Alabama death row inmate James Barber executed following pause over lethal injection concerns

Alabama death row inmate James Barber was executed early Friday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his request for a stay over fears that he could be subject to “substantial harm” following a series of failed lethal injection attempts in the state.

The execution was carried out by lethal injection at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, the Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement. Barber, a convicted murderer, was pronounced dead by a physician at 1:56 a.m. local time (2:56 a.m. ET), the department said.

Barber, 64, had been on death row for almost 20 years for the 2001 robbery and killing of Dorothy Epps, a 75-year-old homeowner for whom he worked as a handyman.

The execution unfolded after a federal appeals court panel on Wednesday rejected Barber’s request to block his execution over fears that he could be subject to “substantial harm” in a 2-1 ruling.

His execution marks Alabama’s first since a pause on capital punishment prompted by a series of failed lethal injections was lifted in February.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.