'It burns man': Chilling final words of murderer as he was executed by lethal injection in Georgia
A man on death row reportedly groaned and mumbled "it burns, man" when he was executed through lethal injection in Georgia on Friday night, according to reports.
The convict, 40-year-old Robert Butts Jr, was put to death on Friday for the murder of an off-duty prison guard, Donovan Parks. Butts had shot the guard in the head with a sawn-off shotgun. Butts and his co-defendant Marion Wilson Jr were convicted of the brutal killing in 1996.
Reports state that the victim's father and brother were present during Butts execution and watched the whole scenario unfold at a prison in Jackson.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution's reporter was also present during the execution and said that after the injection was administered, Butts was pronounced dead at 9:58 pm.
Butts reportedly said "I've been drinking caffeine all day," when asked for any final words. Reports state that he closed his eyes when he was put onto a stretcher and did not open them once before he succumbed to the injection.
According to the AJC, just a few minutes after the lethal combination drugs had been administered, Butts groaned and mumble: "It burns, man."
Butts and his co-defendant Marion Wilson Jr were convicted of the killing in 1996. Wilson still remains on death row, according to reports.
The execution was initially scheduled for Thursday, however, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday issued a stay on the process to consider the case further.
The board, later on Thursday, lifted the stay and allowed the execution process to continue in Friday.
Reports state that the duo, Butts and his accomplice, who were members of the FOLK Nation gang, were shopping at a Wal-Mart "looking for a victim" when they spotted Donovan Parks whom Butts knew. Parks and Butts reportedly worked at a Burger King together.
Butts approached Parks at the Wal-Mart and asked him for a ride for him and his friend. Park, who was a Jehovah's Witness, accepted and they walked towards his car, where the off-duty guard was marched to the rear of the vehicle and shot in the back of the head.
Butts and his accomplice attempted to sell the parts of Parks' car but were unsuccessful and eventually set it on fire. The killers were arrested four days after the incident and police officials found the murder weapon under Wilson's mattress, according to reports.
The victim's brother Christopher Park said: "That night, they extinguished the life of a young man whose life was full of promise; a young man who was sensitive, caring, and compassionate."