Alabama Killer of Elvis Impersonator Seeks Last-Minute Clemency

An Alabama man convicted of the 1998 murder of a world-renowned Elvis Presley impersonator and his ex-wife is seeking clemency days before his scheduled execution.

Jeffrey Lee, 49, is set to be executed on September 17 for the deaths of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson, who were killed during a robbery at the pawn shop they owned. Lee has spent 26 years at Holman Correctional Facility since his conviction.

Lee is appealing to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey for his sentence to be commuted to life without parole. His execution, initially set for June 11, was postponed due to legal challenges.

In 2000, Lee was convicted and initially handed a life sentence for Thompson's murder, but a judge later overruled this to impose the death penalty. Lee had previously chosen death by nitrogen gas over lethal injection when offered the choice in 2018. However, courts later deemed nitrogen executions unconstitutional, and the U.S. Supreme Court barred the method's use for Lee's case.

Lee has expressed remorse for his actions, telling AL.com that he has tried to change and move forward during his incarceration. He cited a difficult childhood marked by poverty, domestic violence, and substance abuse as part of the circumstances that led him to prison, though he stated it was not an excuse for his crimes.

Lee's legal team has also been involved in ongoing disputes over the method of execution. After the nitrogen gas method was blocked, the state proposed lethal injection. Lee's lawyers argued this method could inflict undue pain and suffering, which they claim violates the Eighth Amendment. They even proposed death by firing squad, a method not approved in Alabama. State prosecutors have argued that lethal injection is the state's default method.

Lee also raised concerns about judicial override, a practice that allowed judges to impose the death penalty even if a jury recommended a life sentence. He noted that a new law passed in April 2017 abolished this practice for future cases but was not retroactive, meaning his sentence remained valid. Lee is among 24 inmates on Alabama Death Row whose sentences were the result of judicial override.

Jimmy Ellis gained fame as an Elvis Presley impersonator, performing under the name Orion. A Netflix documentary about his life, titled "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King," was released.

Lee stated that revoking the death sentence would not diminish the severity of crime but would allow prisoners to live out their lives in prison. "Living in prison, that's not an easy thing," he added.