NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Updated Story (8/15/19 8:31 p.m.): Stephen West, a Union County death row inmate convicted in an East Tennessee double-murder in the 1980s, has died after the State of Tennessee executed him at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections confirmed West had died at 8:27 p.m. EDT by means of electrocution.
Original Story (8/15/19 7:40 a.m.):
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee inmate who says his accomplice was the one who fatally stabbed a mother and her 15-year-old daughter in 1986 is scheduled to die in the electric chair.
The execution of 56-year-old Stephen West is scheduled for Thursday evening at a Nashville prison.
West was also convicted of raping the teen.
West has denied he's a killer, saying his then-17-year-old accomplice killed 51-year-old Wanda Romines and her 15-year-old daughter, Sheila Romines. West was 23 at the time. The juvenile co-defendant received a life sentence, with parole possible in 2030.
In a court filing, the state has said West was sentenced to die for "brutally stabbing to death" the two victims.
Gov. Bill Lee denied West's clemency application, which also said West has been taking powerful medication to treat mental illness.
The Tennessee Dept. of Corrections said West was given his final meal of a Philly cheesesteak and French fries at 4 p.m. Thursday. He is set to die by electrocution at 7 p.m. CDT, and a media conference from witnesses to the execution will follow Thursday night.
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