Tragically, GFADP and our supporters were not successful in staying the execution of Willie James Pye, who was executed by the state of Georgia on Wednesday, 20 March at 11:03 PM. Below is the documentation of our, and our friends, colleagues, and supporters, great and important efforts to preserve life. Though Mr. Pye's fight did not end favorably, now is the time to fight harder, and to never give up.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2024

Contact: Cathy Harmon-Christian

770-316-8592

charmon-christian@gfadp.org

GFADP Statement on the Execution of Willie James Pye

Last night, We the People of the State of Georgia, killed Willie James Pye.

Mr Pye was an intellectually disabled man with an IQ of 68. The challenges he faced from birth – profound poverty, neglect, constant violence and chaos in his family home – foreclosed the possibility of healthy development. These facts alone should have resulted in a life verdict, with or without parole.

Mr Pye’s  trial in 1996 revealed a racist, overworked public defender, Johnny Mostiler, who effectively abandoned his post, leaving no one and nothing, to stand between his client and death.

The last 28 years have proven what Mr. Mostiler did not: Mr. Pye can be safely contained to prison. In spite of his disability, his circumstances, and a global pandemic that cut him off from the outside world, Mr. Pye did not complain. Mr. Pye thought often of the Yarbrough family and their suffering and would have done anything to repair the tragedy of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough’s loss.

We, the state of Georgia, did not allow restorative justice to happen for the Pye and Yarbrough families as we sought vengeance and political gain instead.

Mr Pye is intellectually disabled and should have been protected by the State from being sentenced to death and executed. Georgia once was the first state in the country to prohibit the execution of persons with intellectual disability -  first by statute, then by judicial decision - but we now stand as the true outlier to all other states in our burden of proof and procedural barriers. The State of Georgia is willing to and does execute those with intellectual disability.

While on death row, Mr Pye has devoted his time to his relationship with God, to being a positive and encouraging presence in the lives of his family, and to trying to make the prison a more pleasant place for those who live and work there alike.

Every execution dehumanizes us, but when it is done to those most vulnerable, it is particularly egregious. We the People of Georgia are responsible for executing Willie Pye.

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GFADP is a Georgia-based, state-wide organization of individuals and groups working together to end the death penalty in Georgia. Our network includes dozens of state and local groups and thousands of individual Georgians, including murder victims’ family members and other survivors of violent crime, law enforcement professionals, families of the incarcerated, and death row exonerations.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2024

Contact: Cathy Harmon-Christian, PhD

770-316-8592

Charmon-christian@gfadp.org

Clemency Petitions Delivery to State Board of Pardons and Paroles

ATLANTA, GA - Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GFADP), disability advocates, racial justice advocates, and members of the faith community will gather at 10am on Monday, March 18th to deliver petitions and letters supporting commutation of the death sentence for Mr. Willie James Pye. 

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles announced it will have a specially called meeting on March 19th, 2024, at 9am, to receive information for or against clemency for Willie Pye. This meeting is not open to the public. 

Gather outside near the corner of Piedmont Ave and Martin Luther King Jr Dr across from the Georgia Capitol Building. 2 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Atlanta, GA 30334. 

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GFADP is a Georgia-based, state-wide organization of individuals and groups working together to end the death penalty in Georgia. Our network includes dozens of state and local groups and thousands of individual Georgians, including murder victims’ family members and other survivors of violent crime, law enforcement professionals, families of the incarcerated, and death row exonerees and their families. www.gfadp.org

Vigils* Scheduled for Mr Pye

March 20, 2024

AMERICUS,GA - KOINONIA FARM

7pm - prayer vigil at Koinonia Farm - 1324 GA Hwy 49 S, Americus, GA 31719

Contact: Elizabeth Dede 

229-591-0114 (c), 229-924-0391 (o)

elizabeth@koinoniafarm.org

ATHENS, GA

6-7p.m - downtown Athens in front of the UGA Arch on East Broad Street.  

Contact: John Cole Vodicka 

612-718-9307

johnvodicka@comcast.net

ATLANTA, GA

6:30pm - meet on the steps of the Georgia Capitol, across from Central Presbyterian, on Washington St

Contact: Kimberly Johnson

205-903-1361 

mtsjohnson@gmail.com

AUGUSTA, GA

6:30-7:30 pm - entrance of the Augusta Judicial Center at the corner of Walton Way and James Brown Blvd (9th St.)

Contact: Ayman Fadel

‭(706) 284-3002‬

afadel97@gmail.com

BLAIRSVILLE, GA

6:30-7:30pm - St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 3717 Hwy 515, Blairsville, GA 30512

Contact: Annie Grace Bassage

206-310-8730

agbassage@gmail.com

CLARKSVILLE, GA

7-7:30pm - silent vigil in the Gazebo on the square in Clarksville

Contact: Helen O’Brien

706-968-2490

helenobrien23@gmail.com

COMER, GA

6-7pm - prayer vigil at Cliff Yarbrough Memorial Park - Comer Quaker worship group is hosting this vigil with the support of Jubilee Partners. 

