Texas Man Executed After He Fatally Beat 13-Month-Old Girl During ‘Exorcism’

A Texas man was executed after he fatally beat a 13-month-old girl during what he claimed to be an “exorcism” to expel a demon from the child’s body.

Blaine Milam was previously found guilty for the murder of Amora Carson at his trailer in Rusk County in East Texas in December 2008. Sixteen years after the murder, he is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, September 25, at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Alabama, according to ABC News.

Milam, 35, has insisted he’s innocent and blamed his then-girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, for the baby’s death. According to ABC News, he alleged that she was the one who claimed the girl was possessed by a demon.

Carson, 35, was tried separately from Milam and was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after she was convicted of capital murder for her help in the killing. Both Milam and Carson were 18 years old at the time of the crime.

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Prosecutors say Milam beat the girl with a hammer, as well as bit, strangled and mutilated her body. “Amora was subjected to unspeakable violence over the course of 30 hours,” prosecutors wrote in court filings about her injuries, per Fox News.

The forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy found that the child had multiple skull fractures, as well as broken arms, legs, ribs and numerous bite marks following the attack. During the trial, the pathologist said he was unable to determine a specific cause of death because the girl experienced so many injuries.

Milam’s attorneys previously asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution, arguing that his conviction was partially based on “now-discredited” bite mark evidence and other unreliable DNA evidence. His attorneys also argued he is intellectually disabled, which would make him ineligible for execution.

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In a petition to the Supreme Court, Milam’s lawyers claimed Carson experienced religious delusions and suffered from a neurological visual-perception disorder that made him believe the girl was possessed.

“It was Carson who caused her daughter’s death. There is no credible evidence that Milam played any role in it,” Milam’s lawyers said, per ABC News.

However, Milam’s legal team’s efforts to prevent his execution have been denied in the past. He was previously scheduled to be executed in 2019 and 2021, though they delayed the process as courts reviewed the claims.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ultimately concluded that Milam should move forward with the execution, according to Fox News and The Texas Tribune. Additionally, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied his legal team’s claim for clemency.

The execution officially took place after Milam was given a lethal injection, according to the Associated Press.