A Texas man convicted of murdering a pastor was put to death on Wednesday, February 5, and he had some last words before being executed.
Steven Lawayne Nelson, 37, was convicted for the 2011 killing of the Rev. Clint Dobson — who was beaten, ch0ked, and suff0cated with a plastic bag inside NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The murderer spent his final moments alive speaking to his wife, Helena Noa Dubois, as she held up a white service dog to a window separating Nelson from witnesses to his execution.
He urged his wife to live a full life.
“It is what it is,” he could be heard telling his wife, whom he married two weeks before being put to death, according to the AP.
Then Nelson uttered his final words.
“I’m not scared. I’m at peace. Let’s ride, Warden,” he said right before he was lethally injected.
As the fatal dose of pentobarbital coursed through his system, Nelson was seen mouthing the word “love” twice before briefly convulsing.
He was declared dead 24 minutes later, according to the AP.
While imprisoned and awaiting trial, Nelson was indicted in the killing of another inmate, a charge for which he was never tried.
This is the second execution to be carried out in the US in 2025.
(AP, LIB)