Alabama carries out second nitrogen gas execution in US

Littlejohn, 52, was sentenced to death for his role in a 1992 robbery gone wrong that ended in the murder of convenience store owner Kenneth Meers.

Both Littlejohn and his accomplice, Glenn Bethany, were charged and convicted over the incident, but Littlejohn’s lawyers argued it was not him who fired the fatal shot and that jurors had been confused by their sentencing options.

Littlejohn was 20 years old at the time of his crime and, his lawyers argued, a killing resulting from a robbery should not be subject to the death penalty

Two jurors from his 1994 sentencing and 2000 re-sentencing provided sworn affidavits as part of his recent clemency petition, saying they did not believe he should be put to death.

But prosecutors said two teenage witnesses claimed it was Littlejohn, not Bethany, who pulled the trigger and killed Meers.

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 last month to spare Littlejohn’s life and commute his sentence to life in prison without parole.

Governor Kevin Stitt declined to grant the reprieve, saying: “A jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. As a law and order governor, I have a hard time unilaterally overturning that decision.”

Littlejohn’s mother, daughter and spiritual advisor all witnessed his lethal-injection execution.