Willie James Pye
Willie James Pye, 59, was remembered by his attorney, Nathan Potek, as a loving son, brother and uncle. Georgia executed him by lethal injection on March 20, 2024, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Butts County, the state's first execution since January 2020. His lawyers argued that he has an intellectual disability and that his defense had been inadequate, and they asked for clemency, which the State Board of Pardons and Paroles denied. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the execution, and his attorney said the state had not given him a fair defense. The Georgia Department of Corrections said he accepted a final prayer and made no final statement.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His lawyers argued he has an intellectual disability and that his defense counsel failed him, and his attorney said the state had not given him a fair defense.
Reported by: Georgia Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); his lawyers.