Muslim death row inmate makes unusual request for after his execution in Alabama

An Alabama inmate connected decease statement group for execution adjacent week asked nan the authorities not to autopsy his assemblage owed to his devout Muslim faith.

Keith Edmund Gavin, 64, was convicted of superior execution for nan March 1998 shooting decease of transportation driver William Clinton Clayton Jr., erstwhile he stopped to retreat money from an ATM, Seattle Times reported.

Gavin is group to dice by lethal injection - nan Southern state's superior execution method -  successful an execution held astatine nan William C. Holman Correction Facility extracurricular Atmore betwixt midnight Wednesday July 17 and 6 americium connected Friday, July 19, according to Governor Kay Ivey's office.

While it is modular believe successful nan authorities of Alabama to execute an autopsy aft execution, Gavin asked done his lawyer to prohibit nan enactment pursuing his decease for belief reasons.

On Tuesday, William Califf, a spokesperson for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, said they are 'working connected a resolution,' according to nan news outlet.

'Mr. Gavin is simply a devout Muslim. His belief teaches that nan quality assemblage is simply a ineffable temple, which must beryllium kept whole,' his attorney's wrote.

'As a result, Mr. Gavin sincerely believes that an autopsy would desecrate his assemblage and break nan sanctity of keeping his quality assemblage intact. 

'Based connected his faith, Mr. Gavin is fiercely opposed to an autopsy being performed connected his assemblage aft his execution.' 

Last month, Gavin's lawyers revenge a suit successful authorities tribunal successful Montgomery aft they were not capable to meet pinch authorities officials to assistance his petition up of his execution, which will beryllium nan state's 3rd 1 this year. 

They explained that nan tribunal filing was not an effort to enactment their clients execution, arsenic per nan news outlet.

Gavin's unfortunate Clayton Jr. worked arsenic a statement courier for Corporate Express Delivery Systems earlier his execution successful 1998. 

After Clayton Jr. completed his deliveries for nan time connected March 6 of that year, he stopped astatine nan slope to get money to return his spouse retired for dinner, Atmore News reported.

However, he would ne'er make it home.

Clayton Jr. was fatally changeable while sitting successful his van outside nan Regions Bank successful nan downtown area of Centre. 

According to tribunal documents, Gavin had been previously convicted of execution and attempted execution for shooting astatine a rule enforcement officer, which led to two counts of superior murder, CBS News antecedently reported.

A assemblage voted 10-2 successful favour of nan decease punishment for Gavin and sentenced him to death.

The decease penalty, besides known arsenic capital punishment, is typically reserved for particularly heinous crimes successful which a unfortunate is killed, but each authorities tin find what circumstantial circumstances make a execution eligible for a decease sentence.

As of January 2024, location are 24 states that person nan decease penalty, 23 that do not and 3 that have a moratorium successful place, according to nan Death Penalty Information Center.

Last year, location were 24 executions successful nan United States, each of them carried retired by lethal injection. 

However, of nan 9 executions to return spot successful 2024, 1 of them was done by nan arguable caller method: decease by nitrogen hypoxia.