HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Blaine Milam, 35, was executed Thursday evening at the Huntsville State Penitentiary for the brutal 2008 killing of 13-month-old Amora Carson, his girlfriend’s daughter. The child’s death, which prosecutors described as the result of a torturous ordeal framed as an “exorcism,” shocked the East Texas community and left a lasting mark on the state’s criminal justice system.
Execution Details
Milam was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. CDT after receiving a lethal injection of pentobarbital. Witnesses in the death chamber reported that as the sedative began flowing at 6:19 p.m., Milam briefly gasped and grunted before falling silent. After two minutes, he no longer moved, and his death was officially confirmed.
In a final statement, Milam thanked supporters and the prison chaplaincy for providing faith-based programs to death row inmates. He said:
“If any of you would like to see me again, I implore all of you no matter who you are to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and we will meet again. I love you all. Bring me home, Jesus.”
Thursday marked one of two executions carried out in the United States that evening, with Geoffrey West executed in Alabama by nitrogen gas. Milam’s execution brought the nation’s total for 2025 to 33.
The Crime
Milam’s crime took place in December 2008 at his trailer in Rusk County, East Texas. He and then-girlfriend Jesseca Carson, both 18 at the time, claimed Amora was possessed by a demon and subjected her to what they described as an exorcism.
Court documents and witness testimony painted a horrific picture: Milam allegedly beat, bit, strangled, and mutilated the infant over approximately 30 hours. A pipe wrench and other implements were later presented as evidence linking him to the crime.
A forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy testified that Amora suffered multiple skull fractures, broken arms, legs, ribs, and numerous bite marks. The pathologist could not pinpoint a single cause of death due to the extent of her injuries.
Legal Proceedings
Milam was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death, while Jesseca Carson was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison without parole for her role in the child’s death.
Milam’s attorneys argued for clemency based on alleged intellectual disability and challenged the reliability of bite mark and DNA evidence used in his conviction. However, state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, rejected his appeals, clearing the way for Thursday’s execution.
“Even without bite mark or DNA evidence, there is overwhelming proof of Milam’s guilt, including his efforts to conceal evidence and a confession to a nurse,” said the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had also denied his request to commute the sentence earlier in the week.
Community and Official Reactions
Rusk County District Attorney Micheal Jimerson, who prosecuted the case, attended the execution and reflected on the tragedy:
“We will never know what Amora would have contributed to our world. Answering the call for justice for the most helpless is a measure of a civilized people.”
Amora’s grandfather, Richard Mutina, was also present but declined to comment.
Milam’s execution marked the fifth in Texas in 2025, a state historically leading the nation in capital punishment. Florida has surpassed Texas this year with 12 executions, two of which are scheduled by mid-October.
Reflection on Evidence and Controversy
The case drew attention in part because of the use of bite mark analysis, a forensic method increasingly criticized as unreliable. A 2016 report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology deemed bite mark evidence scientifically unsound.
Despite this, authorities emphasized that Milam’s guilt was supported by additional evidence, including confessions and attempts to hide the crime.
Conclusion
Blaine Milam’s execution brings closure to one of Texas’ most horrific child murder cases, but the memory of Amora Carson, whose life was tragically cut short, continues to resonate with the East Texas community and beyond.
Reported by NewsPulse Reporter | NewsPulse Media