In brief
Blaine Milam, condemned to death for the 2008 murder of his girlfriend's daughter, is set to be executed in Texas. He contends that he is innocent and attributes the crime to his girlfriend's mental state. This execution occurs amid ongoing national discussions around capital punishment and the reliability of forensic evidence.
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man faces execution Thursday for killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter during a torturous ordeal the couple claimed was part of an “exorcism” to expel a demon from the child's body.
Blaine Milam, 35, was condemned for the December 2008 murder of Amora Carson at his trailer in Rusk County, East Texas. Milam is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Milam has maintained his innocence, alleging that his then-girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, was responsible for the killing, presenting her as the one who believed the girl was possessed by a demon. Carson was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors described Milam's actions as brutal, stating he savagely beat the child with a hammer, along with other acts of violence over a 30-hour period. A forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy reported that the child had multiple skull fractures and numerous injuries.
Less than six hours before the scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected all of Milam’s appeals, which claimed reliance on discredited bite mark evidence and argued that he is intellectually disabled and ineligible for execution.
Milam’s lawyers contend that Carson was delusional and initiated the violence against her daughter. However, the Texas Attorney General’s Office pointed out crucial evidence tying Milam to the crime, including a confession he reportedly made to a nurse post-arrest.
If the execution occurs, it will mark the fifth execution in Texas this year. Concurrently, discussions regarding fairness in the capital punishment process continue across the nation, notably the ongoing scrutiny of forensic practices.
