Christopher Wilkins, who was convicted in 2008 of killing two men, was executed Wednesday in the nation's first execution of 2017.
The state of Texas executed the death-row inmate with a lethal injection on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
The 48-year-old, who was convicted of murdering two men for mocking him after he fell for a $20 phony drug deal in 2005, was declared dead at around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening after being injected at the state’s death chamber in Huntsville, the AP said.
The year’s first execution comes after a previous year that saw 20 executions.
Wilkins’ execution was the 539th in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court brought back the death penalty in 1976, according to The Huffington Post.
Wednesday morning, Wilkins’ attorneys were still waiting to hear from the Supreme Court about an appeal of their clients’ execution, but it was denied at the last minute, according to the AP.
“The evidence indicating Wilkins’ guilt was simply overwhelming,” the state said in its legal filings, according to The Huffington Post.
Fox News reported that just moments before the lethal injection, Wilkins mouthed “I’m sorry” to relatives of one of the men he murdered.
During his 2008 trial, Wilkins told jurors why he committed the murders, saying he shot one of the victims, 40-year-old Willie Freeman, after he laughed at him about the scam.
He added that he then shot Mike Silva, 33, because he was there at the time.
“I know they are bad decisions,” Wilkins said, according to The Huffington Post. “I make them anyway.”
Wilkins had reportedly befriended both of the victims while in Fort Worth.
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