USA - Carlton Akee Turner, 29, black, was executed tonight

Carlton Akee Turner, 29, black, was executed tonight for the August 8, 1998 murders of his adoptive parents, Carlton Turner Sr., 43, and Tonya Turner, 40. A majority of the victims’ relatives have been speaking out against the execution. Tonya's brother, Kelly Johnson, wrote in a petition to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, “I do not wish to see my sister’s only child executed. I believe in my heart that my sister would only have wanted Akee to receive the help that he needed to restore his mind to a sound state.” Tonya’s first cousin and close friend Krishell Colemen said, “I don’t think Carlton [the defendant] should be executed. I don’t want him to be executed. Now that I know more of the details that led to the murders, I realize that he needs help. Killing him is just another murder. Killing him will just hurt our family again, the way Tonya and Carlton’s murders did.” Turner becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Texas, and the 407th overall since the state resumed capital punishment on December 7, 1982. Turner becomes the 11th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA, and the 1110th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.