ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — Governor Kay Ivey announced Tuesday night that a man convicted of beating a woman to death nearly 37 years ago in Walker County was executed.
Gregory Hunt was convicted of killing 32-year-old Karen Lane on Aug. 2, 1988. According to reporting from the Associated Press, Lane lived with Hunt’s cousin, and court records revealed that Lane and Hunt had been dating for about a month when the killing occurred.
Hunt was executed by nitrogen hypoxia, which he had named his preferred execution method, at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Ivey’s office said his time of death was 6:26 p.m.
“Decades ago, Karen Lane at only 32 years-old experienced unimaginable final hours of her young life. Tonight, the state carried out the lawfully imposed punishment for Gregory Hunt who is undeniably guilty. And after his last-minute attempts to evade justice, he has faced the consequences of his evil crimes against Karen Lane, actions he has admitted to, even in a letter to the victim’s heartbroken father. Alabama stands with Karen Lane, and we pray her loved ones can finally find peace and closure.”
Governor Kay Ivey
The AP reported that prosecutors said Hunt had broken into her apartment and killed her after sexually abusing her.
“A physician who performed an autopsy testified that she died from blunt force trauma and that Lane had sustained some 60 injuries, including 20 to the head,” AP reported.
He was convicted of capital murder during sexual abuse and burglary in June 1990, and a jury voted 11-1 for him to receive a death sentence which a judge imposed.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
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