A Texas man convicted of killing a pastor in his own church during a robbery, days after being released from a court-ordered anger management program, was put to death Wednesday evening.
Steven Lawayne Nelson, 37, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time following a lethal injection that was administered at a state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Prior to the injection, Nelson repeatedly told his wife, who was watching through a window a short distance from him with a white service dog she was allowed to bring into the witness area, that he loved her and that he was thankful and grateful, the Associated Press reported.
“It is what it is,” Nelson said during his opportunity for final words. “I’m not scared. I’m at peace. Let’s ride, Warden.”
Steven Nelson was convicted of killing Pastor Clint Dobson in his Arlington church in 2011. (Obtained by KDFW)
Nelson was captured after going on a shopping spree using the victims’ stolen credit cards, Fox Dallas reported.
Three days before the killing, Nelson had been released from a court-ordered anger management program as part of a deal with Dallas County prosecutors after he was arrested for aggravated assault on his girlfriend.
Relatives of the victims declined to speak with reporters and released statements earlier on Wednesday.
Steven Lawayne Nelson takes the witness stand to testify in his own defense in his capital murder trial on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Joyce Marshall/Star-Telegram)
“As a family, we have chosen to take this day to focus on the great memories we have of Clint rather than giving time to his killer,” Dobson’s family said in their statement. “Steven Nelson forever changed our lives, but he has never occupied our minds…. We miss Clint every day. We miss his laughter and his wit, his advice and his love for us.”
Bradley Elliott, whose mother Judy survived the attack, said: “I hope that today as Mr. Nelson took his last breath that he was greeted by the same loving and gracious Savior that has stood by us through all we have been a part of.” The statement added: “Mr. Nelson, we forgive you and hope to see you when we are called home from here.”
This photo shows a gurney used in giving lethal injections to convicted death row inmates. (Sue Ogrocki, File)
Nelson’s attorneys appealed the conviction, claiming he had bad legal representation at his trial, saying they failed to challenge the alibis of the two other men and didn’t present mitigating evidence of a troubled childhood in Oklahoma and Texas.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not immediately respond to a request for information about Nelson’s last meal.
Nelson’s execution is the second in the U.S. this year and the first of four scheduled in Texas over the next three months.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
