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Man executed for 1996 killing after Supreme Court clears way

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Matthew Reeves. Late Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the state of Alabama to execute Reeves, an inmate who contended that an intellectual disability combined with the state's inattention cost him a chance to avoid lethal injection and choose a new method. Reeves was condemned for killing a man during a robbery in 1996. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File)
FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Matthew Reeves. Late Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the state of Alabama to execute Reeves, an inmate who contended that an intellectual disability combined with the state's inattention cost him a chance to avoid lethal injection and choose a new method. Reeves was condemned for killing a man during a robbery in 1996. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File) FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Matthew Reeves. Late Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the state of Alabama to execute Reeves, an inmate who contended that an intellectual disability combined with the state's inattention cost him a chance to avoid lethal injection and choose a new method. Reeves was condemned for killing a man during a robbery in 1996. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File)

By JAY REEVES / Associated Press 5 min read

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) – Alabama executed an inmate by lethal injection for a 1996 murder on Thursday after a divided U.S. Supreme Court sided with the state and rejected defense claims the man had an intellectual disability that cost him a chance to choose a less “torturous,” yet untried, execution method.

Matthew Reeves, 43, was put to death at Holman Prison after the court lifted a lower court order that had prevented corrections workers from executing the prisoner. He was pronounced dead at 9:24 p.m. CST, state Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement.

Reeves was convicted of killing Willie Johnson Jr., a driver who gave him a ride in 1996. Evidence showed Reeves went to a party afterward and celebrated the killing.

The inmate had no last words. After craning his neck to look around a few times, Reeves grimaced and looked at his left arm toward an intravenous line. With his eyes closed and mouth slightly agape, Reeves’ abdomen moved repeatedly before he grew still.

Gov. Kay Ivey, in a statement, said Johnson was “a good Samaritan lending a helping hand” who was brutally murdered. Reeves’ death sentence “is fair, and tonight, justice was rightfully served,” she added.