Derrick Dearman Executed for 2016 Mass Murders

Derrick Dearman, a death row inmate in Alabama, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday for the 2016 murders of five people, including a pregnant woman, during a drug-fueled rampage. Dearman, who pleaded guilty to the brutal killings of his ex-girlfriend's family in Citronelle, Alabama, had dropped his appeals earlier this year, stating it was not fair to prolong justice for the victims' families. In a statement, Dearman acknowledged his guilt and expressed a desire for the focus to shift to the healing of those he harmed. The execution was the fifth carried out in Alabama in 2024. Dearman's actions were described as one of the most brutal mass murders in the state's history, and his choice to proceed with the execution was seen as a means to provide closure to the victims' families.