James Garrett Freeman, who nine years ago shot and killed Texas game warden Justin Hurst, was executed last night, the Houston Chronicle reports. Afterward, Greg Hurst, Justin’s brother, thanked the 100 game wardens and other law enforcement officers who had gathered and stood vigil outside the prison. Freeman’s execution was the second of nine scheduled in Texas in the first half of 2016, after the Jan. 20 execution of 43-year-old Richard Masterson.
A game warden had tried to stop Freeman, who was 35 when he died, for illegally hunting at night. “Tonight we saw the end of the legal aspect of this case, and the legal closure,” said Wharton County District Attorney Ross Kurtz, who witnessed the execution. “But obviously, for the family, there is no closure.” T he Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles turned down a commutation request from Freeman on Monday.