Keith Edmund Gavin
Keith Edmund Gavin, 64, was executed by lethal injection at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, on July 18, 2024. He was Muslim, and in his final statement he said he loved his family while he appeared to pray with his spiritual adviser beside him. He had sued to block a planned post-execution autopsy that he said would violate his religious beliefs, and the state agreed not to perform one. He maintained his innocence and his lawyers argued trial counsel was ineffective and that the prosecution lacked forensic or DNA evidence, while the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute stay request.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Gavin maintained his innocence and argued his trial attorneys were ineffective and the prosecution lacked forensic or DNA evidence, according to his supporters' accounts.
Reported by: Alabama Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); authorities; The Independent (reporters).
Lawsuit: Gavin sued to block a post-execution autopsy he said violated his religious beliefs, and the state agreed to forgo it; no damages or settlement amount was reported.