A Texas man was executed on Wednesday evening for a fatal shooting committed more than two decades ago, becoming the first person put to death in the United States since a troubled execution attempt in Tennessee last week. Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. Central time after receiving a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the Huntsville Unit in Texas.

Howard was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 for the 2000 capital murder of Vickie Swartout, 42, who worked at a convenience store in Silsbee, southeast Texas. At the time of the crime, Howard was 20 years old. He shot Swartout, took $114 from the cash register, and stole a carton of cigarettes.

Efforts by Howard’s legal team to delay the execution were unsuccessful. Lawyers requested a 30-day stay from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, seeking additional information about the pentobarbital used in the lethal injection. They also petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, citing concerns over the drug’s safety following a recent failed execution in Tennessee and arguing that Howard had an intellectual disability that should have precluded his execution. Both courts denied the requests.

Pentobarbital, the same drug used in the attempted execution of Christa Pike last week in Tennessee, has prompted controversy over its reliability and the potential for botched procedures. Pike’s lawyers reported that she remained awake, confused, and in severe condition after receiving two doses of the drug. She was also noted to have pneumonia and a blood clot in her arm.

In his final statement, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family and expressed remorse. “I wish that you accept my apology, and I wish for your forgiveness,” he said. “I’m sorry for what happened. I wish you can learn to forgive me one of these days.” He also thanked his own family for their support.

Family members and advisers reacted emotionally to Howard’s death. His cousin, Brian Howard, who traveled from Silsbee to Huntsville, said the execution reflected racial injustice in the local justice system. “It was absolutely no justice for Jamaal,” he said. “They didn’t consider nothing. All they see in my county is Black and white. He killed the white woman, he got to die.”

Reverend Jeff Hood, Howard’s spiritual adviser, who has been present at numerous executions, described the final moments as difficult. “He very much said the same words over and over again,” Hood said. “He was trying to apologize to the family, and he got it out, and then he couldn’t get it out. It was just heartbreaking.”