US: Stanley Tookie Williams, a convicted murderer and founder of the Crips gang, was due to be executed this morning after California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected a last-minute plea for clemency.
Williams, who was convicted of four murders, repented in prison, and wrote children's books warning about the dangers of joining gangs. He has always maintained his innocence of the 1979 murders of two motel owners, their daughter and a sales assistant.
Mr Schwarzenegger's decision came in spite of a high-profile campaign to save Williams's life, and followed failed appeals to state and federal courts.
"After studying the evidence, searching the history, listening to the arguments and wrestling with the profound consequences, I could find no justification for granting clemency. The facts do not justify overturning the jury's verdict or the decisions of the courts in this case," the governor said in a statement.
Among Williams's supporters were actor Jamie Foxx, rapper Snoop Dogg and celebrity human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger. He has been nominated a number of times for Nobel prizes for peace and literature.
Williams was due to die today by lethal injection at 12.01am local time (8.01am in Ireland) at San Quentin prison. He would be the 12th person to be executed in California since the death penalty was restored almost 30 years ago.