Convicted killer Kenneth Lee Boyd became the 1,000th prisoner executed in the United States since capital punishment resumed nearly 30 years ago when he was put to death by lethal injection on Friday. Boyd, who was 57, died at 2:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) in the death chamber of Central Prison in the state capital, Raleigh, spokeswoman Pamela Walker from the North Carolina Department of Corrections said. His execution for the murder in 1988 of his wife and father-in-law in front of two of his children drew world attention because of the milestone it represented. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 allowed the death penalty to be brought back following a nine-year unofficial moratorium. State Governor Mike Easley denied a final appeal for clemency from Boyd's lawyer less than four hours before the execution, according to a report of Reuters.
