Following a meeting to consider clemency for condemned inmate Willie James Pye, and after thoroughly considering all of the facts and circumstances of the case, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied clemency.

Today’s meeting by the Georgia Parole Board was held to receive information for or against clemency. The Board received testimony including from Pye's representatives. The board members reviewed the parole case file on Pye prior to today’s meeting and the Board also thoroughly reviewed the application requesting clemency filed by Pye’s representatives. 

The Superior Court of Spalding County ordered the execution of Pye for the 1993 murder of Alicia Yarbrough. The Georgia Department of Corrections has scheduled the execution to take place Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.

The Board maintains a comprehensive file on each death row inmate. The file contains the history of the life of the condemned inmate, including the inmate’s criminal history and the circumstances of the crimes committed resulting in the death sentence.

In Georgia, the Parole Board has the sole constitutional authority to grant clemency in a death penalty case.

To view a photo of Willie James Pye, go to https://gdc.georgia.gov/, click on Find an Offender, agree to the terms on the disclaimer page and search by the offender’s EF number, 360982. 

For more information, please contact Steve Hayes, Communications Director, at 404-657-9450 or [email protected] or visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.