Arkansas executes fourth prisoner in eight days

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Arkansas Department of Correction(VARMER, Ark.) — Arkansas executed its fourth prisoner in eight days on Thursday night, within an hour of the U.S. Supreme Court denying a motion for a stay of execution.

Kenneth Williams, a 38-year-old man convicted of two murders, was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at 7 p.m. local time at a correctional facility in Varmer, but the execution was delayed so that the Supreme Court could resolve a handful of other cases before considering Williams’ fate.

The execution comes as one of the trio of drugs it uses in lethal injections is due to expire at the end of the month.

It is not known how Arkansas will carry out future executions after the drug expires.

Williams was serving life in prison for the murder of 19-year-old Dominique Hurd when he escaped in 1999 and killed Cecil Boren. His capture resulted in another man’s death, Michael Greenwood, who was killed in a vehicle crash with Williams.

“The long path of justice ended tonight and Arkansans can reflect on the last two weeks with confidence that our system of laws in this state has worked,” said Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in a statement. “Carrying out the penalty of the jury in the Kenneth Williams case was necessary. There has never been a question of guilt.”

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