Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. government on Tuesday executed a former U.S. soldier who killed a Georgia nurse after the Supreme Court denied his request for a stay of execution.
William LeCroy, 50, became the sixth federal inmate to be put to death this year. The U.S. government resumed carrying out federal executions in July after a 17-year hiatus.
LeCroy was sentenced to die for the 2001 carjacking, rape and murder of Joann Tiesler. He told police he believed Tiesler to be his old babysitter, who he said sexually molested him, but later determined that to be untrue.
He also said he killed her because he believed doing so would lift a spell she put on him. He had become obsessed with witchcraft after leaving the military.
Defense lawyers sought a new trial for LeCroy, saying his original counsel didn't inform the jury about issues related to his mental health and childhood that might have spared him the death penalty.
LeCroy was executed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind.
