HUNTSVILLE, TX — James Broadnax was executed by lethal injection Thursday evening at a Texas prison despite last-minute appeals claiming his innocence in a 2008 double murder that killed two music producers outside a Dallas-area recording studio.
The 37-year-old man maintained his innocence until his final breath, telling witnesses in his last statement that “Texas got it wrong” before being pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. His execution came after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal request earlier Thursday. Broadnax had been sentenced to death for the shooting deaths of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler during a robbery in Garland. His British wife, Tiana Krasniqi, screamed “I love you” from the witness room and threw herself against the death chamber window as the lethal injection was administered.
The case drew controversy over prosecutors’ use of rap lyrics Broadnax had written to portray him as violent during his trial. His defense team argued this violated his constitutional rights and influenced the jury’s decision to impose a death sentence. Several prominent rappers, including Travis Scott, T.I. and Killer Mike, filed briefs with the Supreme Court supporting his appeal. “I prayed to God for your forgiveness,” Broadnax said in his final statement to the victims’ families who witnessed the execution. “Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered. But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I’m innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself. Period.”
Defense attorneys focused their final appeals on two key arguments challenging the conviction. Broadnax’s cousin, Demarius Cummings, who received a life sentence without parole for his role in the crime, recently confessed in a video that he was the actual shooter. “I’m really gonna tell it like it’s supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer. I shot Matthew Bullard, Steve Swan,” Cummings stated from prison. The defense also alleged prosecutors violated Broadnax’s constitutional rights by dismissing all seven potential Black jurors based on race during jury selection. Court documents indicated prosecutors used a spreadsheet that “bolded only the names of every Black juror,” according to the defense. One Black juror was later reinstated, but attorneys argued this practice violated the 1986 Batson v. Kentucky ruling prohibiting racial exclusion of jurors.
Prosecutors maintained that Broadnax confessed to the shooting in jailhouse interviews with journalists, reportedly saying “I pulled the trigger” and expressing no remorse for the crimes. The victims’ families dismissed Cummings’ recent confession as a desperate attempt to save Broadnax’s life. Theresa Butler, mother of victim Matthew Butler, wrote on social media that “This so called confession from cummings is just a stall tactic by Broadnax’s desperate defense team. Its all a lie.” Seven family members, including both victims’ parents, witnessed Thursday’s execution. Prosecutors said Broadnax and Cummings fatally shot and robbed Swan and Butler in the parking lot of Butler’s recording studio in 2008, when Broadnax was 19 years old.
Broadnax had married his British wife, Tiana Krasniqi, just weeks before his execution in a ceremony at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Texas. The 31-year-old law school graduate from Lewisham in southeast London had contacted Broadnax via email in 2024 while researching racial disparities in the U.S. justice system for her Master’s degree in International Human Rights at the University of Law. Their correspondence developed into a romantic relationship that led to marriage on April 14. Krasniqi, who has a law degree and one child, became emotional throughout the execution procedure and required assistance leaving the facility. She later posted on TikTok that “They killed my husband” and claimed Broadnax “suffered so bad from the lethal injection that he had a nose bleed and bruising on his neck.”
As the sedative pentobarbral began taking effect, Broadnax urged his supporters to “Don’t give up” before a gasp cut him off mid-sentence. He shook his head briefly before all movement stopped, and he was pronounced dead 21 minutes after the injection began. His wife’s emotional outburst marked one of the most dramatic scenes witnessed during a Texas execution in recent years. Following her husband’s death, Krasniqi vowed to continue fighting, posting on social media that “You killed Mr Broadnax, but you ain’t killed MRS BROADNAX.” She also shared a recorded phone call between them where Broadnax told her “You are one of the biggest blessings that God has ever given me, outside giving me life.” The execution took place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, where most Texas death sentences are carried out.
Broadnax’s execution marked the third in Texas this year and the tenth nationwide in 2026. Texas historically carries out more executions than any other state in the nation. On the same day as Broadnax’s execution, Florida executed James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, for the murder of his 13-year-old step-niece. The case highlighted ongoing debates about the use of artistic expression as evidence in death penalty cases and racial bias in jury selection. Cummings had stated in his confession that he pushed Broadnax to claim responsibility for the murders because Broadnax had no prior criminal history while Cummings had previous convictions. “The fact that James received the death sentence for these crimes while I was the one who shot the victims has been weighing on my conscience, particularly as I have become more spiritual during my years in prison,” Cummings said.
The execution proceeded despite the constitutional challenges raised by Broadnax’s legal team regarding both the jury selection process and the use of his rap lyrics as evidence. His case had drawn attention from civil rights advocates and entertainment industry figures who argued that using artistic expression to secure death sentences sets a dangerous precedent. The defense contended that prosecutors weaponized Broadnax’s creative work to paint him as dangerous and violent, ultimately influencing the jury’s decision to impose capital punishment rather than life in prison.
