Georgia shields execution sights and sounds from public view when carrying out lethal injection

The first Georgia execution in more than four years took place at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison near Jackson on March 20. Willie James Pye was executed at 11:03 p.m. for the 1993 rape and murder of his former girlfriend in Spalding County. (Natrice Miller/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS) The first Georgia execution in more than four years took place at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison near Jackson on March 20. Willie James Pye was executed at 11:03 p.m. for the 1993 rape and murder of his former girlfriend in Spalding County. (Natrice Miller/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)

By Chaya Tong / Georgia Recorder March 30, 2024 5 min read

Willie James Pye was put to death by lethal injection in Georgia’s first execution in over four years.

Pye was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. March 20 at the state prison in Jackson after being convicted for a 1993 kidnapping, rape and murder of his former girlfriend.

But despite the case’s significance and national attention over Pye, the public’s view of the execution was restricted under state protocol blocking media witnesses for state executions from critical parts of the process.

Two days before Pye’s execution, the American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court challenging media witness restrictions ahead of Pye’s execution. Restrictions include no media witnesses for the preliminary steps in state executions, including preparation of lethal drugs and checking equipment.