Executed. Hasta la vista, creep.
Mississippi death row inmate Burns executedPARCHMAN — Mississippi death row inmate Joseph Daniel Burns, 42, has been executed at the State Penitentiary at Parchman.
His official time of death was 6:50 p.m.
The execution had been delayed this evening while U.S. Supreme Court reviewed a last-minute appeal. The Mississippi Department of Corrections got the word to go forward with Burns' execution shortly after 6 p.m.- around the time Burns was originally scheduled to be executed.
MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps had said earlier in the day that Burns appeared to have accepted that he would be executed tonight.
Burns was convicted in 1996 of the robbery and murder of Mike McBride, 57.
McBride's beaten and stabbed body was found in his residence, adjacent to the Town House Motel's main office.
Burns visited with his three daughters, his mother and his sister, as well as the State Penitentiary chaplain James Whisnant in the hours leading up to his scheduled execution. Burns' mother and his sister witnessed his execution.
He made no request for a last meal but ate turkey and roast beef sandwiches in the afternoon.
About a dozen protesters gathered outside the gates of Parchman in opposition to the death penalty.
MDOC records show Burns had racked up more than 40 infractions while in MDOC custody for the murder of Mike McBride, including violations for a 2000 hunger strike, refusing several drug screenings and possession of illegal items in prison.
Earlier today, the state Supreme County denied Burns' request for a stay, and Gov. Haley Barbour denied a petition for clemency.