Charles Crawford, 59, was executed Wednesday in Mississippi for the 1993 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 20-year-old Kristy Ray, ending more than 30 years on death row.

Crawford had a prior rape conviction, which served as an aggravating factor in his capital murder trial.

His lawyers unsuccessfully argued that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated when his attorneys pursued an insanity defense against his wishes, citing a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the execution, with Justice Sotomayor dissenting, CBS News has reported.

Crawford expressed peace in his final statement, while his execution was part of a year of increasing lethal injections in the U.S., with 38 executions so far in 2025.