A vigil is planned in Athens to oppose a scheduled execution of a Georgia inmate. Barring a stay or pardon, Willie J. Pye is scheduled to die by lethal injection Wednesday, March 20 at 7 pm at the state prison in Jackson. Opponents are gathering at the UGA Arch on Broad Street at 6 pm Wednesday for a mostly silent, hour-long vigil. John Vodicka is one of the vigil organizers. He says community members are invited to attend to stand in opposition to capital punishment and Pye’s pending execution.
Willie Pye has been on Georgia’s death row for almost 30 years. His supporters say he is intellectually disabled with an IQ of 68. If put to death, he will be the 77th person executed in Georgia since 1983.
