The state of Alabama plans to conduct its first execution of 2026 on Thursday, putting to death a man convicted of capital murder for the murder and sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl in Russell County in December 2021.
Jeremy Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to four counts of kidnapping and rape of a minor in March 2024.
But the court continued with the trial because state law required the case to proceed to a trial because it involved the death penalty. A jury convicted him on all four ounts and the judge sentenced him to death. Williams waived his appeals and requested the state expedite his execution…