Texas executes James Broadnax for 2008 double murder

James Garfield Broadnax has been executed in Texas for the 2008 robbery and murders of two men outside a Christian recording studio in Garland, state officials said. He maintained his innocence in his final statement.

Broadnax, 38, was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He was convicted of killing Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan outside Zion Gate Records, a music studio in Garland, northeast of Dallas.

Butler, an aspiring Christian singer and father of two, and Swan, who worked for him, were shot and killed during a robbery outside the studio in 2008. Broadnax and his cousin Demarius Cummings were both 19 at the time.

Broadnax told FOX 4 in a 2008 jailhouse interview that he and Cummings had taken a DART train to Garland intending to “rob somebody,” saying they were looking for “rich white folks.” The robbery netted only $2, according to KDFW.

Broadnax admitted to the shooting in the interview and expressed no remorse when asked what he would say to the victims’ families, KDFW reported. His case drew renewed attention after Cummings last month claimed he was the one who pulled the trigger.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to intervene earlier this month despite Cummings’ claim, according to KDFW. Broadnax’s execution moved forward on Thursday.

“To the family I prayed for years that any of my choices would create heaviness in your heart and burdens on your spirits,” Broadnax said in his final statement. “I prayed to God for your forgiveness. Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered.”

“But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I’m innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself period,” he said. “Let this moment be what finally sparks the revolution that will be televised, none of it was worth it.”