Georgia executes man for 1982 murder conviction

ATLANTA, July 15 (UPI) -- Georgia has executed John Wayne Conner for beating J.T. White to death in 1982 over a remark about Conner's girlfriend.

Conner was given a lethal injection at 12:29 a.m. Friday in the record sixth execution in Georgia this year. Conner's execution came a day after the 34th anniversary of his conviction.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay just before midnight, hours after the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected a clemency request. Conner's lawyers had argued to take his violent upbringing into account in their appeals. Conner's execution, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., was postponed until all appeals had been exhausted.

Conner was convicted of killing J.T. White in 1982. The men had spent an evening at a party but wanted to continue drinking in Conner's house. They sought a ride to a liquor store from a neighbor who refused.

On the way back to Conner's house, the pair got into a fight when White said he wanted to have sex with Conner's girlfriend. Conner, who was 25 at the time, beat White, who was 29, with a quart bottle and an oak tree branch.

Conner left White in a ditch and returned to his house to leave town with his girlfriend. Before leaving, Conner stopped by the ditch one more time to make sure White was dead. Conner beat him with a tree limb and stabbed him with a stick. Conner and his girlfriend were arrested the following day.

Conner also pleaded guilty to another killing about three months after he was sentenced to death.

Conner has requested 10 pieces of fried catfish, 10 hush puppies, two triple deluxe bacon hamburgers, two pints of vanilla ice cream and one sliced raw onion as his last meal.