Mississippi executes two men in three days

The 11th Execution of 2012

William Mitchell was executed by lethal injection in Mississippi on  March 22, 2012 for killing 38-year-old Patty Milliken, who disappeared after walking out of the Majik Mart convenience store where she worked to have a cigarette with Mitchell.  It was the second execution in three days in Mississippi.

Asked whether he wanted to say anything before the chemicals were pumped into his veins, Mitchell emphatically said, "No."

Dressed in a red jumpsuit, wearing black-and-white sneakers, Mitchell appeared to lick his lips, took a deep breath and exhaled and then yawned. Moments later he closed his eyes and officials pronounced him dead, reported The Associated Press.

Two members of Milliken's family — son, Williams Burns; and a sister, Rosemary Riley — witnessed the execution.

"We are so glad this day has come and justice is being served on Patty's behalf. Mitchell cannot cause harm to anyone else ever again," Riley said, reported the AP.

Burns, his voice breaking several times, said he grew up without a father and his mother played dual roles.

There was no statement from Mitchell's family. Mitchell wanted none of them present for the execution. His body was collected by his sister and driven from the penitentiary.

Biloxi Police Chief John Miller, who was a narcotics investigator when Milliken was killed, said he had hoped Mitchell would have said something more."Something to cleanse his soul," Miller said, reported the AP.

Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said Mitchell, who was visited by a brother and two sisters, was talkative earlier in the day. "Just small talk ... nothing about what he was on death row for," Epps said, reported the AP.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier Thursday declined to stop Mitchell's execution.

Gov. Phil Bryant issued a statement that he would not halt the execution. "After reviewing the case of William Mitchell and the crime he committed, I will not stand in the way of the scheduled execution. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Patty Milliken, who fell victim to this horrible act of violence," Bryant said in the statement, reported by the AP.

Court records show Mitchell, had been out of prison on parole for less than a year for a 1974 murder when he was charged with raping and killing Milliken.  He was convicted in this case in 1998.

To read more:  http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b8ef11d36e9646e7b0a9368c9d57985a/MS--Mississippi-Execution/