Alabama death row inmate Joe Nathan James Jr. was executed by lethal injection Thursday night for killing his ex-girlfriend nearly three decades ago.
It’s an execution that the victim’s family fought to keep from happening.
James, 50, was executed at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. The prison is where the state’s death row inmates are housed and is the only state facility with an execution chamber.
He was scheduled to be killed at 6 p.m., but the jail did not transport media witnesses to Holman until 6:33 p.m. After a delay of more than two hours with media witnesses waiting in a prison van, the execution began at 9pm and the death warrant was read at 9.03pm. James closed his eyes throughout the proceedings, and didn’t have the last words when the warden asked him briefly.
The IV attached to James’ arm vibrated slightly with the movement at 9:05 p.m., and a minute later James appeared to be breathing heavily. The labored breathing lasted until 9:10 p.m., when a corrections officer performed a consciousness check that involved calling James’ name, biting his eyelid and pinching his arm. While James’ head moved to the side after the arm pinch, he didn’t respond to the movements.
At 9:12 p.m., James appeared to stop breathing. The curtains in the viewing room closed at 9:18 p.m
The official time of death was 21:27
As media witnesses waited in the van outside Holman’s death row, inmates inside looked out the windows from their cells. An inmate hung four papers in his window with a letter that read, “This is murder” on the top page.
The two pages directly below were unreadable from a distance. The fourth newspaper, which was erected as media witnesses looked on, read: “Victim’s family says no.”
The state was granted permission for the execution after both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Alabama Supreme Court denied James’ requests to stay the execution late Thursday.
Following the execution, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement. “Justice has been served. Joe James was killed for the heinous act he committed nearly three decades ago: the cold-blooded murder of an innocent young mother, Faith Hall,” he said.
“In the years since, Joe James has tried to blame everything and everyone in an attempt to escape the consequences of his crime. He has claimed that his highly experienced trial lawyer was ‘ineffective’, that his trial lawyer appeal was ‘deficient’ and, in a shocking display of cowardice and cruelty, that his victim was to blame for his own murder,” Marshall said.
“Tonight, Joe James finally received his just punishment,” according to the statement.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm did not elaborate on the reason for the long delay, saying the prison system was using the time to ensure its processes were done properly. When asked what process or part of the process was taking up the extra time, he did not elaborate.
“Well, I can’t overstate that process,” Hamm said. “We’re carrying out the final punishment … and we have protocols and we’re very deliberate in our process and we make sure everything goes according to plan. So whether that takes a few minutes or a few hours, that’s what we do. So, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but we just made sure to comply with the court order.”
Hamm said James was not sedated before the procedure began. He did not explain what part of the procedure caused the delay, saying ADOC “took its deliberate time.”
Governor Kay Ivey also issued a statement after the proceeding: “Faith Hall, the victim of repeated harassment, serious threats and ultimately cold-blooded murder, was taken from this earth too soon at the hands of Joe Nathan James, Jr. Now, after two convictions, a unanimous jury decision and nearly three decades on death row, Mr. James has been executed for capital murder and justice has been served for Faith Hall.”
On Wednesday afternoon, he said he would not commute James’ sentence to life in prison without parole. “With any execution case, I look very closely at the history, the hard facts, and any other information or correspondence I may receive. I also take very seriously the feelings and position of the family and loved ones of the victim. However, we must always fulfill our responsibility to the law, public safety, and justice. Tonight, a fair and lawful sentence was served and an unmistakable message was sent that Alabama stands with victims of domestic violence”.
Before the courts acted, Alabama Rep. Juandalynn Givan had issued a statement on behalf of Faith Hall’s family. “Today is a tragic day for our family. We must relive the harm this caused us many years ago. We are writing to inform you that we have decided not to attend the execution of Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. We have asked Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to listen to our voices and respect our wishes. We know they decided not to.”
