Alabama to Proceed With Lethal Injection for Convicted Killer

WHO:

NBC News - Lee was 21 when he entered Jimmy’s Pawn Shop on December 12, 1998, with his brother and cousin.

NBC News - Helen King was another employee who was wounded during the robbery.

NBC News - Jeffery Lee, 49, is the convicted killer scheduled for execution.

NBC News - Jimmy Ellis, an acclaimed Elvis Presley impersonator, and his ex-wife Elaine Thompson were the victims of Lee's crime.

NBC News - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey set a new execution date for Lee.

NBC News - State Attorney General Steve Marshall stated he is prepared to see Lee's lawful sentence carried out.

NBC News - U.S. District Judge Emily Marks agreed that Alabama could execute Lee by lethal injection.

WHAT:

NBC News - Lee's execution is scheduled for Thursday evening, following a legal challenge regarding the method of execution.

NBC News - Lee's legal team has returned to the Supreme Court to stop his execution via lethal injection, arguing that the state is not complying with the Constitution.

NBC News - The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts’ rulings that block Alabama from using its nitrogen hypoxia protocol in a 6-3 split decision.

NBC News - Lee's lawyers stated, “After losing twice in federal court, Alabama now revives the very lethal injection method it promised to abandon.”

NBC News - Lee has asked to die by firing squad as an alternative execution method, although Alabama does not authorize it.

NBC News - Lee's legal team has returned to the Supreme Court to stop his execution via lethal injection, arguing that the state is not complying with the Constitution.

NBC News - Alabama intends to execute Jeffery Lee by lethal injection.

NBC News - Lee was initially set to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia, which was blocked by the Supreme Court.

NBC News - Lee's execution is scheduled for Thursday evening.

NBC News - Lee has been on death row for nearly three decades.

NBC News - Lee fatally shot two people during a pawnshop robbery in 1998.

WHERE:

NBC News - The execution is set to take place at the state prison in Atmore, Alabama.

NBC News - The pawnshop robbery occurred near Selma, Alabama.

WHEN:

NBC News - Lee was found guilty in 2000.

NBC News - Lee's execution is scheduled for a Thursday evening.

WHY:

NBC News - Lee's legal team argues that Alabama is trying to "outrun" the Constitution by not adhering to the previously agreed-upon execution method.

NBC News - Lee's lawyers argue that the state should apply the method he chose in a way that does not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

NBC News - The Supreme Court's ruling was based on concerns that nitrogen executions may violate the Eighth Amendment.

HOW:

NBC News - Lee's legal team has argued that nitrogen executions induce “conscious suffocation” that is cruel and unusual because it adds terror and pain during the execution.

NBC News - Lee was initially set to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia, a method where a person breathes nitrogen gas and is deprived of oxygen.

NBC News - Alabama has executed seven inmates using nitrogen gas since early 2024.

NBC News - Lee's legal team has returned to the Supreme Court to stop his execution via lethal injection.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 23:58 UTC)

Lee's execution is set for Thursday evening, but his legal team is making a last-ditch effort to stop it by returning to the Supreme Court, claiming that Alabama is not following constitutional guidelines. They argue that the state is attempting to "outrun" the Constitution by reviving a lethal injection method it had previously promised to abandon after losing twice in federal court. Additionally, the lawyers contend that nitrogen executions could cause "conscious suffocation," which they describe as cruel and unusual due to the added terror and pain involved.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 13:07 UTC)

Lee, who was just 21 when he entered Jimmy’s Pawn Shop with his brother and cousin in 1998, is now facing execution and has requested to die by firing squad, a method not authorized by Alabama. His legal team has returned to the Supreme Court, claiming that the state is not adhering to constitutional standards and arguing that the lethal injection method could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. They contend that nitrogen executions would cause “conscious suffocation,” adding unnecessary terror and pain to the process.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 11:59 UTC)

Jeffery Lee, a convicted killer who has been on death row for nearly three decades, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection at the state prison in Atmore, Alabama, on Thursday evening. Lee was found guilty in 2000 for fatally shooting acclaimed Elvis Presley impersonator Jimmy Ellis and his ex-wife Elaine Thompson during a pawnshop robbery in 1998. While Lee's lawyers are challenging the execution method, arguing it may violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, Alabama's Attorney General Steve Marshall has stated he is prepared to see Lee's lawful sentence carried out.