Convicted cop killer executed

COLUMBIA, S.C. - David Clayton Hill died quietly by lethal injection Friday evening just hours after he lost his final appeal, claiming the way South Carolina puts inmates to death is unusually cruel.

Hill prayed with his minister in the minutes before his death, gave a Bible verse as his final words and looked at the witnesses before turning his gaze upward as the lethal chemicals started. A few blinks, a few gasps and less than two minutes later, he was still.

The official time of death was 6:14 p.m.

Hill, 39, was convicted of killing Georgetown Police Maj. Spencer Guerry, who was shot in the head during a traffic stop 10 years ago. Hill's identification card and registration were found in Guerry's shirt pocket.

Friday's execution ended a two week legal drama where Hill's lawyers argued lethal execution was an unusually cruel and painful punishment because South Carolina doesn't sedate its inmates enough to knock them unconscious before administering chemicals to paralyze muscles, stop breathing and stop the heart.

For two weeks, Hill's execution was off after a federal judge granted him a stay. But the state appealed and four hours before he went into the death chamber, the U.S. Supreme Court sealed his fate.