Cal Gaunt
A death row inmate issued a haunting final statement before his execution.
Michael Tisius, 42, was convicted of killing two prison officers in a failed jailbreak attempt nearly 23 years ago and was executed on June 6.
Tisius was convicted of the June 2000 murders of Leon Egley and Jason Acton at Randolph County Jail.
Tisius, from Missouri, US, was given a lethal injection.
Find out more about the execution of Michael Tisius in the video below…
According to CBS News, as the drug was administered, Tisius audibly struggled to breathe before eventually falling silent.
His spiritual adviser, Melissa Potts-Bowers, was present in the room, but due to the soundproof glass enclosing the execution chamber, the content of their conversation remains undisclosed.
In a final written statement, Tisius said he tried hard ‘to become a better man’, and he expressed remorse for his crimes.
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He wrote: “I am holding tightly to my faith. It’s all I have to take with me.
“I am sorry it had to come to this in this way. I wish I could have made things right while I was still here.
“I really did try to become a better man. I really tried hard to give as much as I could to as many as I could. I tried to forgive others as I wish to be forgiven.
“And I pray that God will forgive those who condemn me. Just as He forgave those who condemned Him.
“I am sorry. And not because I am at the end. But because I truly am sorry.
“And I need to say that I love you Truffle. Seacrest Out!”
Tisius and inmate Roy Vance had planned the jailbreak attempt, and Tisius arrived at the jail accompanied by Vance’s girlfriend, Tracie Bulington.
Pretending to deliver cigarettes to Vance, Tisius had a hidden pistol and shot and killed the unarmed officers when they approached.
After unsuccessful attempts to free Vance and other inmates, Tisius and Bulington fled but were later apprehended in Kansas.
Tisius’ lawyers had sought to block the execution, arguing that a juror at his sentencing hearing was illiterate, in violation of Missouri law.
However, the US Supreme Court rejected their motion.
Some of the jurors had indicated that they would have supported commuting Tisius’ sentence to life in prison.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson refused to grant this option, emphasising the severity of the crimes committed.
Advocates for Tisius highlighted his troubled upbringing, including neglect and homelessness during his early teens.
Tisius was sentenced to death despite arguments that his age at the time of the killings, 19, should warrant a commutation to life imprisonment without parole.
Tisius’ defence team released a video in which Vance claimed to have planned the escape attempt and manipulated Tisius into participating.
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Tisius’ execution marked the 12th in the United States this year and the third in Missouri.
The state has executed more individuals than any other except Texas in 2023.
The next execution in Missouri is scheduled for August 1, involving Johnny Johnson, who was convicted of s**ually assaulting and killing a six-year-old girl in 2002.
Tisius’ case underlines the complex legal and ethical issues surrounding the death penalty, including considerations of remorse, mitigating circumstances, and claims of juror bias.
As the debate surrounding capital punishment continues, each execution serves as a stark reminder of the profound and irreversible nature of the ultimate penalty.
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