U.S. Executes Brandon Bernard Despite Widespread Appeals for Clemency

Terre Haute, Indiana — The United States federal government on Thursday executed Brandon Bernard, a Black man from Texas convicted in the 1999 killing of a married couple, despite a wave of appeals for clemency from advocacy groups, jurors, legal experts, and celebrities.

Bernard, 40, was administered a lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. His death was pronounced at 2:32 a.m. GMT, according to media witnesses present at the execution.

He became the ninth federal inmate executed since July, when President Donald Trump ended a 17-year moratorium on federal executions. The resumption of capital punishment has been widely condemned by human rights organizations and civil liberties advocates.

At the time of the crime, Bernard was 18 years old. He and four other teenagers were involved in the deaths of Todd and Stacie Bagley, a couple who had just attended a Sunday church service in Killeen, Texas. While Bernard was not the triggerman, prosecutors argued that he played a critical role in the murders.

The case has drawn national attention due to concerns about Bernard’s age at the time of the crime, his level of involvement, and the potential influence of racial bias in his sentencing. Advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), called for his execution to be halted.

"Five of the nine jurors who sentenced him to die, as well as the appellate prosecutor who once supported the sentence, now believe he should not be executed," the ACLU stated in a tweet shortly before the execution.

High-profile attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, known for defending President Trump during his impeachment proceedings, joined Bernard’s legal team in a last-minute effort to delay the execution. They requested a 14-day stay to present additional evidence, but the plea was denied by the Justice Department.

Defenders of Bernard argued that he was a low-ranking, subservient member of the group and had shown genuine remorse. In a 2016 statement from death row, Bernard expressed deep regret to the victims’ families. “I wish that we could all go back and change it,” he said, highlighting his efforts to mentor young people and embrace religion during his time in prison.

Among those advocating for a stay was reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who shared that she had spoken with Bernard hours before his death. “Brandon, selfless as always, was focused on his family and making sure they are okay,” she wrote. “He told me not to cry because our fight isn’t over.”

Despite these appeals, the federal government proceeded with the execution. The Justice Department also confirmed it would move forward with four more executions, including one scheduled for Friday, even though eight officials involved in a previous execution tested positive for COVID-19.

With Bernard’s death, the number of federal executions carried out in 2020 now exceeds the total carried out by the federal government over the previous 56 years combined.