Jeremy Williams, 42, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday in Alabama for the 2021 rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland. His death marked Alabama's first execution of 2026 and occurred on the same day as executions in Tennessee and Oklahoma, the first triple execution in the United States in 16 years.
Williams was convicted of offering Kamarie's mother $2,500 to perform a sex act on the child, then sexually abusing and strangling her. Prosecutors stated he filmed the attack and kept the girl's body. Her body was found concealed beneath a car tarp in his Phenix City, Alabama, duplex.
According to Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, Williams had requested his execution be moved up to avoid harsh prison conditions. "He didn't want to look over his shoulder for 30 years, in my opinion," Taylor said. In his final words, Williams stated, "I want to thank God for forgiving me for my sins so I can meet him in peace." He was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.
Russell County district attorney Richard Chancey described Kamarie's final moments as "horrific," adding, "That baby didn't die in peace," in reference to Williams's last words.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued a statement after the execution, asserting that the nature of Williams's crimes underscores the necessity of the death penalty.
Kamarie's mother is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sex trafficking charges. Williams was also a suspect in the 2005 death of his infant daughter in Alaska, though charges were not filed until 2022.
In Tennessee, 66-year-old Byron Black Hines was executed by lethal injection for the 1985 murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins. Hines had brutally raped, robbed, and stabbed Jenkins to death while she was cleaning a room. Her body was discovered wrapped in a bedsheet with knife wounds, and her car keys and wallet were stolen. Hines surrendered to police and was sentenced to death in 1986. He asked for his son to be told hello in his last words and was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m.
In Oklahoma, 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was executed for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher, in their Oklahoma City home. Fisher was reportedly planning to leave the relationship when Cuesta-Rodriguez shot her in one eye, then waited eight minutes before firing a fatal shot into her other eye. Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond stated, "He made her suffer because she dared to live beyond his control." Cuesta-Rodriguez had expressed regret for the killing and sought no clemency, apologizing to his victim's daughters at his clemency hearing. He mouthed "I love you" to two relatives watching before being declared dead at 10:13 a.m.
Alabama's execution was the first triple execution on the same day since January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas carried out executions. In 2025, eleven states conducted executions, and six states have had executions so far in 2026.