Mississippi executes Thomas Loden for raping, murdering teen

A death row inmate who confessed to violently raping and killing a teen stranded on the side of a rural road in Mississippi was put to death by lethal injection, marking the second execution in the state in the last 10 years.

Thomas Loden Jr. was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. on Wednesday at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, officials said. He had been on death row since 2001, after he pleaded guilty to capital murder, rape and four counts of sexual battery in connection with the killing of Leesa Marie Gray.

Gray was just 16 years old and gearing up for her senior year of high school when she was murdered the night of June 22, 2000. She was on her way home from a waitressing shift at her uncle’s restaurant when she became stranded on the side of the road and eventually crossed paths with Loden.

Loden, a Marine Corps recruiter staying with relatives in the area, said he became angry after Gray allegedly said she would never want to be a Marine. He then forced her inside his van, where he sexually assaulted and raped her for more than four hours and then strangled her, he later told investigators.

The next day, authorities discovered Loden lying on the ground with the words “I’m sorry” carved into his chest, and other “apparent self-inflicted lacerations on his wrists.” according to court documents.

Prior to his execution, Loden said he was “deeply remorseful.”

“For the past 20 years, I’ve tried to do a good deed every single day to make up for the life I took from this world,” Loden said. “If today brings you nothing else, I hope you get peace and closure.”

His final words were “I love you” in Japanese.

With News Wire Services