UPDATED: Andrew Howard Brannan Executed Tonight for the 1998 Murder of a Laurens County Deputy Sheriff

State & National

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Andrew Howard Brannan Executed Tonight for the 1998 Murder of a Laurens County Deputy Sheriff
The lawfully ordered execution of Andrew Howard Brannan for the 1998 murder of a Laurens County deputy sheriff was carried out this evening at 8:33 pm at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, Ga. The sentence was carried out after the United States Supreme Court denied Brannan’s request for a stay of execution at approximately 7:45 pm.

From the office of the Supreme Court of Georgia:
Atlanta, January 13, 2015 – In a 6-to-1 decision, the Supreme Court of Georgia has denied a stay of execution for Andrew Howard Brannan, who is scheduled to be put to death tonight by lethal injection at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, GA.

Brannan, 66, was convicted of shooting and killing 22-year-old Laurens County Deputy Sheriff Kyle Dinkheller in January 1998 after Dinkheller stopped Brannan for speeding on Interstate 16.

In addition to denying Brannan’s motion for a stay of execution, the Court has denied his request to appeal this morning’s Butts County court order dismissing his claim that in light of “evolving standards of decency,” it is unconstitutional to execute a person who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of serving in combat. Brannan served in the Vietnam War.

All the Justices concurred in today’s ruling except Justice Robert Benham, who dissented, and Justice David Nahmias, who did not participate.

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