Texas carries out its 600th execution since 1982

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The state of Texas has carried out its 600th execution since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1982, marking another milestone in the United States’ most active capital punishment system.

Edward Lee Busby Jr. was pronounced dead after a lethal injection for the 2004 murder of 77-year-old retired university professor Laura Lee Crane. Before his execution, Busby issued an apology to both his victim’s family and his own, expressing remorse and stating that he never intended to cause harm.

His lawyers had attempted to halt the execution, arguing that he suffered from an intellectual disability and therefore should be ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. constitutional protections against “cruel and unusual punishment.” However, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeal, allowing the execution to proceed.

The execution brings the total number carried out in the United States this year to 12. Texas alone accounts for roughly one-third of all executions nationwide, making it the leading state in the use of capital punishment.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 U.S. states, while three others—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—currently maintain moratoriums on executions.