Derrick Dearman was executed by lethal injection on Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, for the brutal murder of five people in 2016. The execution began at 6 p.m., and Dearman was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m., according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Despite a slight twitch during the procedure, Alabama Prison Commissioner John Hamm confirmed that Dearman was not conscious. Prior to the execution, Dearman’s spiritual advisor, Rev. Jeff Hood, was removed from the chamber at Dearman’s request, though the reason for this request remains unknown.
In the hours leading up to his execution, Dearman received multiple visitors and phone calls. He saw six visitors on the day of his execution and three on the previous day.
His final meal was a seafood platter. Shortly before his execution, at 5:55 p.m., Dearman made a final statement, expressing remorse to the victims’ families and asking for forgiveness, stating, “This is not for me, this is for you.” He also conveyed his love to his own family.
Derrick Dearman Executed for 2016 Mass Murder in Alabama, Expresses Remorse Before Death
Dearman’s execution came after he dropped his appeals last year. He had pleaded guilty to the murders of five people, including his longtime partner’s family members, in 2016. The murders occurred in Citronelle, Alabama, after Dearman was denied permission to stay at the residence of his partner’s brother, Joseph Turner.
Armed with an axe, Dearman broke into the house and killed five people, including Turner, his wife Shannon Randall, and Chelsea and Justin Reed, who were in another bedroom. He also used a firearm to shoot some of the victims as they clung to life.
Following the murders, Dearman fled the scene with an infant and his partner, Laneta Lester, who was unharmed. The next day, he surrendered to authorities. Family members of the victims expressed their pain and sorrow after the execution.
Bryant Henry Randall, who lost his sister, niece, and brother, shared his grief over not being able to say goodbye to his loved ones but said that Dearman’s execution provided some closure. Similarly, Robert Brown, the father of Robert Lee Brown, noted that while the execution wouldn’t bring his son back, it should serve as a warning to others about the consequences of evil actions.
Derrick Dearman’s execution marks the fifth in Alabama and the 20th in the United States this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Family members of the victims hope the execution sends a clear message about the consequences of violent and evil acts.
