BRANDON Bernard has been executed hours after Kim Kardashian spoke with him for the last time and cried "all morning" as his final hour approached.
The 40-year-old was executed on Thursday at a federal prison facility in Terre Haute, Indiana for the 1999 killing of youth ministers Todd and Stacie Bagley.
Kim revealed the details of her heartbreaking conversation with Brandon, who was only 18 at the time of the crime, and expressed on Twitter how "messed up" she was over his death.
She also called for criminal justice reform, tweeting: "This just has to change: our system is so f****ed up."
Follow our Kim Kardashian live blog for the latest news, gossip and entertainment from the Kardashian clan.
BRANDON’S LAST CONVERSATION WITH KIM
Before Bernard's execution, Kardashian West tweeted that she'd spoken to him earlier.
She said: “Hardest call I've ever had. Brandon, selfless as always, was focused on his family and making sure they are ok.
“He told me not to cry because our fight isn't over.”
Just before the execution was scheduled, Bernard's lawyers filed papers with the Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution.
But the high court denied the request, clearing the way for the execution to proceed.
KIM KARDASHIAN ‘SO MESSED UP’ AFTER EXECUTION
The reality TV star and mum-of-four tweeted: “I'm so messed up right now,” the mother-of-four tweeted. “They killed Brandon. He was such a reformed person.
“So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.
“As he was in the chair his attorney called me and they just had their last call and said this… Brandon said he loves you and wants to say thank you again. He said he doesn't feel too claustrophobic in the chair.”
Kardashian West added: “This just has to change.”
WHAT DID KIM SAY ABOUT THE CONVICTION?
Kim told Twitter, despite Bernard being convicted with four others over the killing of couple Todd and Stacie Bagley in Killen, Texas, in 1999, he did not play a leading role.
She said: “While Brandon did participate in this crime, his role was minor compared to that of the other teens involved, two of whom are home from prison now.
“In fact, Brandon was not a part of the initial carjacking that took place and was stunned when the robbery turned into a homicide with one of the other teens shooting both Todd and Stacie in the head.”
She said he made “the terrible decision to comply” with the other teens by setting their bodies alight.
Kim added: “Although all five teens were black, 11 of the 12 jurors were white. This, coupled with the misleading and incomplete information the jury was given.”
WHAT WAS THE PETITION TO HELP SAVE BRANDON BERNARD?
Kim Kardashian West shared a thread on Twitter calling for an end to Brandon Bernard's death row sentence, and posted a link to an official petition.
The form allows signatories to fill in their details and send their support of the campaign to President Donald Trump.
It asks for Bernard to live out the rest of his sentence in prison, and not be executed by lethal injection at an Indiana prison.
Kim ends it by urging her 67million followers “to let President Trump know that you think Brandon's death sentence is unjust” by signing the petition.
A terrible case has been brought to my attention and I need your help. Without it, on December 12th Brandon Bernard is going to be executed for a crime he participated in as a teenager.
BRANDON BERNARDS LAST MOMENTS REVEALED
Bernard lay on a cross-shaped gurney with IV lines running into both arms.
He looked back when a US marshal picked up a phone and asked if there were any reasons not to proceed.
Bernard reacted calmly as the marshall put down the phone and said the execution could proceed.
A minute after the lethal injection, his eyes slowly closed and he barely moved again.
About 20 minutes later, faint white blotches appeared on his skin and someone entered from a chamber door, listened to his heart, felt for a pulse, then walked out.
Seconds later, an official said Bernard was dead.
MURDER VICTIM’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER WATCHING EXECUTION
Todd Bagleys mother, Georgia, spoke to reporters within 30 minutes of the execution, saying she wanted to thank Trump, Attorney General William Barr and others at the Justice Department.
Without this process, she said, reading from a statement, my family would not have the closure needed to move on in life”.
She called the killings a senseless act of unnecessary evil”.
But she stopped reading from the prepared text and became emotional when she spoke about the apologies from Bernard before he died.
She said: “The apology and remorse … helped very much heal my heart.
“I can very much say: I forgive them.”
WHY DID KIM KARDASHIAN CAMPAIGN TO STOP BRANDON BERNARD'S EXECUTION?
Kim Kardashian, who has secured the release of almost two dozen prisoners, asked her 67.7million followers to back the campaign to stop Bernard's execution.
