Inmate-Artist Is Executed in Texas

A death row inmate whose case attracted the attention of celebrity capital punishment opponent Susan Sarandon was executed Thursday evening for killing a convenience store clerk.

Speaking slowly and quietly, James Allridge III thanked his family and friends for loving him and expressed remorse. “I am sorry, I really am. You, Brian’s sister, thanks for your love. It meant a lot,” he said, looking at his victim’s family. “I am sorry I destroyed y’all’s life. Thank you for forgiving me. To the moon and back, I love you all. I leave you all as I came -- in love.”

Allridge, 41, was the 12th Texas inmate executed this year and the second in as many nights. He was convicted of killing Fort Worth store clerk Brian Clendennen, 21, who was robbed of $300. On death row, Allridge earned a college degree and became known for artwork he sold on the internet.

Sarandon, who corresponded with Allridge for years and has purchased some of his art, visited Allridge last month. The 57-year-old actress won an Academy Award in 1996 for her portrayal of death penalty opponent Helen Prejean in the movie version of the New Orleans-based nun’s book “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.” Prejean witnessed Allridge’s execution.

Allridge’s brother Ronald was put to death in 1995 for killing a woman during the robbery of a fast-food restaurant. Two other brothers were at Thursday’s execution. “Our parents have lost their second son by lethal injection to the state of Texas,” they said in a statement. “Their pain is incomprehensible.”