Texas executed Steven Nelson by lethal injection on Wednesday 5th February, for the 2011 murder of Rev Clint Dobson, a beloved young pastor.
Nelson, 39, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. CT.
He was convicted of killing Rev Dobson at North Pointe Baptist Church in Arlington, near Dallas.
Rev Jeff Hood, Nelson's spiritual adviser, who was present in the death chamber, described the execution as taking longer than expected, saying Nelson "fought to the very end."
Hood also mentioned that Nelson resisted the transfer to the execution site, noting bandages on Nelson's arms that hadn't been there earlier in the day.
However, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Amanda Hernandez, did not confirm these details.
Nelson admitted to robbing the church, but he maintained that he didn't kill Dobson, instead blaming two accomplices.
Despite this, prosecutors argued he acted alone, and DNA evidence linked Nelson to the crime.
A jury ultimately convicted him of murder.
Nelson spent over a decade on death row, and told AFP News that waiting to die "breaks a part of you every day".
In a statement, the Dobson family expressed their focus on honouring Clint's memory rather than dwelling on his killer.
"Steven Nelson forever changed our lives, but he has never occupied our minds," they said.
According to USA Today, Nelson's final words were directed to his wife, Noa Dubois, whom he married last year whilst in prison.
He professed his love for her and said, “I’m at peace, I’m ready to be at home."
In the days leading up to the execution, Hood and Dubois had made a final plea for clemency, but the Dobson family rejected the request.
Nelson’s attorneys had raised questions about the validity of his accomplices' alibis and the fairness of his conviction.
Rev Clint Dobson, 28, was remembered for his love of people and commitment to his church and community.
He dreamed of filling his church with young families and spreading hope, an ambition his family says was realised in the church's growth and the establishment of a school in his honour.
Nelson's execution is the second in the U.S. this year, with more executions scheduled in both Texas and Florida next week.
Texas, with 177 people on death row, has executed 582 individuals since 1976.