JARRATT, Va., July 23 (UPI) -- Bobby Wayne Swisher was executed by injection in Virginia's death chamber Tuesday night, six years after he kidnapped, raped and killed a young mother.
He slashed her throat and tossed her, still alive, into the frigid waters of the South River, according to court testimony.
Swisher, a 27-year-old high school dropout, was pronounced dead at 9:05 p.m. at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va., as members of his victim's family looked on, according to Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor.
"I hope you can all find the same peace in Jesus Christ as I have," Swisher said in his final statement, the Washington Post reported.
Swisher's execution, scheduled for July 1, was delayed by Gov. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat, to allow defense attorneys to argue before the Virginia Supreme Court that the jury used a verdict form that the court previously found to be defective.
The court said it had no authority to consider the claim.
