North Carolina executes murderer

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A man convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of an insurance agent 10 years ago was put to death by lethal injection Friday in North Carolina's first execution in more than a year.

Ernest Basden, 50, was pronounced dead at the Central Prison in Raleigh at 2:19 a.m. EST. He said he was sorry and asked for forgiveness in a final statement moments before he was injected.

Basden was the gunman in the murder-for-hire of Billy White, a civic leader and insurance agent. White was shot after he was lured to a deserted road by a conspirator who claimed he wanted to buy a life insurance policy.

After meeting with relatives of Basden and the murder victim earlier this week, Gov. Mike Easley refused a request to grant clemency and reduce Basden's death sentence to life in prison.

"I find no convincing reason to grant clemency and overturn the unanimous jury verdict affirmed by the state and federal courts," Easley said.

Six of the jurors in his 1993 trial recently signed statements saying they would have given Basden a sentence of life without parole if the choice had been offered.

Attorneys for Basden claimed it was unfair that Basden was sentenced to death when two co-conspirators were given life in prison.