Atlanta, Georgia – After a four-year hiatus, Georgia carried out its first execution by lethal injection, putting an end to Willie James Pye’s life at the age of 59. Pye was convicted of the 1993 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Yarbrough, marking the state’s first execution since 2020.
The execution took place at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office. The Georgia Parole Board had denied clemency for Pye just days before his execution, highlighting the contentious nature of the case.
Despite arguments from Pye’s public defenders regarding his intellectual disability and troubled upbringing, the requested clemency was not granted. Pye’s defenders emphasized his low IQ of 68 and tumultuous family environment as factors that should have been considered in sparing his life.
The tragic events leading to Yarbrough’s death unfolded after Pye, along with Chester Adams and a 15-year-old accomplice, planned to rob Yarbrough’s boyfriend. The trio ended up taking Yarbrough, who was alone with her baby at the time, and later assaulted and murdered her before being swiftly apprehended and ultimately sentenced to death.
Pye’s last meal consisted of two chicken sandwiches, two cheeseburgers, french fries, chips, and soda. Despite accepting a final prayer, he chose not to leave behind a recorded final statement before becoming the 54th inmate in the state to be executed by lethal injection.
The execution reignites debate around the use of the death penalty and ongoing challenges surrounding intellectual disabilities in capital punishment cases. Meanwhile, the families of both the victim and the perpetrator are left to grapple with the aftermath of a brutal crime that has now come to a somber conclusion.