Man's final words as he is executed for the 'exorcism' killing of his girlfriend's toddler

A Texas man was executed Thursday for killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter in what the couple said was part of an “exorcism” to expel a demon from the child’s body.

Blaine Milam, 35, was pronounced dead at 6:40pm local time following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was on death row for killing toddler Amora Rose in his trailer in East Texas back in December 2008.

In a final statement seconds before his death, Milam thanked supporters as well as the prison chaplaincy for opening its faith-based programs to death row inmates.

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“If any of you would like to see me again, I implore all of you no matter who you are to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and we will meet again,” he said from the death chamber gurney. “I love you all. Bring me home, Jesus.”

As the lethal dose of sedative pentobarbital began flowing into his right hand and left arm, at 6:19 p.m. CDT, Milam grunted and gasped once, then began snoring quietly. After about two minutes, all sounds and movement stopped. Minutes later, he was declared dead.

It was one of two executions carried out Thursday evening in the U.S. Geoffrey West was put to death in Alabama with nitrogen gas for fatally shooting a gas station employee during a 1997 robbery. The two executions brought the year’s total to 33 death sentences carried out nationwide.

Milam had blamed then-girlfriend Jesseca Carson for the killing and alleged she was the one who claimed the girl was possessed by a demon. She was tried separately from Milam and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of capital murder for helping Milam. Both were 18 at the time.

Prosecutors said Milam savagely beat the girl and also bit, strangled, and mutilated her over a period of 30 hours. Court documents show a pipe wrench was among the evidence that tied Milam to the slaying.

A forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy found the child had multiple skull fractures along with broken arms, legs, ribs and numerous bite marks. The pathologist testified at trial that he could not determine a specific cause of death because the girl had so many potentially fatal injuries.

Rusk County District Attorney Micheal Jimerson witnessed the execution. He said: “We will never know what Amora would have contributed to our world. Answering the call for justice for the most helpless is a measure of a civilized people.”

Among other observers was the child’s grandfather, Richard Mutina. He declined to speak with reporters after the execution.

Milam was the fifth person put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation’s busiest capital punishment state. The execution was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Milam’s final appeals.