This week in 2006

“I sincerely apologize to the families of Josie Curry, Michael Gregory, and James Riddle. I am very sorry for the pain that my actions caused to them. Hopefully, my decision to have this sentence carried out, without delay, will help you understand the sincerity of my apology, and will provide you with some closure. To those of you who have expressed forgiveness to me, I thank you. For those of you who have been unable or unwilling to forgive me, I pray that today will provide you with the peace you deserve.”

— David Mark Hill, convicted of murder, lethal injection, South Carolina.
Executed June 6, 2006

Hill, according to a South Carolina Supreme Court filing, “was convicted of three counts of murder after he walked into the Aiken County Department of Social Services office building on September 16, 1996, and shot and killed three employees,” after losing custody of his children. The next morning, according to the document, Hill “was found lying on the railroad tracks behind the building with his gun nearby. He had a bullet hole through the roof of his mouth and an exit wound in the top of his skull.

Although he was seriously injured, [Hill] was able to speak” and “admitted to the shootings.”