Alabama executed the man convicted of killing a famous Elvis Presley impersonator by lethal injection Thursday evening, nearly 28 years after the pawnshop robbery that left the performer and his ex-wife dead.
Jeffery Lee, 49, was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Lee was convicted of killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a Dec. 12, 1998, robbery at Jimmy’s Pawn Shop in Orrville. Another employee survived after pretending to be dead.
Ellis was a singer and Elvis Presley impersonator who performed under the name Orion and gained a national following. His life was later featured in the 2015 documentary “Orion: The Man Who Would Be King.”
Lee was convicted of capital murder and attempted murder in 2000. A jury voted 7-5 to recommend life imprisonment without parole, but a judge overrode the recommendation and sentenced him to death.
Alabama eliminated judicial override in 2017, but the change did not apply to death sentences in cases decided before the law took effect, including Lee’s.
Lee was originally scheduled to be executed by nitrogen gas in June, but a federal judge blocked the execution after ruling Alabama’s nitrogen protocol unconstitutional. The state later sought a new execution date using lethal injection.
Lee had also sought clemency, with his supporters pointing to the sentencing recommendation made by the jury in his case.
Lee’s attorneys challenged the switch, arguing Alabama had previously agreed to execute him using nitrogen. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request to halt Thursday’s execution without comment.
In a statement released after the execution, Lee’s attorneys criticized the state’s decision, arguing that his death sentence rested on judicial override even though the jury had recommended life imprisonment without parole. They also argued that Alabama’s decision to switch from nitrogen hypoxia to lethal injection violated an earlier commitment by the state regarding the execution method.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also declined to grant Lee clemency.
Lee had six visitors before his execution and declined a request for a final meal, according to WVTM13.