Tennessee puts Stephen West to death by electric chair
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennessee inmate Stephen West, found guilty of kidnapping and fatally stabbing a woman and her 15-year-old daughter in 1986, was executed on Thursday by way of the electric chair, state officials announced.
The 56-year-old also had been convicted of raping the teen.
West was pronounced dead at 7:27 p.m., according to the Tennessee Department of Correction.
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“The death sentence of Stephen West was executed by means of electrocution on Aug. 15, 2019, in accordance with the laws of the state of Tennessee,” a statement sent to Fox News from the department read.
The sentence was carried out at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. West's last meal: a Philly cheesesteak and french fries.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This booking photo released by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Stephen West. (The Associated Press)
West had denied he was a killer, saying his then-17-year-old accomplice killed 51-year-old Wanda Romines and her 15-year-old daughter, Sheila Romines. West was 23 at the time.
The juvenile co-defendant received a life sentence, with parole possible in 11 years.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denied the death row inmate’s clemency application, which said West had been taking powerful medication to treat mental illness. Lee made the decision late Tuesday afternoon.
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Four inmates have been executed in Tennessee since August 2018. Two died by lethal injection, and two chose the electric chair, saying it would be a quicker and less painful way to die than the three-drug method.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.