Contact: Angie Martin

comerquakers@gmail.com

DECATUR, GA

6:30pm -  on Ponce in front of the old Courthouse – intersection of Ponce and Clairmont

Contact: Andrew Johnson

(770) 301-6986‬

ahjohnson113@gmail.com

JACKSON, GA

6:00pm - in front of the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison, where the execution will take place; please bring your photo ID; cars will be searched upon entry to the prison grounds. GA Diagnostic Prison, 2978 Hwy 36 West Prison Blvd, Jackson, GA 30233. 

Contact: Mary Catherine Johnson

‭(404) 273-0621‬

mcjohnson78@yahoo.com

JOHNS CREEK, GA

7pm - Saint Brigid Catholic Church, 3400 old Alabama Road, Johns Creek, GA

Contact: Cathy Schneider

502-592-9123 

cathyschneider123@gmail.com

MACON, GA

6:30pm - on the sidewalk in front of Macon City Hall, 700 Poplar St, Macon 31201

Contact: Karlan Holik

‭(229) 224-8391‬

karlanholik@gmail.com

MARIETTA, GA

6:30-7:30pm - Marietta Square in front of the Marietta Courthouse

Contact: Debby Freel

‭(404) 641-7719‬

debbyfreel@gmail.com

SAVANNAH, GA

5-6PM - meet in front of city hall and stand on the corners of Bull and Bay Street with signs

Contact: Sr Jackie Griffith

872- 205-5862‬

jackiegriffith@comcast.net

*You are welcome to wear t-shirts and carry signs such as GFADP, NOT IN MY NAME, or STOP EXECUTIONS NOW, etc. 

Dear GFADP Supporters, 

The state of Georgia has called for the execution of Willie James Pye on Wednesday, March 20th at 7pm. 

Here are some things I want you to know about Mr Pye and his trial, which took place nearly 28 years ago.  

1. Willie Pye is an intellectually disabled man with a 68 IQ.

2. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the execution of intellectually disabled persons as per Atkins v Virginia in 2002.

3. As we saw with the bill we tried to pass this session - HB 1014 - Georgia is the only state in the nation that requires proof of intellectual disability “beyond a reasonable doubt” to prevent execution. This is an unattainable standard. Had Willie Pye been tried in a state that uses “preponderance of evidence” as a standard of proof, he would have been ineligible for the death penalty.

4. Spalding County, where Willie was tried and convicted in the mid-1990s, sought the death penalty at a far higher rate than counties of comparable sizes and disproportionately against Black defendants.

5. Willie Pye’s trial attorney, Johnny Mostiler, was not only wildly ineffective, but had a long and well documented history of anti-Black racism. A qualified and experienced capital defense attorney would have assembled a team that included a mitigation specialist with the expertise required to conduct a thorough investigation into Willie’s deeply traumatic childhood, intellectual disability, and the pervasive racism in the community in which he was raised. 

We have an opportunity right now to send a message to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to grant clemency and stop the execution of Willie James Pye.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO GRANT CLEMENCY FOR WILLIE PYE

 Georgia is a dangerous outlier with regards to its failure to protect people with intellectual disabilities from the death penalty.

There are three substantial aspects of the case that the jury did not hear during Mr Pye's trial:

1. The jury did not hear that Mr. Pye was raised in an environment of severe poverty, neglect and abuse. The jury heard no evidence of the violence and chaos in his family home, and they heard only a single fleeting reference to the fact that the family was poor.

2. The jury did not hear that Mr. Pye has been helpful and nonviolent while incarcerated and poses no danger to society. The district attorney who prosecuted Mr. Pye argued that the jury must sentence him to death in order to avoid the risk of Mr. Pye killing a prison guard while serving a life sentence. Johnny Mostiler failed to counter this argument with evidence that during Mr. Pye’s previous incarceration, he had been respectful and helpful and “was never menacing, never made any threatening remarks, and helped . . . keep the rest of the unit safe.” Had Mr. Mostiler called prison guards who knew Mr. Pye to testify at sentencing, the jury would have heard this critical evidence.

3. The jury was not presented with evidence that Willie was intellectually disabled and struggled to function in the world. 

For nearly 30 years, Mr. Pye has remained a non-violent presence in jail and prison.

Click here to sign the petition to grant clemency for Willie Pye

Join us today to fight for Mr Pye's right to life. 

Cathy

M Cathy Harmon-Christian, PhD (she/her)

Executive Director

Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GFADP)

charmon-christian@gfadp.org

770-316-8592