Willie James Pye | |
|---|---|
 Pye in an undated prison photograph | |
| Born | January 6, 1965 Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 2024 (aged 59) Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, Butts County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Robbery |
| Conviction(s) | 1985 Burglary (one count) 1996 Murder (one count) Robbery (one count) Burglary (one count) Rape (one count) Kidnapping (one count) |
| Criminal charge | 1985 Burglary (one count) 1993 Murder (one count) Robbery (one count) Burglary (one count) Rape (one count) Kidnapping (one count) |
| Penalty | 1985 Five years' imprisonment 1996 Death (murder) Life imprisonment (×3; robbery, rape, kidnapping) 20 years' imprisonment (burglary) |
Willie James Pye (January 6, 1965 – March 20, 2024) was an American convicted murderer who was executed in 2024 for murdering his ex-girlfriend Alicia Lynn Yarbrough after he kidnapped and raped her. Pye acted together with two other people to commit a robbery at the home of Yarbrough's boyfriend, which in turn led to the murder in 1993.[1]
Pye, who was convicted and sentenced to death three years after the crime, remained on death row for nearly 30 years before he was put to death via lethal injection on March 20, 2024. His case became a point of controversy due to the alleged inadequate legal representation he received during the trial, which allegedly left out details of Pye's troubled childhood and other mitigating factors that may have spared his life. Pye was the first death row convict to be executed in Georgia after a four-year moratorium on executions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
- ^ "Clemency rejected for man scheduled to be 1st person executed in Georgia in more than 4 years". The Independent. March 20, 2024.
- ^ "Georgia carries out execution for first time in four years for 1993 killing". The Guardian. March 21, 2024.