[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----SOUTH CAROLINA

[Rick Halperin]

June 6



SOUTH CAROLINA----execution//volunteer

SC executes man who murdered 3 Social Services worker


A man who gunned down 3 people in a Department of Social Services office
in 1996 was executed by lethal injection Friday.

David Mark Hill was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. in the state's death
chamber in Columbia.

Hill went on the shooting spree after his wife asked for a divorce and a
social worker accused him of molesting a child. He lost custody of his
children and blamed state workers. Killed were case worker Jimmy Riddle,
52; Josie Curry, 35; and Michael Gregory, 30.

The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year the 48-year-old could drop
his appeals and be executed.

Hill's lawyer, David Miller, read a statement from Hill that said he was
sorry for the killings and hoped his victims' relatives would find peace.

"Hopefully, my decision to have this sentence carried out without delay
will help you understand the sincerity of my apology and will provide you
with some closure. To those of you who have expressed forgiveness to me, I
thank you. For those of you who have been unable or unwilling to forgive
me, I pray that today will provide you with the peace you deserve," said
Miller, reading from the statement.

When the attorney finished speaking, a tube that ran from Hill's
outstretched left arm to the wall behind his head began to move and liquid
could be seen flowing through it. Two minutes later, Hill's breathing
became labored and he then took one large gasp, his chest heaving upward.
Hill's mouth then dropped open and, within a minute, color drained from
his face.

Relatives of the victims sat in the front row of the viewing area outside
the death chamber. They declined to comment.

A handful of death penalty protesters held a vigil outside the prison
where the death chamber is housed.

Hill becomes the 1st condemned inmate to be put to death this year in
South Carolina, and the 38th overall since the state resumed capital
punishment in 1985.

Hill becomes the 5th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the
USA and the 1104th overall since the nation resumed executions on January
17, 1977.

(sources: Associated Press & Rick Halperin)