The reality star revealed on the day of his execution that she “lost it” during their last conversation, which happened just hours before he was put to death.
The lawyer-in-training described the heartbreaking conversation in an Instagram story as the “hardest call I've ever had.”
She revealed Bernard confided in her that he was offered a sedative to calm his claustrophobia ahead of his execution.
Moments after the news of his death, Kim called for criminal justice reform, saying: “our system is so f**ked up.”
WHAT DID BRANDON BERNARD DO?
Bernard was convicted with four others over the murder of couple Todd and Stacie Bagley in Killen, Texas, in 1999.
He was only 18 years old at the time and did not have a leading role in it, attorneys say.
The group, all teenagers at the time, held the Bagleys at gunpoint and robbed them before shooting them.
They then placed their bodies in the trunk of their car and torched it.
A federal jury found Bernard guilty in 2000 of two counts of murder and he was then placed on death row.
WHO WAS BRANDON BERNARD?
Texas man Brandon Bernard, 40, was a federal inmate who was executed on December 10 at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
He was involved in the killing of two youth ministers, Todd and Stacie Bagley, in 1999 with a group of teenage boys.
Advocates for Bernard say that both prosecutors and jurors had an incomplete picture of Bernard and his background at the time of his conviction.
‘I’M SORRY’ – BRANDON’S LAST WORDS
He directed his last words to the family of the couple he played a role in killing, speaking with striking calm for someone who knew he was about to die.
“I'm sorry,” he said, lifting his head and looking at witness-room windows.
“That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.”
As he spoke, he showed no outward signs of fear or distress, speaking lucidly and naturally.
He spoke for more than three minutes, saying he had been waiting for this chance to say he was sorry not only to the victims' family, but also for the pain he caused his own family.
Referring to his part in the killing, he said: “I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t.”
AOC CALLS FOR END TO DEATH PENALTY
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for an end to the death penalty in the US.
After hearing the news of Brandon Bernard's execution on Thursday, the Democrat delivered her message in four simple words: “Abolish the death penalty.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON DEATH ROW IN INDIANA?
Executions resumed in summer 2020 after having stopped for 17 years.
Bernard's execution would be the ninth by the federal government since the Trump administration resumed implementing capital punishment in July.
WHERE WAS THE EXECUTION?
The execution took place at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana on December 10, 2020.
Advocates called on Donald Trump to commute Bernard’s sentence to life in prison because he was only 18 years at the time of the crime.
Among these, Kim Kardashian called for the black father not to be executed.
A petition to stop Brandon Bernard from receiving the death penalty also circulated on social media.
WHAT TIME WAS BRANDON BERNARD EXECUTED?
Brandon Bernard was put to death by lethal injection on December 10 and was pronounced dead at 9:27pm CT.
He reportedly addressed the families of his victims, Todd and Stacie Bagley, through the glass window, telling them: “I'm sorry.”
“That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day,” he added.
According the Death Penalty Information Center, Indiana codes establish that the execution of a death row inmate must take place before sunrise on the execution day.
DAUGHTER OF MLK JR ECHOES KIM'S CALLS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
The youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr has echoed Kim Kardashian's calls for criminal justice reform following the execution of Brandon Bernard on Thursday night
Bernice King called to end the death penalty moments after congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared the same sentiments after the news of Brandon's death broke.
“We must abolish the death penalty brandonbernard,” she tweeted.
'BRANDON'S LIFE MATTERED'
Brandon Bernard's attorneys described the “righteous anger and deep sadness” that many of the prisoner's advocates – including Kim Kardashian – feel following his execution on Thursday night.
In a statement shared on Twitter by The New York Times, the 40-year-old's lawyers said “he never stopped feeling shame and profound remorse” for killing youth ministers Todd and Stacie Bagley in 1999.
“Brandon's execution is a stain on America's criminal justice system. But I pray that even in his death, Brandon will advance his commitment to helping others by moving us closer to a time when this country does not pointlessly and maliciously kill young Black men who pose no threat to anyone,” they wrote.
'HUGE THANK YOU'
Kim Kardashian has revealed that one of Brandon Bernard's final wishes was for her to give his advocates a “huge thank you” for “supporting him in any way.”
