EAST TEXAS (KYTX) -- Survivors of a convenience store robbery and murder learn the man convicted for the crime will not be executed Thursday. Beunka Adams was sentenced to execution Thursday for the
EAST TEXAS (KYTX) -- A 29-year-old Cherokee County man is dead. Beunka Adams was executed at 6 p.m. tonight for his involvement in a 2002 gas station robbery where he killed a man and raped and shot two women.
The victims' families are still looking for closure.
Adams left his holding cell inside the Huntsville prison unit for the last time at 6:03 pm Thursday. The drugs started flowing at 6:16. They stopped at 6:20. At 6:25 Adams was dead.
Victim's families walked out in silence.
Protestors claimed the state had killed an innocent man.
"For people to be saying he's innocent, watch out. Because you're going to be in a situation like I'm in."
Nikki Ansley is one of Adams' two victims who lived.
"It's not like I will lay my head down tonight and sleep peacefully."
"This is the bravest person I know. Right here."
Nikki's dad, David, left the execution surprised.
"I didn't get as much satisfaction as I thought I would get," he said.
"He asked for forgiveness..."
Nikki told us she gave it to him. That's something Don Vandiver's son Kenneth can't do. He's the one who died when Adams pulled the trigger.
"I would have lived to see him go through some of the pain he inflicted on Nikki," Vandiver said.
Before the lethal injection Adams made a statement.
It ended quote, "I am sorry for the victim's family. Murder isn't right. Killing of any kind isn't right. Got to find another way."
After that, Nikki remembered what Kenneth Vandiver said before he died at Adams' hands.
"They shot me.They got me."
Beunka Adams last statement:
First, I want to let my mom know not to cry, there is no reason to cry everybody dies. Everybody has there time, don't worry about me. I'm strong. To my family, my old man, my kids, daddy is sorry. I love each and every one of you. I'll be looking for you. To my wife I love you, the last two years have been the best. All my kids, mom, nieces and nephews I am proud of all of ya'll. I love each and every one of ya'll. I really love ya'll.
To the victims, I'm very sorry for everything that happened. I am not the malicious person that you think I am. I was real stupid back then. I made a great many mistakes. What happened was wrong. I was a kid in a grown mans world. I messed up and I can't take it back. I wasn't old enough to understand. Please don't carry around that hurt in your heart. You have to find a way to get rid of the hate. Trust me, killing me is not going to give you closure. I hope you find closure. Don't let that hate eat you up, find a way to get passed it.
Linda, I love you, I appreciate you. I hate the way things turned out. Ms. Sheri, thank you. To the victims again, I hate the way all of this happened to ya'll. I don't think any good will come of this. I am going to see ya'll again. I love ya'll, be strong for me. Keep your heads up. I came in the world strong. I'll leave the world strong. Warden, go ahead. I am sorry for the victim's family, murder isn't right; killing of any kind isn't right. Got to find another way.
UPDATE (6:38) pm -- At approximately 6:25 pm, Beunka Adams was pronounced dead due to lethal injection.
We have a reporter at the press conference where we will hear from the family of Adams and the family of the victim, Nikki Ansley.
We will have more information as details become available.
UPDATE (4:20 p.m.) - The lethal injection of Beunka Adams is scheduled as originally planned after the U.S. Supreme Court denied the requested stay by his attorneys.
The execution will take place shortly after 6 p.m.
Adams is being executed for the 2002 kidnap and murder of Kenneth Vandever from a Rusk convenience store during a robbery. He also kidnapped and shot two women but both survived the incident.
On Monday, April 23rd, a federal Texarkana judge stopped the lethal injection of Adams due to his attorneys contending that he did not have adequate legal representation at his trial and in the early stages of his appeals.
The 5th Circuit agreed Wednesday with the arguments from the Texas Attorney general's office and lifted the stay of execution.
UPDATE (April 26, 2012 1:17 p.m.) - The execution of Beunka Adams, the East Texas man convicted of the 2002 murder of Kenneth Vandever, will take place Thursday evening around 6 p.m.
Adams kidnapped Vandever and two women from a Rusk convenience store during a robbery and shot them in a field in Alto 10 years ago. Both women survived the incident.
On Monday, April 23rd, a federal Texarkana judge stopped the lethal injection of Adams due to his attorneys contending that he did not have adequate legal representation at his trial and in the early stages of his appeals.
The 5th Circuit agreed Wednesday with the arguments from the Texas Attorney general's office and lifted the stay of execution.
UPDATE (April 25, 2012 1:54 p.m.) - The reprieve given this week to Beunka Adams, who was sentenced to execution Thursday for the 2002 murder of Kenneth Vandever, has been lifted by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals today.
Adams kidnapped Vandever and two women from a Rusk convenience store during a robbery and shot them in a field in Alto 10 years ago.
On Monday, April 23rd, a federal Texarkana judge stopped the lethal injection of Adams due to his attorneys contending that he did not have adequate legal representation at his trial and in the early stages of his appeals.
Rick Thaler filed a motion the next day to vacate the stay of Adams's execution.
The 5th Circuit agreed Wednesday with the arguments from the Texas Attorney general's office stating, "For the following reasons, we VACATE the district court's grant of stay of execution; we DISMISS Adams's successive federal habeas petition; and we DENY his motion for a stay of execution."
UPDATE (3:01 p.m.) - KYTX CBS 19's Field Sutton speaks with one of the survivors of a convenience store robbery and murder to find out how she feels about the man who committed the crime not being executed tonight at 6.
EAST TEXAS (KYTX) -- Survivors of a convenience store robbery and murder learn the man convicted for the crime will not be executed Thursday.
Beunka Adams was sentenced to execution Thursday for the 2002 murder of Kenneth Vandever. Vandever and two women were abducted from a Rusk convenience store by Adams and shot in a field in Alto.
The two women survived including Nikki Ansley.
CBS 19 spoke to the Ansley family in Rusk tonight.
Nikki's mother says the Texas Department of Criminal Justice notified the family Adams execution has been stayed.
Nikki's mother, Melinda, says the family has never spoken out after all these years until now and the family feels violated.
The Ansleys will be making a public statement tomorrow. We will have a crew with the family.
