The federal government executed a man who was found guilty of sexually abusing his 2-year-old daughter for weeks before beating her to death.
Alfred Bourgeois, 56, was executed Friday evening becoming the tenth federal inmate put to death since executions resumed in July after a 17-year hiatus, according to The Associated Press. Bourgeois reportedly denied committing the crime up until the moment he received a lethal injection.
“I ask God to forgive all those who plotted and schemed against me, and planted false evidence,” he said in his last words, according to The AP. “I did not commit this crime.”
Bourgeois was pronounced dead at 8:21 p.m. at a Terre Haute, Indiana, federal prison, according to The AP. Relatives of the 2-year-old girl expressed relief in a joint statement Friday, which called Bourgeois a “monster.” (RELATED: Democrats Mourn Executed Man Who Set Two Youth Ministers On Fire)
“None of us thought she would return from [visiting Bourgeois] in a casket,” it said, according to The AP. “It should not have taken 18 years to receive justice for our angel.”
In March 2004, a jury found Bourgeois guilty of murder and unanimously recommended the death penalty, according to a Nov. 20 Department of Justice (DOJ) statement. His conviction and sentence were affirmed on appeal.
Attorney General William Barr, pictured in December 2019, ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons in July 2019 to resume executions. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
“Bourgeois systematically abused and tortured her — including by punching her in the face, whipping her with an electrical cord, and burning the bottom of her foot with a cigarette lighter,” the DOJ statement said.
“While backing his truck up to a loading dock, his daughter tipped over her training potty,” the statement continued. “Bourgeois became enraged and repeatedly slammed the back of her head into the truck’s window and dashboard, killing her.”
Meanwhile, Bourgeois’ lawyers argued that he should be exempted from the death penalty because of his low IQ, The AP reported. They argued he should be classified as intellectually disabled. (RELATED: Justice Department Plans To Execute 5 Death Row Inmates Before Biden’s Inauguration)
The Supreme Court denied a request to delay the execution on Friday in a 7-2 ruling, according to Bloomberg Law reporter Jordan Rubin. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented echoing the intellectually disabled argument.
Sotomayor wrote that the execution should be delayed to give further time to investigate Bourgeois’ argument.
“I would therefore resolve this open legal issue before sanctioning Bourgeois’ execution,” Sotomayor wrote.
On Friday, Democrats criticized the decision to execute Brandon Bernard, 40, who set two youth ministers on fire in 1999. Bernard was 18-years-old at the time of the crime.
Attorney General William Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to resume administering capital punishment in July 2019, according to The DOJ.
“The Justice Department upholds the rule of law — and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system,” Barr said.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.