We at TADP are heartbroken. Harold Wayne Nichols was pronounced dead at 10:39 a.m. CT on Thursday December 11. And what has changed with his execution? Nothing…only more violence, more victims, more death.

Thanks to all of you who wrote, called, attended events, shared social media, and made your voices heard. We know that the death penalty is a morally bankrupt and failed system that must be dismantled. Together we will keep doing everything we can to ensure its end.

Below is the statement from Mr. Nichols’ amazing legal team. We give thanks for them and their tireless efforts on his behalf. Please hold them in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.

DECEMBER 11, 2025 – Statement from Justyna Scalpone and Deborah Drew, Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender; Stephen Ferrell, Susanne Bale and Luke Ihnen, Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee

Reports out today will likely focus on the “how” of Wayne’s execution, but what most needs to be addressed is the “why,” why today we forcibly ended 35 years of remorse and accountability.

In this moment, we should not attempt to take solace in the hollow excuse that executing Wayne somehow delivered justice when we all know it did not. Instead, our state sent the message that no one can rise beyond the crimes they committed decades earlier and that redemption deserves no mercy. Executing Wayne served but one goal: retribution.

Our legal team, although devastated by the State’s actions, is so very grateful to have had the opportunity to know Wayne and be inspired by his incredible spirit. Through years of difficult self-work and coming to terms with his own trauma and the pain he caused others, Wayne became, against all odds, a trustworthy, responsible, and compassionate person, greatly respected and loved by many. He transformed into the man that Ann Pulley, Karen Pulley’s mother, had challenged him to become 35 years ago.

Wayne, you will forever remain in our hearts.

I am writing today as a family member of a murder victim.  

Almost six years ago, Nick Sutton was executed in Tennessee for his crimes, including the murder of my great-uncle. Charles Almon III was my grandmother’s only brother and losing him left a gap in our family that was never healed.  

My great-grandfather lived many years longer than his only son, whose life was cut short by murder. Before his death, my great-grandfather said, “Please don’t let them kill that man.” Despite his heartache, he desired peace and healing, not more violence.  

My heart breaks for any victim’s family member trapped in the death penalty process, as my family was, with its empty promise of closure that is just that — empty. Mr. Sutton’s execution did not erase the loss and pain caused by the crime he committed decades before. Instead, it only brought up painful memories for my family and added yet another tragedy to those that had already occurred. 

The death penalty did not offer healing to my family. On the contrary, every time an execution is scheduled and then carried out in Tennessee, my family’s pain is brought to the surface again, forcing us to relive this terrible moment in our lives.  

Instead of offering tangible assistance for the long-term process of healing and recovery, the death penalty creates an ongoing emotional burden for families like mine, and an unnecessary financial burden for our state. With the opportunity for alternative judgments like life without the possibility of parole, there are sentences that are less expensive than pursuing the death penalty. There is no need to continue this costly system.   

Taking a life does not restore life. While the state pours millions into executions, many victims are still waiting — for support, services and the basic things needed to assist in their recovery and the rebuilding of their lives, to the degree that this is possible.  

The amount of time and money our state spends on supporting victims is minuscule compared to the millions spent on maintaining the death penalty system, including Tennessee’s recently reported purchase of execution drugs for nearly $600,000. Our state spends so many tax dollars to execute a handful of individuals who have already been incarcerated for decades, which does nothing for the majority of victims of violence or prevents the next violent crime.

Gov. Bill Lee and members of the Tennessee legislature: We don’t need more death. We need more care.

What truly helps victims is access to trauma-recovery services, financial and funeral assistance, counseling, safe housing and violence prevention programs.

As a surviving family member of a murder victim whose family knows firsthand the trauma of losing a loved one to violence (trauma that is only exacerbated by the death penalty system), I urge you to reconsider Tennessee’s reliance on this system.  

Instead, let’s invest these funds into victims’ services, evidence-based violence prevention programs and solving unsolved homicides — real solutions that truly support victims, reduce harm and improve public safety for all of us.

Reverend Anna Lee is a United Methodist Church Minister and local pastor in Knoxville.  

Published in the Tennessean on December 9, 2025

Today is Giving Tuesday, and TADP hopes you will support our work as we finish up 2025 strong and make plans for next year!

Your support of TADP today will enable us to:

Work to prevent executions. TADP will engage more Tennesseans to take action to stop executions while identifying the most impactful messengers to educate the public and to create a political climate for the governor to act. We will utilize op-eds, sign-on letters, strategic press conferences, and statewide events as our organizing and educational tools and build on our social media following, which has grown exponentially over the past year! We will push for more transparency around executions and call out the death penalty’s failures.

Educate more victims of violence about victim compensation and empower them to demand a legal system more focused on harm reduction. TADP will empower victims of violence and surviving families of murder victims to use their voices to educate Tennesseans that state resources should be redirected from the death penalty to more investment in victim services and violence prevention. Through her work on the Healed People Heal People campaign, TADP Community Outreach Director Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick has become a leading victim advocate in Tennessee and a national spokesperson on restorative justice. In partnership with Mothers Over Murder, TADP will hold another Healed People Heal People conference in Jackson in early 2026.

Encourage conservatives to include the death penalty in the pro-life conversation. Tennessee Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (TNCC) Director Jasmine Woodson will make the case that the death penalty is a pro-life issue. Through her outreach, Jasmine will empower more Tennessee conservatives to raise concerns about the death penalty’s lack of alignment with the conservative values of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and pro-life policies. On March 31, 2026, TNCC will host Adam Luck, a conservative and former Chair of the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole, as a speaker for a breakfast at the Tennessee legislature.

Engage more Tennessee Catholics. TADP Intern Raechel Kiesel Ryan is working with the Tennessee Catholic Conference, Catholic schools, and Catholic prison ministries to create opportunities for more Tennessee Catholics to become activated to end the death penalty. Raechel is currently organizing a Tennessee Catholic youth rally set for January. Stay tuned for more information!

These are just a few of the plans TADP has for 2026! With your support, we can make all this happen and more.