A murderer who killed a minister and wounded his wife with a sword and dagger will be executed tonight.
Christopher Price, 46, killed William Lynn in December 1991 in Alabama as the victim and wife Bessie were assembling Christmas presents for their grandchildren.
Price is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6pm local time at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.
He was convicted in 1993 for the brutal murder, which happened in Bazemore, Alabama.
The victims had returned from church when two robbers shut off the electricity and attacked the couple with a sword and dagger, according to court documents.
Lynn died of his injuries, while his wife survived wounds to her head, hands and chest.
Price was captured seven days later and admitted that he had taken part in the robbery, but said he did not hurt the couple, according to court documents.
Kelvin Coleman, who was accused of being Price's accomplice, pleaded guilty to murder and robbery and is serving a life sentence without parole, authorities said.
Price has appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
He asked the court to grant him a stay so he could proceed with a lawsuit challenging the state's lethal injection protocol, claiming it causes a painful death and that execution by nitrogen hypoxia was a better alternative.
Price would be the ninth inmate in the United States to be executed in 2019, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks executions.
