis wasn’t the only prisoner executed in the United States tonight, White supremacist Lawrence Russell was also put to death.

Texas officials executed Russell using lethal injection following his conviction for brutally killing James Byrd Jr in 1998.

Unlike Davis who received various requests for a reprieve there was no doubt that Russell was involved in his victims murder. Russell and two other white supremacists tied James Byrd Jr. to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him down an asphalt road for nearly three miles, swerving the entire time until he was dead.

Before receiving his lethal injection Russell was asked if he had any final words to which he responded:

“No. I have no final statement.”

With Russell now dead one of his accomplices remains on death row while the third man is serving life in prison.

The retired Sheriff who handled the original case told the Associated Press:

“One down and one to go,” while adding, “That’s kind of cruel but that’s reality.”

How do you feel about Russell’s execution? The circumstances surrounding his case are definitely different than the possibly innocent Troy Davis which explains why his case has not received as much press coverage.