Man Hammered Elder Couple to Death; Executed in Alabama after 20 Years using Lethal Injection after Heinous Robbery and Murder Conviction
A man from Alabama was executed on Thursday for the brutal murders of an elderly couple in 2004. The couple was tragically beaten to death and robbed of a small amount of money and medication.
A 50-year-old individual named Jamie Ray Mills was executed by lethal injection at 6:26 p.m. This marks the second execution in the state and the sixth in the country so far this year. There are still more executions scheduled for the remainder of 2024, with two additional ones taking place in Alabama.
Mills, who consistently proclaimed his innocence, was put to death for the murders of Floyd and Vera Hill, an elderly couple who were brutally beaten to death in June 2004 at their residence in Guin, approximately 80 miles northwest of Montgomery.
According to a statement from the Hill family read at a news conference following the execution, our family has been seeking justice for the past 20 years. “Justice has been served.”
Jamie Mills gathered with his two brothers, sister, sister-in-law, and a spiritual advisor prior to his execution on Thursday. Several family members and Mills’ attorney were present to witness the execution.
Mills, who was restrained on a gurney and had a clear view of his witnesses through a large window, expressed his love for his family in his final words, as reported by Roney.
He shared a final moment of prayer with his spiritual advisor, exchanged a knowing glance, and confidently acknowledged his witnesses with a thumbs-up gesture. He gave a gesture of approval to his family members multiple times before he lost consciousness as the drugs for the execution took effect.
A guard performed a consciousness check at 6:14 p.m., seven minutes into the execution, by touching and pinching the individual to determine if they were still breathing. According to Roney, at that point, he was breathing very shallowly.
“Witnesses were visibly emotional during the execution,” Roney said. The individual’s apparent last breath occurred at 6:16 p.m., however, the official declaration of death was made at 6:26 p.m.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall stated that Mills’ assigned punishment of death by lethal injection is highly justified.
Following the execution, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey expressed in a statement that Jamie Mills had faced the consequences for his heinous crimes and that his guilt was beyond doubt.
On June 24, 2004, Jamie Ray Mills and his wife JoAnn approached a couple and requested to use their phone. The couple, being kind-hearted, allowed them to use it. However, shortly after, they were subjected to a brutal attack, as documented in court records.
Court records detail a violent altercation in which Jamie Mills allegedly assaulted Floyd Hill using various weapons, including a ball peen hammer, a tire tool, and a machete. A group of women, on their way to the house, suddenly heard a startling sound and quickly changed direction.
According to court records, Jamie Mills proceeded to assault Vera by striking her in the back of the head with a hammer, repeatedly hitting her until she collapsed to the ground.
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Floyd Hill passed away immediately, while Vera Hill fought for her life for a few additional months, succumbing to complications resulting from the incident.
Law enforcement apprehended the Mills the next day as they were preparing to depart their residence in a vehicle containing the stolen items from the Hills and the suspected murder weapons.
According to prosecutors, the Mills allegedly spent the night prior to the tragic incident under the influence of drugs, specifically methamphetamine. It is claimed that the couple, driven by their desire for more money to support their drug habit, made the unfortunate decision to target the Hills, who were believed to have cash hidden in their residence.
