
California Man Found Guilty of Murdering Ex-Girlfriend's Fiancé; Georgia Man Seeks Clemency
Jesse Alvarez found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend's fiancé in California.

Willie James Pye, 59, is facing a scheduled execution in Georgia on Wednesday, where he is set to be put to death using the sedative pentobarbital. Pye was convicted of the November 1993 killing of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. His lawyers are seeking clemency for him, arguing that he is intellectually disabled and expressing remorse for the crime.
Clemency Hearing and Defense Argument
A clemency hearing has been set for Tuesday, and Pye's public defenders have emphasized that he is intellectually disabled with an IQ of 68. They have highlighted the challenges he faced from birth, including profound poverty, neglect, and constant violence in his family home. The defense has argued that these factors foreclosed the possibility of healthy development and have urged for a life sentence verdict instead of execution. Furthermore, Pye's legal team has cited severe problems in the Spalding County justice system in the 1990s and emphasized his positive influence on others while in prison.
Details of the Crime
Pye had been in a relationship with Yarbrough and, along with another individual and a 15-year-old boy, planned to rob the man Yarbrough was living with at the time. The trio forced their way into Yarbrough's house, stole from her, and took her with them, leaving her baby alone. They proceeded to rape Yarbrough at a motel and later ordered her out of the car, where Pye shot her three times before leaving her body on a dirt road.
Legal Proceedings and Defense Arguments
Following their arrest, Pye and the other individual denied involvement in Yarbrough's death, but the teenager confessed and pointed to them. Pye was subsequently found guilty of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and burglary, receiving a death sentence in June 1996. His lawyers have contested the statements made by the teenager and have highlighted Pye's upbringing in extreme poverty, neglect, and abuse, including potential brain damage caused by fetal alcohol syndrome, which they argue impaired his ability to plan and control his impulses. Additionally, they have emphasized his intellectual disability as grounds for ineligibility for execution.
Legal History and Previous Conviction
Pye's legal team has previously argued that he should be resentenced due to inadequate preparation by his trial lawyer for the sentencing phase, an argument that was initially supported by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2021. However, the full federal appeals court overturned that ruling in October 2022. The other individual involved in the crime, Chester Adams, pleaded guilty to several charges in 1997 and is currently serving multiple life prison sentences.
Case Background and Execution Date
The case is scheduled for execution on March 20 at 7 p.m., marking the first execution in Georgia in more than four years. The last execution in the state took place in January 2020.
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