Brandon Bernard, who was put on death row for his involvement in a burglary-turned-murder in 1999, was executed on Thursday, December 10, after Kim Kardashian made an appeal to President Donald Trump to allow Bernard to stay his sentence in prison.
via: OK! Magazine
The Supreme Court denied the last-minute appeal from his legal team and Bernard was given a lethal injection of phenobarbital at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Bernard used his final words to apologize to the families of Todd and Stacie Bagley and said “I’m sorry.”
“That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.”
???
???I’m so messed up right now.
They killed Brandon.
He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
Brandon wanted me to tell every single person who worked on his behalf supporting him in any way a huge thank you. He was certain he was gonna have the chance to tell you all himself and write you all letters but he told me to tell you all how grateful he is for you!
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
The most important thing to him that he said was a gift to his mom, sister, daughters and family was the validation the public support gave to his family. His family knew him inside and knew he wasn’t his mistake he made as a teenager but he was sad his family felt shame.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
With the public support he felt the shame could go away and it validated him to his family that the world also knew he was better then his teenage self.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
Georgia Bagley, who is Todd’s mother said that the apology “helped very much to heal my heart” and forgave Bernard, but “It has been very difficult to wait 21 years for the sentence that was imposed by the judge and jury on those who cruelly participated in the destruction of our children to be finally completed.”
Five of the nine jury members regret their verdict in the case, and even federal prosecutor Angela Moore had a change of heart, and wrote in an op-ed that there’s more understanding now on how an 18-year-old brain is not fully developed.
NEW: a divided SCOTUS denies execution stay for Brandon Bernard.
He’ll be the ninth federal inmate executed this year and the second of the lame-duck period.
The next federal execution, Alfred Bourgeois, is scheduled for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MmXAnyBONQ
— Jordan Rubin (@Jordan_S_Rubin) December 11, 2020
In November, Kardashian shone light on the case again and said that Bernard’s role was minor and he was “stunned when the robbery turned into a homicide with one of the other teens shooting both Todd and Stacie in the head.”
“The gunman then turned to Brandon, gun still in hand, and told him to light the car Todd and Stacie lay in on fire to destroy the evidence.
“Brandon believed both were dead, though Stacie was not, and was fearful for his own life, so he made the terrible decision to comply.”
Bernard was a member of the 212 Piru Bloods gang, and gunman Christopher Vialva, was executed by lethal injection earlier this year.
Statement from Brandon's lawyer, Rob Owen. This legal team fought hard to tell his story. They cared immensely about Brandon. Along with his family, friends, and countless others, they are grieving him tonight. pic.twitter.com/Yrzg9ZXDG7
— Liliana Segura (@LilianaSegura) December 11, 2020
Bernard’s lawyers dubbed the execution a “stain on America’s criminal justice system.”
“Brandon made one terrible mistake at age 18. But he did not kill anyone, and he never stopped feeling shame and profound remorse for his actions in the crime,” attorney Robert C. Owen said.
Yes. We must abolish the death penalty— period.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 11, 2020
Both Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted later that the death penalty should be abolished, and model Bella Hadid said she “Can’t stop crying. This is so f**ked up.” While Senator Ted Cruz hit out at the Democrats for “siding with this vicious murder.”
Bernard was the ninth federal inmate to face the death sentence since July after Trump ended a 17-year hiatus on federal executions. Trump could have granted Bernard clemency after the Supreme Court ruling but did not take action, and has not acknowledged the execution publicly.
Executions need to eliminated, the whole criminal justice system needs more than reform it needs to be reestablished.
