EXECUTION #15

Luke A. Williams, lll
Executed February 20, 2009 6:13 p.m. by Lethal Injection in South Carolina
15th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1151st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in South Carolina in 2009
41st murderer executed in South Carolina since 1976
Summary:
The bodies of Williams' wife Linda, and their 12-year-old son, Shaun, were found in the family van just across the state line into South Carolina. The van had been driven into a tree in what appeared to be a botched attempt to stage an accident. The bodies had been doused in gasoline and set ablaze. Autopsies revealed that Linda had been beated to death and Shaun had been strangled to death. Months later, it was discovered that Williams had secretly insured his wife and child just weeks before their deaths. The combined payout from several policies was $525,000 and Mr. Williams was the sole beneficiary. Williams was unemployed had a history of living off insurance settlements for injuries and accidents. He was out of money and had filed for bankruptcy protection. A few days before her death, Linda had contacted United Way’s Help Line a few days before her death and was referred to a shelter for battered women. The shelter’s phone number, scrawled on a torn slip of paper, was still in her purse when her body was removed from the burned out van.
Final Meal:
Fried chicken, steak, baked potato with sour cream and butter, a tossed salad, cranberry sauce, peach cobbler, fried turkey and ketchup.
Final Words:
None.
The Execution
Williams lay motionless on the steel table in the death chamber. He was strapped to the table with his left arm stretched out to the side for the needles that carried the drugs into his body. The tubes carrying the drugs flinched slightly as the liquid began flowing at 6 p.m. Within seconds Williams eye lids lightly fluttered and lips parted slightly as he appeared to snore. By 6:02 p.m. his breathing appeared to stop. At 6:04 p.m. a prison official walked to the table for a closer look then walked back to the corner. A few minutes later the official checked again and summoned a doctor who check his pupils and heartbeat. The doctor nodded at the prison officials who then pronounced him dead at 6:13 p.m.