The last hours of Nathaniel Woods: From Kim Kardashian's plea to a last minute shock from SCOTUS
Nathaniel Woods was executed by the State of Alabama on Thursday night for the 2004 murders of three Birmingham police officers, despite a last-minute temporary stay of execution by the Supreme Court and public outcries asking to reprieve Woods by many, including Martin Luther King III, the son of Martin Luther King Jr, Kim Kardashian West, and rapper T.I.
Woods was convicted in 2005 or the murder of three police officers — Carlos Owen, Harley Chisolm and Charles Bennett — along with his roommate Kelly Spencer when the officers were trying to serve an arrest warrant. Authorities stated that Woods and Spencer were at the time dealing crack cocaine from their home.
Hours after the two were arrested, Spencer admitted he was the lone gunman. However, prosecutors argued during the 2005 trial that Woods was also responsible for the officers' death because he "conspired" with his roommate.
The fight to appeal Woods' sentence
Woods' family did not stop fighting to appeal his sentence even until the last moment. On the eve of the execution, his sister, Pamela Woods, argued that he was "a 100% innocent," adding, "Let him go, or give us time to have the courts review his case.”
His family argued that Woods was unfairly prosecuted, as did activists and celebrities. Even Spencer said in an interview with CNN that Woods is "absolutely innocent." Special is also on death row and said, "That man didn't know I was going to shoot anybody just like I didn't know I was going to shoot anybody that day, period."
Martin Luther King III wrote a letter to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, saying, "Killing this African-American man, whose case appears to have been strongly mishandled by the courts, could produce an irreversible injustice."
He also wrote, "I urge you to grant him a reprieve. We must allow the time to accurately review the new evidence."
Hours before the execution, rapper T.I. shared a post on Instagram, urging his followers to "send a letter to the Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey to urge & convince her to spare [Nate's] life."
In another post, he wrote, "This ain't about race or politics...this about FAIR AND DECENT HUMAN BEINGS STANDING UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT‼️"
Kim Kardashian West also voiced her support for Woods, tweeting on Thursday night, "Nate will die for a crime another man confessed to and says Nate had nothing to do with. My heart and prayers are with Nate and his family and all the advocates who worked tirelessly to save his life."
Temporary reprieve
On Wednesday and Thursday, Woods had visited with his family, including his daughter and granddaughter. The execution was to take place at William C Holman Correctional Facility at 6 pm CST where Woods has served his sentence since his 2005 conviction. A temporary reprieve was granted, however, as the Supreme Court entered a temporary stay shortly after 5:30 pm.
Around 7 pm, attorneys for Woods filed a second petition to the high court, asking for a stay of execution and a review of the case, according to AL.com. In the petition, Woods claimed he had ineffective counsel. The filing stated, "Mr Woods has never had the benefit of competent, conflict-free counsel to investigate and present his constitutional claims, so the public cannot be assured that his proceedings have adhered to the Constitution."
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office said in a response to the court that the stay was “unwarranted." Their response stated, “First, Woods is not entitled to a stay because his motion is extraordinarily untimely. Second, he cannot show a substantial likelihood of success on the merits. Thus, the motion is due to be denied.”
Final hours
Woods requested a final meal of sweet potatoes, spinach, a chicken patty, a chicken leg quarter, cooked apples, fries, two oranges, and an orange-flavored drink, however, he ate just one bite of the chicken leg quarter and did not eat any of the other items.
The court lifted the temporary stay of execution around 8 pm, and the Alabama Department of Corrections began preparing for the scheduled execution. Woods did not have any last words and no one from his family or friends was present to witness the execution. Woods was pronounced dead at 9:01 pm local time.
Following Woods' death, Attorney General Steve Marshall issued the following statement: “Tonight, justice has been served. Nathaniel Woods, one of two cop-killers in ‘the bloodiest day in Birmingham Police Department history,’ has met his just fate.”
Woods is the first person executed in Alabama this year and the 67th since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976. In her statement, Ivey noted two Alabama citizens had been executed since 1983 as being accomplices to capital murder.