He also gave young people a warning: don't hang out with the wrong crowd, a message Kim said Brandon believed was most important to say before he took his last breath.
“He was certain he was gonna have the chance to tell you all himself and write you all letters but he told me to tell you all how grateful he is for you!” she told her 193 million Instagram followers on Thursday.
'BRANDON SAID HE LOVES YOU'
Kim Kardashian revealed that Brandon Bernard's attorney called her as he was sitting in the chair waiting to die on Thursday.
“Brandon said he loves you and wants to say thank you. He said he doesn't feel too claustrophobic in the chair,” the attorney said.
The reality tv star, who had been fighting for his sentence to be commuted, called for criminal justice reform, saying: “This just has to change: our system is so f***ed up.”
As he was in the chair his attorney called me and they just had their last call and said this…
Brandon said he loves you and wants to say thank you again
He said he doesn’t feel too claustrophobic in the chair. 💔— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
“THEY KILLED BRANDON”
Kim Kardashian tearfully mourned the loss of Brandon Bernard moments after he was put to death in Indiana on Thursday night.
The reality star, who had been tirelessly campaigning for his sentence to be commuted by President Donald Trump, tweeted about how she was “messed up” by the news of his execution.
In a lengthy twitter thread, she described how the 40-year-old inmate had become a “reformed person” who was “hopeful until the end, ” someone who learned “not to hang out with the wrong crowd.”
“More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others,” she said.
🕊🕊🕊
🕊🕊🕊I’m so messed up right now.
They killed Brandon.
He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
BRANDON BERNARD EXECUTED
Brandon Bernard has died.
The federal government put the 40-year-old federal prisoner to death by lethal injection at 9:33pm CT on Thursday in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Brandon was put to death just hours after his devastating final call with Kim Kardashian, who said that she “lost it” after the black dad revealed he was offered a sedative to calm his nerves.
Get the full story here.
BRANDON'S EXECUTION UNDER WAY
The Supreme Court has denied the stay of execution for Brandon Bernard, CBS has reported.
Witnesses to his execution were headed to watch the federal inmate be put to death at around 8:35pm, but according to CBS, they weren't told definitively whether they were going to the death chamber
KIM SAYS SHE 'LOST IT' DURING LAST CHAT WITH BRANDON
Hours ahead of Brandon Bernard's pending execution on Thursday, Kim Kardashian West revealed that she “lost it” during her final conversation with the black inmate hours.
The lawyer-in-training opened up about the “hardest call” she's ever made in an Instagram story, in which she said Brandon confided that he was offered a sedative to calm his nerves before his execution.
“When he told me he’s claustrophobic and they offered to give him a shot of Sedative to calm him down before they put him in the chair and he just didn’t want to panic, I literally lost it,” Kim tweeted.
Read the full story here.
When he told me he’s claustrophobic and they offered to give him a shot of Sedative to calm him down before they put him in the chair and he just didn’t want to panic, I literally lost it. I had to mute my phone so he wouldn’t hear me cry like that 😭
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 10, 2020
BRANDON IS ON THE MOVE
WITNESSES ON THE MOVE
'I PRAY THAT BRANDON WILL NOT BE KILLED TONIGHT'
Anti death penalty activist Helen Prejean says she is praying that Brandon Bernard will not be killed tonight.
Bernard was supposed to have been led to the execution gurney at 6pm (11PM GMT) but this has not yet happened.
She said: “As of a few minutes ago, brandonbernard is alive and still on the phone with his legal team.
“He has not been taken into the execution chamber.
“I pray that Brandon will not be killed tonight and that this is not a cruel short extension of time.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXN1bi5jby51ay90dmFuZHNob3diaXovMTM0MjgxNzYva2ltLWthcmRhc2hpYW4tbGl2ZS1sYXRlc3QtYnJhbmRvbi1iZXJuYXJkLWV4ZWN1dGlvbi1uZXdzLWxhd3llci_SAXRodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVzdW4uY28udWsvdHZhbmRzaG93Yml6LzEzNDI4MTc2L2tpbS1rYXJkYXNoaWFuLWxpdmUtbGF0ZXN0LWJyYW5kb24tYmVybmFyZC1leGVjdXRpb24tbmV3cy1sYXd5ZXIvYW1wLw?oc=5
2020-12-11 11:36:53Z
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