NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT/AP) -- Witnesses say Tennessee death row inmate Stephen West quoted scripture when asked for his final words.
West’s execution began at 7:15 p.m. Thursday night. A state spokesperson says he was pronounced dead at 7:27 p.m.
West was convicted in 1987 of the stabbing death of East Tennessee residents Wanda Romines and her teenaged daughter Sheila.
An Associated Press reporter who witnessed the execution says West spoke two short sentences prior to his electrocution. He began by saying “In the beginning God created man.” but then briefly choked up. West then finished his statement quoting the Bible’s shortest verse. “Jesus wept.”
Tennessee has two additional executions planned for this year in October and December.