Nathaniel Woods has been executed in Alabama for the murder of three Birmingham police officers in 2004, despite his co-defendant, Kerry Spencer, pleading Nathaniel's innocence and activists protesting his execution on social media. According to the states corrections department, Woods was pronounced dead at 9:10pm local time on Thursday, and did not give a final statement. Back in the summer of 2004, police stormed the apartment complex where Woods and Spencer were suspected of dealing drugs. Three officers were shot and killed and another was wounded, and both Woods and Spencer were convicted of capital murder the following year and were both sentenced to death.
However, Spencer has insisted that Woods did not partake in the shooting and subsequent deaths of any of the officers. "Nathaniel Woods is 100% innocent," Spencer penned in a letter from death row shared by his lawyers. "I know this to be a fact because I'm the person that shot and killed all three of the officers. I pray that my words don't fall on blind eyes or deaf ears. Don't allow another innocent man to be executed if you can do something to put a stop to it. This is my most fervent prayer." Activists have rallied behind Woods and protested his unjust sentence for years, but in the weeks prior to his scheduled execution on Thursday evening, the support for Woods grew immensely on social media. Woods' lawyers, backed by many concerned civilians, petitioned Alabama Gov. Kay to stay the execution and commute sentence. However, despite a temporary halt ordered by the Supreme Court mere minutes before his execution was slated, the request was ultimately denied. He was executed by lethal injection on Thursday at 42 years old.