“We hoped that the state would not take a life simply because a life was taken and we have forgiven Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. for his atrocities toward our family. We have relied on our faith to overcome these dark days. Although we knew this day would come, we hoped our voices would be heard through this process. We would like to thank State Representative Juandalynn Givan for her help and assistance by contacting with the governor’s office. We pray that God will allow us to find healing after today and that one day our criminal justice system will hear the cries of families like ours even if it goes against what the state wants. our voices matter and so does the life of Mr. Joe Nathan James, Jr.”
last days
ADOC Public Information Officer Kelly Betts said James did not have visitors Wednesday, but he did have phone calls with attorney James Ransom and his mother.
He was observed eating regular lunch and dinner trays.
James also had no visitors Thursday, but he did have phone calls with Ransom and two other attorneys: John Palombi, of the federal public defenders for the Middle District of Alabama, and Tatiana Bertsch.
On Thursday, he refused breakfast, which is usually served between 3 and 5 in the morning, ate lunch and then refused dinner. He didn’t want a last meal and he didn’t have any last requests.
His breakfast, which he refused, consisted of cereal, eggs, apple jelly, two biscuits, orange juice and a slice of bread.
James was convicted of capital murder twice for shooting Faith Hall in her friend’s Birmingham apartment on Aug. 15, 1994. Hall was James’ ex-girlfriend, who court records say she stalked and stalk after their breakup.
In a flurry of court filings in the weeks and days leading up to his scheduled execution, James claimed the state could not kill him because he had pending court cases. He also argued that he wanted to change his method of execution to nitrogen hypoxia instead of lethal injection.
There is still no state-approved process for death by nitrogen hypoxia, and there have been no executions using the method in the United States. In 2018, Ivey signed a bill giving inmates the option to choose execution by hypoxia nitrogen. According to the state, inmates awaiting execution could opt for the nitrogen method if they wanted, but they had to do so within 30 days in June 2018. Of the 177 inmates on Alabama’s death row, about 50 time chose to die by the new method. Over the years, several others have filed lawsuits challenging the acceptance period.
By Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama had dismissed two of James’ lawsuits, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had also denied issuing a stay. A Jefferson County judge also denied a Rule 32 appeal.
On Wednesday afternoon, an attorney representing James in his Jefferson County case filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the inmate. The petition asked for the suspension of the execution.
At about 12:45 p.m., in a separate motion filed with the help of an attorney, James cited three reasons for his request for a stay: that the victim’s family, her two daughters and the his brother, they no longer want him to be executed; that execution would violate the victims’ First Amendment rights; and that as a practicing Muslim his execution would violate his First Amendment rights. He quoted a passage from the Qur’an “2:178: All who believe in the law of equality in murder: a free man for a free man, a slave for a slave, and a woman for a woman. But if the brother of the slain make any remission, then grant any reasonable demand, and thank him with great gratitude. This is a concession and a mercy from your Lord. After that, anyone who exceeds these limits will be severely punished. In the law of equality, it saves you life, O intelligent men, that you restrain yourselves.”
Faith Hall, 26, was murdered in August 1994. Her killer will be executed this week. (Photo contributed by Toni Melton)
The murder of Faith Hall
Hall was 26 and had two children: Toni Hall Melton, who was 3 when their mother died, and Terryln Hall, who was 6. His surviving brother Helvetius Hall was 24.
“I had 24 sweet, good years with her,” Helvetius Hall said. “She was my rock. She was always there (for me), day or night, for her little brother.”
“My sister had a heart of gold.”
Read more: ‘A heart of gold’: Alabama woman’s family remembers as her killer faces execution
Court records show that in the year before Hall’s death, Hall and his grandmother filed three police reports of harassment and one of theft against James. Reports detailed James making threats to kill Hall, breaking into her home and damaging items, banging on windows, calling constantly, sitting in the front of the house and more.
According to court records, Hall went shopping with a friend on the day of her murder and returned…