Martin Luther King’s son and others rally to halt Alabama execution
Activists have been lobbying for the state to stop Nathaniel Woods planned execution following confession from co-defendant
The son of Martin Luther King has joined a growing list of activists and celebrities calling on Alabamas governor to stop the planned execution of an inmate over the killings of three police officers.
Nathaniel Woods was convicted of capital murder in 2004 and is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Thursday night.
Martin Luther King III, an activist and the son of the civil rights leader, has sent Alabama governor Kay Ivey a letter pleading with [her] not to execute Woods.
He said: Killing this African American man, whose case appears to have been strongly mishandled by the courts, could produce an irreversible injustice.
King went on to question whether Ivey is willing to allow a potentially innocent man to be executed? Later on Twitter he called for people to make phone calls to the governor in support of the cause.
Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3)
We need to make as many calls as possible now! Once you dial this number, we’ll guide you through the calls. Remember, be respectful, be kind, but be firm. These calls matter. Help us stop Nate’s wrongful execution.
Call: (334) 605-8572
The execution is expected to proceed despite the co-defendant, Kerry Spencer, supporting Woods innocence. The pair were sentenced to death for killing Birmingham police officers Carlos Owen, Harley Chisholm and Charles Bennett as they swarmed a suspected drug house.
At the time, the prosecution alleged Spencer opened fire after Woods told officers he was surrendering, making Woods a willful accomplice a crime punishable by death in Alabama. One officer who survived testified he saw Spencer standing in the doorway and shooting in his direction.
Authorities say Spencer was the lone gunman. He also confessed to the crime in a handwritten letter provided by his attorneys this week.
Spencer wrote in the letter: Nathaniel Woods is 100% innocent. I know this to be a fact because Im the person that shot and killed all three of the officers.
Spencer was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. No execution date has been set for him.
Advocates have for weeks called for the governor to intervene. Momentum has been building as Woods sister called on prominent leaders who were set to visit the state to commemorate the 55th anniversary of a civil rights protest march from Selma to Montgomery known as Bloody Sunday.
Pamela Woods (@pamelapwoods)
PLEASE HELP ME SAVE THE LIFE OF MY BROTHER, NATHANIEL WOODS. READ THE FACTS OF HIS CASE AND ASK YOURSELF IF HE SHOULD TO BE EXECUTED ON MARCH 5TH 2020. HELP ME FREE HIM FROM THE INJUSTICE IN ALABAMA! @MeritLaw @shaunking https://t.co/CZIVfyLmGU
Woods supporters also point to a joint investigation between The Appeal and the Alabama Media Group that uncovered several accusations of police misconduct involving Woods case. They argue Woods had insufficient counsel who ignored a trial riddled with errors, including the admission of rap lyrics and police-car drawings found in his cell as he awaited trial.
In a statement released Wednesday, Alabama state attorney general Steve Marshall rejected growing calls to halt the execution, insisting justice is set to be carried out because Woods was correctly found guilty and sentenced to death by a jury of his peers.
The only injustice in the case of Nathaniel Woods is that which was inflicted on those four policemen that terrible day in 2004, the statement read.
Iveys offices did not immediately respond to the Guardians request for comment. The US supreme court turned down Woods appeal last year.
Woodss attorneys have also challenged the 11th US circuit court of appeals over the drugs used to administer the planned execution.