Execution Report: Edward Busby

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A jury convicted Busby of capital murder in November 2005 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in May 2008.

Kathleen Latimer was sentenced to life in prison in February 2006. She remains in custody as of this writing. She could be eligible for parole in 2034, when she would be 69 years old.

Busby's appellate lawyers raised claims that he was intellectually disabled and that his court-appointed attorney had rendered ineffective assistance. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing on these claims and denied them in June 2018.

Busby had previously been scheduled for execution in 2020 and again in 2021. Both scheduled execution dates were lifted on orders related to his appeals. The 2021 stay was based on an intellectual disability claim.

On the day before Busby's actual execution, the Fifth Circuit issued a stay of execution pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in another case with an intellectual disability claim. The Supreme Court lifted the Fifth Circuit's stay about two hours after Busby's execution had been scheduled to begin.

In his last statement, Busby addressed the witnesses who attended on his victim's behalf. "Sir, Ma'am, I am so sorry," he began. "I ask that you please, please don't hate me and that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for the part that I played in what happened to her. Ms. Crane was a lovely woman. I never meant anything bad to happen to her. I am so sorry, I am so, so sorry, but I fell asleep and don't know what happened." Busby continued in this vein, repeating that he was sorry and asking for forgiveness. He also urged his sister to "please surrender your life to God and change."

"I'm here now because this is the will of God, and I'm going home to be with Jesus," Busby said in conclusion. "I will see you on the other side. Glory be to God; all praises be to my Father God. I'm ready, Warden." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 8:11 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 26 May 2026.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, fox4news.com.