A Texas man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter in what prosecutors described as a 30-hour “exorcism” has been executed.
Blaine Milam, 35, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday inside the state penitentiary in Huntsville. His execution marked the fifth carried out in Texas this year, per the Daily Mail.
Milam was sentenced to death for the 2008 killing of toddler Amora Rose Carson, who prosecutors said was subjected to severe abuse before her death inside Milam’s trailer home.
Final words focused on faith
From the gurney, Milam (who reportedly left school in the 4th grade, per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice) gave a final statement urging people to accept Christianity: “If any of you would like to see me again, I implore all of you no matter who you are to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and we will meet again.”
He added (via AP News): “I love you all. Bring me home, Jesus.”
Witnesses said he let out a gasp as the lethal drug pentobarbital began to flow, then fell silent after a few minutes.
Appeals rejected despite disability claims
Milam’s legal team had long argued that he suffered from an intellectual disability, which under US law should have prevented his execution. He twice received last-minute reprieves in 2019 and 2021 to allow courts to review his case, per the Texas Tribune.
But after years of appeals, judges ruled he was mentally competent, and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously denied him clemency earlier this week.
Details of horrific abuse
Court documents revealed the disturbing extent of the violence inflicted on Amora. She was found with multiple skull fractures, broken bones, and bite marks. A pathologist testified that there were so many potentially fatal injuries that it was impossible to determine a single cause of death.
Prosecutors said Milam used a pipe wrench during the assault and claimed he and his girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, were performing an “exorcism” to drive a demon from the child.
Carson, who was 18 at the time, was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Prosecutor: ‘Justice for the most helpless’
Rusk County District Attorney Micheal Jimerson, who prosecuted the case, witnessed Thursday’s execution. He said afterward: “We will never know what Amora would have contributed to our world. Answering the call for justice for the most helpless is a measure of a civilized people.”
The child’s grandfather, Richard Mutina, also attended but declined to speak publicly.
Two executions in one night
Milam’s execution came just hours before Alabama carried out the death sentence of Geoffrey West, who was put to death using nitrogen gas for killing a gas station worker during a 1997 robbery, per CBS News.
The two cases brought the total number of executions in the United States this year to 33. Florida currently leads the nation, with a record 12 executions in 2025.