Georgia inmate executed

JACKSON, Ga., May 6 (UPI) -- Convicted murderer William Earl Lynd was put to death in Georgia Tuesday evening after the state Supreme Court rejected a stay of execution.

Lynd, convicted of the 1988 kidnapping and murder of his girlfriend, Ginger Moore, was declared dead at 7:51 p.m., USA Today reported.

He was the first inmate in the United States executed since the Supreme Court ruled that lethal injection is constitutional, WALB-TV in Albany, Ga., reported. States had stayed executions since last fall pending the high court's ruling.

Before his execution at the penal facility in Jackson, Lynd requested a last meal of two pepper jack barbecue burgers with crisp onions; two baked potatoes with sour cream, bacon and cheese, and one large strawberry milkshake.

The death sentence was carried out the day after the state Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to grant him clemency.

Lynd had confessed to police he and his girlfriend had consumed Valium, marijuana and alcohol and argued. Lynd shot her two times in the head, stuffed her body in the trunk of his car and shot her again.

The Supreme Court recently ruled the most common method was not unconstitutional, cruel and unusual punishment, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Late last week, the Georgia Supreme Court asked lawyers to address questions about evidence presented during Lynd's trial. His attorneys contended some evidence was flawed.