Death row killer Steven Nelson’s haunting last words as he’s executed in front of wife and dog after strangling pastor

Killer Steven Nelson delivered 3 haunting past words earlier helium was executed successful beforehand of his woman and dog.

The inmate killed Reverend Clint Dobson wrong the NorthPointe Baptist Church successful Arlington, Texas, successful 2011.

Nelson was convicted of beating, strangling, and suffocating Dobson to decease with a integrative bag.

On Wednesday night, Nelson, 37, was executed by lethal injection successful Texas State Penitentiary astatine Huntsville.

His wife, Helene Noa Dubois, held up her achromatic bull terrier Doron to the model into the witnesser country arsenic Nelson was killed.

Nelson told Helene, a French pistillate who helium had met arsenic a pen pal: "Give Monkey a hug for me"

"I'm not scared, it's acold s**t successful here. But I'm astatine peace, I'm acceptable to beryllium astatine home."

“It is what it is,” helium said, earlier helium told Helene she should “enjoy life”.

Nelson past said 3 chilling words earlier the execution began.

"Let's ride, Warden."

As the lethal dose of Pentobarbital was injected into Nelson's veins, helium told his woman "Let maine spell to sleep".

He tried to accidental the connection "love", gasped twice, and past appeared to effort and clasp his breath.

Nelson past trembled for a fewer seconds earlier helium stopped moving.

He was officially announced dormant 24 minutes later.

Jeff Hood, Nelson's spiritual advisory, said his pal "fought to the precise end".

Nelson had spent much than a twelve years connected Death Row successful Texas earlier helium was executed astatine Huntsville - 75 miles northbound of Houston.

Nelson claimed helium was guiltless of the sidesplitting and had lone been a lookout successful the 2011 decease of Reverend Dobson.

He claimed astatine proceedings that helium waited extracurricular the religion for astir 25 minutes earlier going successful and seeing that Dobson and the caput had been beaten.

But grounds recovered Nelson's fingerprints astatine the scene, pieces of his breached belt, and drops of the victims' humor connected his shoes.

Investigators besides said the 2 men Nelson blamed for the onslaught had elaborate alibis.

He is the 2nd idiosyncratic successful the US to beryllium executed successful 2025 and the archetypal of 4 Texas inmates scheduled for decease successful the adjacent 3 months.

In a connection pursuing the execution, Dobson's household said they were focusing connected the memories of Clint.

They said: “Steven Nelson everlastingly changed our lives, but helium has ne'er occupied our minds. … We miss Clint each day.

"We miss his laughter and his wit, his proposal and his emotion for us.”

During the 2011 attack, the church’s secretary, Judy Elliott, 67, was besides severely beaten but survived.

Her son, Bradley Elliott, besides released a connection saying: "I anticipation that contiguous arsenic Mr. Nelson took his past enactment that helium was greeted by the aforesaid loving and gracious Savior that has stood by america done each we person been a portion of.”

“Mr. Nelson, we forgive you and anticipation to spot you erstwhile we are called location from here.”

Nelson was a laborer and precocious schoolhouse dropout with a agelong past of ineligible occupation and arrests that started arsenic aboriginal arsenic property 6. 

While awaiting trial, Nelson was indicted successful the sidesplitting of different jailhouse inmate.

He was ne'er tried connected that complaint aft his blameworthy verdict and decease sentence.

Before his execution helium told AFP astir the acquisition of waiting connected decease row.

He said: "You're waiting to beryllium enactment to death.

"So that benignant of breaks a small portion of you each day… You conscionable don't privation to bash nothing."