Last night - Thursday, December 10 - the federal government executed 40-year-old Brandon Bernard for his role in a 1999 double murder that took place when he was 18 years old.
As reported by the New York Post, Bernard was put to death by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, despite many calls for clemency.
Bernard had been held on death row since his sentencing back in 2000, after the then-teenager was involved in a robbery that resulted in the deaths of Todd and Stacie Bagley on the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas.
In his final words, Bernard apologized for his part in the crime, telling media witnesses:
"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."
One person who lobbied for Bernard's death sentence to be overturned was federal prosecutor Angela Moore - who had once successfully fought off an appeal by Bernard to try and have his conviction and sentence overturned.
Per CBS News, when asked why Moore had changed her mind, she said it was "the legal reasons, aside from my own personal beliefs, it's the evidence and what we have found out since".
"Mr. Bernard did not shoot and kill the victims in this case," Moore added. "He was not the person who planned this robbery gone wrong."
The Post adds that more than 500,000 people signed petitions urging President Trump to commute Bernard’s sentence - thanks in part to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who has previously successfully lobbied President Trump on past criminal justice reform issues.
Prior to Bernard's death, Kardashian tweeted:
"Brandon Bernard, a 40-year-old father is going to be executed tomorrow by our federal government.
"Having gotten to know Brandon, I am heartbroken about this execution. I’m calling on @realDonaldTrump to grant Brandon a commutation and allow him to live out his sentence in prison."
In another tweet, the 40-year-old stated: "Most of the time executions happen, in our names, without a lot of attention given to them. This is unacceptable.
"For the next 24 hours I will be tweeting about Brandon and his case and why his life should be spared by
@realDonaldTrump".
However, after learning that her attempts to have Bernard's execution overturned had failed, Kardashian tweeted to her fans that she was "so messed up".
In a series of tweets, Kardashian wrote to her 67.9 million followers:
"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."
She continued: "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.
"Brandon wanted me to tell every single person who worked on his behalf supporting him in any way a huge thank you.
"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!
"His main message that he learned in his life was to not hang out with the wrong crowd. That was so important to him that he shared that with the youth. It got him caught up and he made poor choices."
Kardashian ended her thread by saying: "I could go on and on about what an amazing person Brandon was. I do know he left this earth feeling supported and loved and at peace.
"This just has to change: our system is so f***ed up."
Per the New York Post, Bernard was among five teenagers convicted of abducting Todd and Stacie Bagley - which then led to one of the teens, then-19-year-old Christopher Vialva, shooting the couple who were in the trunk of their car. Bernard then lit the car on fire.
Vialva was also sentenced to death, and was executed back in September.
The other three teens were under 17 at the time of the crime and avoided the death penalty.
Five jurors in Bernard’s trial supported his petition for clemency.
Following Bernard's execution, his lawyers said in a statement: "Brandon made one terrible mistake at age 18.
"But he did not kill anyone, and he never stopped feeling shame and profound remorse for his actions in the crime that took the lives of Todd and Stacie Bagley."
Meanwhile, per the Daily Mail, the mother of victim Todd Bagley, Georgia Bagley, read a written statement following the execution, saying that she forgave Bernard and that his apology "helped very much to heal [her] heart".
The families of both Todd and Stacie Bagley also thanked Donald Trump for allowing the execution to go ahead.
.jpg_7GrJVM?tr=h-184)