R.I.P. Benny Stevens

Roman Colosseum lit to protest an execution

On May 10, 2011, Mississippi executed Benny Stevens, who was convicted of the 1998 killing of his ex-wife Glenda Reid, her husband Wesley Lee Reid, her 11-year old son Dylan Lee and Dylan's friend Heath Pounds.  The incident followed a custody dispute over Stevens' daughter, who was wounded and became a witness for the prosecution.  Stevens' final words were:  "What I've taken from God and you, I can't replace. I'm sorry."

Stevens is the 15th person executed in the United States this year and the first in Mississippi.