Billy Wardlow
Billy Joe Wardlow was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, on the evening of July 8, 2020, after about a quarter century on death row. In a letter to the parole board, he wrote that he had changed during those years, and his fiancée, lead attorney and two friends waited nearby in another room during the execution. His lawyers, neuroscientists and some state lawmakers argued that his age at the time of the offense should bar the death penalty in his case. Courts and the parole board denied his appeals and requests for a delay, including requests made on pandemic grounds.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His lawyers, neuroscientists and some state lawmakers argued that his age at the time of the offense should bar his execution.
Reported by: Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the agency that held him); news reporting on the execution.