Alabama set to execute inmate who dropped appeals and requested death

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has scheduled the execution of 55-year-old James Osgood for April 24 by lethal injection. Osgood was convicted of the 2010 rape and murder of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors say Osgood and his girlfriend sexually assaulted Brown before slashing her throat.

In July 2024, Osgood dropped his appeals. He wrote in a letter to his attorney, “I no longer feel as if I’m even existing. I’m tired. I want to complete my sentence.” The letter was included in court records when he requested to end his legal challenges.

James Osgood was initially convicted in 2014 and sentenced to death. However, an appeals court threw out the sentence in 2016, ruling that improper instructions were given to jurors. In 2018, he requested the death penalty, stating his belief in "an eye for an eye," but later renewed his appeals before ultimately withdrawing them last year. His girlfriend received a life sentence after pleading guilty.

Two weeks ago, Governor Ivey granted clemency to another death row inmate, Robin "Rocky" Myers, commuting his sentence to life in prison. She stated that she was "not so convinced of his guilt as to approve his execution.