Mississippi executed Charles Ray Crawford, 59, on Wednesday evening for the 1993 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 20-year-old community college student Kristy Ray. Crawford was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. following a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.
Crawford had spent more than 30 years on death row. His execution came just months after the state executed its longest-serving death row inmate, reflecting a nationwide rise in executions this year.
Crawford’s Final Words
Given the opportunity to speak before his death, Crawford said,
“To my family, I love you. I’m at peace. I’ve got God’s peace. I’ll be in heaven.”
He also addressed the victim’s family, adding,
“To the victim’s family, true closure and true peace—you cannot reach that without God.”
Witnesses reported the process began at 6:01 p.m. Crawford took deep breaths, was declared unconscious by 6:06, and stopped breathing shortly afterward.
The 1993 Murder of Kristy Ray
Crawford abducted Kristy Ray from her parents’ home in Tippah County, northern Mississippi, on January 29, 1993. When Ray’s mother returned home, she found her daughter missing, her car gone, and a ransom note on the kitchen table.
That same day, investigators found a second ransom note—crafted from magazine cutouts—inside the attic of Crawford’s former father-in-law’s house. Law enforcement quickly identified Crawford as a suspect and arrested him the next day while he claimed he had been on a hunting trip.
Crawford later told authorities he had blacked out and did not remember killing Ray.
Prior Crimes and Convictions
At the time of Ray’s murder, Crawford was days away from standing trial for a 1991 attack, in which he allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl and struck her friend with a hammer.
Despite his claims of memory loss, juries convicted him in both cases. His prior rape conviction served as an aggravating factor that allowed jurors to impose the death penalty for Ray’s murder.
Legal Battles and Supreme Court Appeal
Over three decades, Crawford repeatedly tried—and failed—to overturn his death sentence. His attorneys made a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that his trial lawyers admitted his guilt against his wishes and pursued an insanity defense he explicitly rejected.
Minutes before the execution, the high court declined to intervene.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing that Crawford’s Sixth Amendment rights may have been violated.
Sotomayor referenced a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that bars defense lawyers from overriding a defendant’s clear decision not to admit guilt. She argued that, under that precedent, Crawford could have been entitled to a new trial—but the court declined to decide whether the 2018 ruling applied retroactively.
“The Court refuses to resolve that question, even though a man’s life is in the balance,” Sotomayor wrote.
In September, the Mississippi Supreme Court dismissed Crawford’s appeal, stating he had filed too late and failed to show why the 2018 decision should apply to his case.
Life on Death Row
Attorney Krissy Nobile, who represented Crawford, described him as a respected and positive presence in prison, saying he worked and advocated for fellow inmates. She said he faced his death with a mix of disappointment and acceptance.
Marc McClure, chief superintendent of operations for the Mississippi Department of Corrections, said Crawford spent his final hours with family and a preacher before his execution.
The Associated Press reached out to Kristy Ray’s family, but they did not respond to requests for comment.
Executions Rising Nationwide
Crawford’s death marked the third U.S. execution in two days.
On Tuesday, Florida executed Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, for killing two women in 1996, and Missouri executed Lance Shockley for the 2005 murder of a state trooper.
So far this year, 38 men have been executed in the United States.
At least six more executions are scheduled in 2025, including that of Richard Djerf in Arizona, convicted of killing four family members more than 30 years ago.
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