ATLANTA — A Georgia man, Willie James Pye, is set to be executed on Wednesday for the murder of his former girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough, three decades ago. Pye, 59, was convicted of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and burglary in relation to the November 1993 killing. The planned lethal injection using pentobarbital is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the state prison in Jackson, marking Georgia’s first execution in over four years.
In a plea for clemency, Pye’s lawyers highlighted deficiencies in the local public defender system during his 1996 trial, arguing that crucial information about Pye’s intellectual disability was not adequately presented to the jury. Despite evidence suggesting Pye’s intellectual disability should render him ineligible for execution, the Georgia Parole Board rejected his clemency plea after a closed-door meeting.
Pye had been involved in an on-and-off romantic relationship with Yarbrough, who was living with another man at the time of her death. Along with accomplices Chester Adams and a teenager, Pye planned to rob the man Yarbrough was living with. They subsequently assaulted Yarbrough, stole from her, and eventually shot her three times after assaulting her at a motel. The teenager involved confessed and became the main witness at Pye’s trial, leading to his conviction and death sentence.
Pye’s legal team has argued that evidence presented during the trial did not fully portray the circumstances of Pye’s upbringing in extreme poverty and family abuse, factors they believe should have been considered during sentencing. Despite attempts to have Pye resentenced due to his trial lawyer’s alleged lack of preparation for the sentencing phase, courts have upheld his death sentence.
While Pye’s co-defendant, Chester Adams, received multiple life sentences in connection with the crime, Pye is now facing execution as the first person to be put to death in Georgia since January 2020. The case has garnered attention for its complex legal arguments surrounding Pye’s background, intellectual disability, and the circumstances of the crime, underscoring the debates surrounding capital punishment in the state.