Alabama Killer Apologizes as He's Put to Death

An Alabama man who dropped his appeals and said he deserved to die for the rape and murder of a woman in 2010 was put to death Thursday evening. James Osgood, 55, was pronounced dead following an injection at a south Alabama prison, authorities said. A jury in 2014 convicted Osgood of capital murder in the death of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors said Osgood cut her throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her. Strapped to a gurney and wearing a tan prison uniform, the AP reports, Osgood apologized for the crime in his last words. "I hadn't said her name since that day," Osgood said, adding he wasn't sure if he should say it. "Tracy, I apologize," he said.

As the execution process began, Osgood looked toward family members seated in a witness room and cried quietly as he lost consciousness. Tracy Brown, 44, was found dead in her home on Oct. 23, 2010, after her employer became concerned when she did not show up for work. Osgood's girlfriend, who was Brown's cousin, was sentenced to life in prison. The jury found Osgood guilty after about 40 minutes of deliberation and unanimously recommended the death sentence. "She didn't deserve this. No one does," said Trish Jackson, the victim's sister-in-law, per USA Today. "She was very loved. ... She deserved to have the greatest life and flourish." (More Alabama stories.)