The voice of Charles Thomas O'Reilly is the last one about 140 people Texas death row inmates have heard over the past six years.
O'Reilly has been the warden of the state prison simply called the Huntsville Unit, where he presided over more lethal injections than any other warden. O'Reilly retired Monday after more than 33 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
He said he leaves with no reservations, no nightmares, having "always been a proponent of capital punishment."
He said that before the lethal drugs were administered, he would ask inmates if they wanted to make a statement. He said he tried to avoid using the words "last" or "final."
