'Tookie' executed after clemency rejected
Convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams has been executed by lethal injection this morning after the US Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay of execution for the former Crips gang leader.
The high court acted just hours before Williams was scheduled to be executed at 12.01am (8.01am UK time) at California's San Quentin State Prison as punishment for murdering four people during 1979 robberies.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger denied clemency yesterday to Williams after the case has generated widespread interest and fierce debate over the death penalty in the United States.
Williams, 51, has written a series of books warning young people against gangs and says he has found redemption.
His supporters argued he should have been spared so that he could continue his anti-gang work from behind bars.
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