Mississippi inmate Charles Crawford executed after 30 years on death row

Charles Crawford, a 59-year-old Mississippi inmate convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 20-year-old community college student in 1993, was executed Wednesday evening by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, officials said. Crawford was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. after more than three decades on death row.

The execution began shortly after 6:00 p.m., and prison officials said Crawford lost consciousness within minutes and was declared dead at 6:15 p.m. Given the opportunity to speak, Crawford addressed his family and the victim's relatives, saying, "To my family, I love you. I'm at peace. I've got God's peace," and added, "To the victim's family, true closure and true peace, you cannot reach that without God." He spent his final day with visits from family and a minister and requested a last meal of a double cheeseburger, French fries, peach cobbler and chocolate ice cream.

Prosecutors say Crawford abducted Kristy Ray from her parents' home in Tippah County on January 29, 1993, left a ransom note and took her to a remote cabin where she was assaulted and killed. Crawford was arrested the next day and told authorities he had blacked out and...