Bernard was pronounced dead by the Vigo County Coroner at 9:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
A federal court in West Texas sentenced Bernard to death in 2000 for his role in the murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley near Killeen Texas. The couple was carjacked after leaving a church, they were thrown the trunk of their car and shot to death.
Bernard’s co-defendant Christopher Vialva was executed September 24 th for shooting the Bagleys. Bernard’s attorneys say their client showed up to the murder scene after Vialva killed the Bagleys, and was ordered by Vialva to burn the vehicle.
“God will forgive our sins, but the consequences of our sins will always play out,” the victims’ family said in a statement. “My family would like to thank President Trump, Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice.
“I’m sorry” Bernard said as he gave his final statement from a gurney shortly before his lethal injection. “That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.”
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian appealed to President Trump to commute Bernard’s sentence to life in prison. Bernard’s attorneys argued that their client wasn’t aware that Vialva intended to kill the couple. Three other men who participated in the crime were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences.
“Many things went wrong to put Brandon on death row, including egregious government misconduct in concealing evidence and misleading the jury, which the courts refused to remedy. Before Brandon’s execution, five of the jurors who sentenced him to death said they no longer stood by that verdict,” said Bernard defense attorney Rob Owen.
Alfred Bourgeous, who was sentenced to death for murdering his daughter in 2002, is scheduled to be executed December 11 th, at the United States Penitentiary.
President Trump is the first President in 130 years to conduct federal executions despite losing the general election last month.
