Miss. killer denied last-minute stay
“He said he had no remorse and felt that after 21 years he had paid for it,” Epps continued. “He understood the question and that was the answer he gave.”
Berry finished his last meal about 4:35 p.m. and was given a sedative. He elected not to take his last shower and has not made any phone calls today. However, his mother, brother, sister-in-law and two friends visited him earlier today.
“I used to be his case manager. So, I’ve been knowing him for a while,” Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said earlier. “He’s pretty serious now.
“He’s not grinning like he was in October.”
In October, when Berry originally was scheduled to die by lethal injection, his execution was halted at the last minute.
Berry said today “he is 99.9 percent sure he will be executed,” Epps said.
Earlier Wednesday, Daryl Neely, policy adviser for Gov. Haley Barbour, read Berry the governor’s letter denying a stay of execution.
“I find no justification to grant your clemency,” a portion of the letter said. Berry “visibly shook” and was close to tears, Neely said.
Clarion Ledger
5/21/8
Magnolia Tribune
