(The Center Square) – The family of a woman murdered by Harold Wayne Nichols said they are relieved their “nightmare” is over.
Nichols was put to death by lethal injection Thursday morning at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. He was convicted of the 1988 murder and rape of 20-year-old Karen Pulley in Chattanooga, as well as four other rapes.
Jeff Monroe, the husband of Karen’s sister, Lisette, said the family waited 37 years with the hope that justice would be delivered.
“No punishment can ever atone for the loss of Karen’s life or the damage done to our family,” Monroe said in a statement released by the Tennessee Department of Corrections. “Nor is there a punishment that can heal the many victims and families forever broken battered and scarred by this man. But this is a start.”
Gov. Bill Lee issued a moratorium on executions in 2022 while the state studied its execution protocols. Nichols is the third person to be executed since the moratorium was lifted.
Nichols’ last words, according to the Department of Corrections, were. “To the people I’ve harmed, I’m sorry. To my family, know that I love you. I know where I’m going to. I’m ready to go home.”
