Brandon Bernard was executed on Thursday at the Federal Correction Center in Indiana. This execution was carried out despite clemency pleas from many people, including senators Cory Brooker and Richard J. Durbin and
The killing is a result of the decision taken under the Trump administration to lift the ban on death penalties that had been in place since 2003.
The Brandon Bernard Case
The forty year old was sentenced to death for his involvement in the murder of Stacie and Todd Bagley.
In June 1999, Bernard and four of his friends had robbed the couple in Texas. They had then forced them back into their car, where Christopher Vialva had shot the couple and Bernard had set their car on fire.
Bernard’s defence lawyers had claimed that the couple had probably died from gun shot wounds before the car was set on fire. However, during the trial the government testimony clarified that while Todd had died from the gun shot, Stacie’s death had occurred due to smoke from the fire.
His Last Words
Bernard was given a lethal injection which resulted in his death. The inmate was pronounced dead on 9.27 p.m.
Before his death, the forty year old said he was sorry about the murder and had been sorry every day since the incident. He had earlier stated he couldn’t even imagine what he he had put the family of the couple through. He also apologized to his own family for causing them the pain that he did.
People who Advocated to Save Him
People across the country stood against the decision of the execution. Many were of the opinion that when he committed the crime, he was too young to fully comprehend what he was doing. Additionally, it was stated that he did not have much say in how the whole incident played out, given that he was just a ‘lowly’ member of the group that committed the crime.
The federal prosecutor who had earlier defended his death penalty spoke against it and was of the opinion that Bernard should carry out the rest of his sentence in prison. Five out of the nine jurors who had sentenced him to death stated that they were no longer in favor of the death sentence. A prosecutor who had earlier challenged the appeal on death sentence also was no longer in favor of the execution being carried out, mainly because Bernard was remorseful and had changed over the years, becoming a ‘model prisoner’.
One of his advocated was realty tv star, Kim Kardashian who used her social media to raise awareness on the matter. She had also urged her followers to talk about the topic and do whatever they could. Kardashian had also asked President Trump to halt the execution.
🕊🕊🕊
🕊🕊🕊I’m so messed up right now.
They killed Brandon.
He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
The Bagley Family
In response to the news of the execution, the Bagley family thanked Donald Trump for getting them justice.
On behalf of the family, Charles Woodward stated that they hope Bernard had followed the path of Christ in his last years so that Todd and Stacie could welcome him in heaven with open arms.
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
