Second U.S. Execution of the Year Carried Out in Texas
A Texas man convicted of murdering a pastor during a robbery at a church was executed Wednesday evening, marking the second execution in the U.S. this year. Steven Lawayne Nelson, 37, received a lethal injection at the Huntsville state penitentiary and was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. CST.
Nelson was convicted of the 2011 killing of Rev. Clint Dobson, a 28-year-old pastor at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington. Dobson was beaten, strangled, and suffocated with a plastic bag. The church’s secretary, 67-year-old Judy Elliott, was also brutally attacked but survived.
Final Moments Before Execution
Shortly before the execution, Nelson repeatedly told his wife, Helene Noa Dubois, that he loved her and was grateful. Dubois, who had recently married Nelson while he was in prison, was allowed to bring a white service dog into the witness area.
“It is what it is,” Nelson said, adding, “Enjoy life.”
As the sedative pentobarbital was administered, Nelson told Dubois, “Let me go to sleep.” He then said the word “Love,” gasped twice, and appeared to try to hold his breath before his body trembled and went still. He was pronounced dead 24 minutes later.
Victims’ Families Respond to Execution
Dobson’s family released a statement choosing to focus on the pastor’s memory rather than his killer.
“As a family, we have chosen to take this day to focus on the great memories we have of Clint rather than giving time to his killer,” the statement read. “Steven Nelson forever changed our lives, but he has never occupied our minds.”
Bradley Elliott, son of the surviving church secretary, said his family had forgiven Nelson.
“I hope that today, as Mr. Nelson took his last breath, he was greeted by the same loving and gracious Savior that has stood by us through all we have been a part of,” Elliott said.
Nelson’s Conviction and Legal Appeals
Nelson had a long history of legal trouble dating back to childhood. His defense argued that he had only been a lookout during the robbery and blamed two other men for the pastor’s killing. However, trial evidence—including his fingerprints, pieces of his broken belt at the crime scene, blood on his sneakers, and surveillance footage—implicated him as the primary assailant.
While awaiting trial, Nelson was also indicted for the murder of a jail inmate, but he was never tried for that charge after receiving a death sentence.
Nelson’s attorneys attempted multiple appeals, arguing that he received poor legal representation and that other suspects’ alibis were not properly challenged. However, both state and federal courts denied his appeals. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected a stay of execution on Jan. 28, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene just hours before the execution.
More Executions Scheduled in Texas
Nelson’s execution was the first in Texas this year, with three more scheduled before the end of April. The next is set for Feb. 13, when Richard Lee Tabler is scheduled to be executed for the 2004 killing of a strip club manager and his friend.
