John Michael Ward has passed away following 26 years on death row (Picture: Alabama Department of Corrections / Facebook)An individual who killed an infant by suffocating his own four-month-old son has been discovered deceased in his confinement cell after spending 26 years on death row.
John Michael Ward was condemned to capital punishment in December 1998 for the murder of his baby boy Nicholas Allen Ward in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, USA.
The 58-year-old was found unresponsive by corrections officers at Holman Correctional Facility on Tuesday night.
He was promptly transported to the prison’s healthcare unit and subsequently transferred to a nearby hospital, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
According to the Alabama Department of Corrections, a medical professional declared Ward deceased on Wednesday.
Authorities are currently conducting an investigation into his death, and an autopsy will be conducted to ascertain the circumstances, as reported by AL.
Ward had been residing in death row for a duration of 26 years and four months, as indicated in court documents, subsequent to being sentenced by a jury in Baldwin County for the murder of his son.
Ward executed his own four-month-old son (Picture: Fox10 News)
Ward was discovered deceased in his cell at Holman Correctional Facility on Tuesday night (Picture: Facebook)The young child was asphyxiated by Ward in January 1997, in accordance with court records.
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They also indicated that when Nicholas was brought to a hospital by Ward and his mother, he was not breathing, his pulse was absent, and he was cold to the touch.
After confirming Nicholas’s demise, medical professionals also discovered abrasions on his scalp, nose, and mouth, in addition to blood in his ears and bruises on his neck and chest.
His diaper contained feces, his right arm showed signs of deformity, and there was crusty material beneath some of his nails.
The appalling condition of the infant prompted medical personnel to notify the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, launching an investigation.
Ward was subsequently convicted for causing Nicholas’s death and was subsequently given the death penalty.
Last month, an individual who provided a six-year-old child with a piggyback ride before bludgeoning her to death left chilling final words in a letter prior to his execution.
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First published at Man who smothered his four-month-old son dies after 26 years on death row
