Muffled comments were heard, then the condemned killer asked, "Should I lean my head down a little bit?" as prison officials searched for a vein to pump in the lethal chemicals.
They finally found one in Michael Eugene Elkins' neck, and the deadly mix of drugs began flowing. He was pronounced dead Friday at 12:58 a.m., nearly an hour after he entered the death chamber.Elkins' body had become swollen from spleen and liver problems, which made finding a vein difficult, said his lawyer, Kevin Bell.
Elkins, 41, was convicted of robbing and stabbing 59-year-old Patricia Whitt eight times after she stopped to help him and another man who feigned car trouble along I-95 near the Georgia state line.
"My life for hers is a poor trade, but it's all I could offer," Elkins said in a final statement read by Bell at 12:40 a.m.