Spiritual adviser for man scheduled to be executed this week says inmate is ‘excited to get to heaven’

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Alabama is scheduled to execute death-row inmate Derrick Dearman on Thursday, marking the state’s fifth execution this year.

The 35-year-old from Mississippi is set to die just eight years after being sentenced for the brutal 2016 murders of five people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

Dearman’s spiritual adviser, Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, says the inmate is eager for his execution, viewing it as an act of responsibility and closure for the victims’ families.

“He came to me and he said, ‘I’ve prayed about it. I think the most loving thing that I can do for all parties involved is to not push this out any further,’” Hood said.

Dearman, who used an ax and a gun to kill five people, sent several handwritten letters, including one to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, expressing his desire to move forward with the execution. If all goes as planned, Dearman will be executed on Thursday, becoming the fifth person to be put to death by the state this year.

“The strange thing is that he is, for all intents and purposes, pretty excited. I mean, he’s almost joyous,” Hood said.

In a statement released by Hood, Dearman says the following:

“I am willingly giving all that I can possibly give to try and repay a small portion of my debt to society for the terrible things that I have done. From this point forward, I hope that the focus will not be on me, but rather on the healing of all the people that I have hurt.”

Dearman’s enthusiasm stems from his desire to leave behind what Hood described as the “hell” he created on Earth with his crimes. Mobile County officials referred to the killings as “gruesome and horrific.”

“I mean, if you have five bodies and one fetus hanging over your head, you’d probably have a tough time dealing with it too,” Hood said. “He axed and shot his way through five bodies, and one woman was pregnant.”

Despite Hood’s opposition to the death penalty, he believes Dearman will be remembered for his bravery in accepting responsibility for his actions. Hood, who also served as the spiritual advisor in the country’s first nitrogen hypoxia execution, said Dearman showed courage in a way that many others have not.

“Derrick Dearman has more courage than the people of Alabama do because Derrick Dearman is willing to take responsibility for the five people, including a pregnant woman, that he killed,” Hood said. “Alabama has killed more people this year than in recent history. When are the people of Alabama going to take responsibility for what they’ve done?”

Dearman’s execution is just one short of Alabama’s record for the most executions in a single year. The record that may soon be tied with another nitrogen hypoxia execution scheduled for November.

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