On Thursday, Derrick Dearman was executed in Alabama after massacring five family members of his girlfriend in 2016. He killed his girlfriend’s brother, his wife, her brother, her niece, along with her niece’s husband and their unborn baby in a drug-fueled rampage. Despite being on death row since 2018, Dearman chose to drop his appeals and requested his sentence be carried out to bring justice to the victims and their families. He was the fifth inmate executed in Alabama this year. Dearman’s last words were asking for forgiveness from the victims’ family. Some relatives, including the victim’s father, visited Dearman before the execution. The victims’ families expressed mixed emotions about Dearman’s execution, with some feeling that it doesn’t bring back their loved ones while others hope it brings closure. Attorney General Steve Marshall described the horrific nature of Dearman’s crimes and commended the execution as providing justice and finality for the families. Governor Kay Ivey mentioned that six lives, including an unborn baby, were tragically taken by Dearman’s actions. The jury found him guilty and recommended a death sentence for the murder of all five family members. Dearman’s history of drug abuse played a role in the violent rampage that led to the brutal murders.
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