Tennessee executes man for 1988 rape and murder of college student.

Tennessee executed Harold Wayne Nichols by lethal injection for the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Pulley, a student at Chattanooga State University. Nichols confessed to the crime and expressed remorse, stating he would have continued his violent behavior if not arrested. Pulley’s sister described the wait for his execution as “37 years of hell.” Nichols declined to choose an execution method, and his attorneys raised concerns about the state’s lethal injection protocol. Tennessee has 45 inmates on death row and three people have been granted clemency in the state.

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