Tiana Broadnax, a law graduate from London, has described the emotional final hours with her husband James Broadnax before his execution in Texas, saying she will "never forget" his words. The couple had married just two weeks before his scheduled lethal injection.
Final Morning Together
On the morning of the execution, Tiana arrived to find James, 37, overcome with emotion. She had brought his preferred beverage and a snack, hoping to encourage him to eat. In an interview with LADbible Stories, she recalled: "I got him his favourite Powerade and beef jerky because he couldn't eat. So I said 'just eat something' and he was just crying. And I'll never forget. He leaned back and he said, 'I never knew how loved I could be. I never knew I was worthy of being fought for.'"
She tried to comfort him, telling him that campaigners were still fighting to halt the execution. "And I said, 'You need to know you are loved. People are fighting for you.' And he kept saying to me, 'I never knew people could fight for me. I never knew I was worthy.'"
Final Moments and Execution
The pair wept and took their final photographs before an escort team removed Tiana at midday. She recalled how staff pursued her halfway to her vehicle to stop her from following the van transporting Broadnax to Huntsville, where the execution chamber was located. When she later saw him strapped to a gurney, she fell to her knees and screamed.
She described his appearance as resembling a "flipping experiment". His parting words were: "He was like, 'I love you queen, don't give up, I love you queen, don't give up.' As he said 'don't', his head jerked back and he went [gasping noise] and then his eyes rolled up and he dropped. And I screamed."
Background and Case
Tiana had travelled nearly 5,000 miles to Texas after first encountering the death row prisoner through her academic studies. She developed feelings for him, became convinced of his innocence, and fought to prevent his execution.
Broadnax was executed on April 30 for the fatal shootings of Christian music producers Stephen Swan, 26, and Matthew Butler, 28, outside a Dallas studio in 2008. He and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, were both 19 when they attempted to rob the men while under the influence of cannabis and PCP. Cummings received a life sentence without parole, while Broadnax faced capital punishment after initially admitting guilt. He later retracted his confession, claiming he had been drug-impaired.
Efforts to stop the execution gained momentum after Cummings' DNA was found on the murder weapon and a victim's clothing. Cummings also released a video accepting responsibility for the killing, stating: "I'm really gonna tell it like it's supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer."
Dr Phil highlighted the case before the execution, saying: "I'm not here today to tell you that James Broadnax is innocent. I'm not here to tell you he's guilty. What I am here to do is look at the facts, all of them. And ask the hard questions that someone needs to be asking because a man's life is on the line and the clock is running out."
