Donovan Parks was shopping for cat food after church at a small-town Wal-Mart when he crossed paths with a man shopping for someone to kill. Sixteen minutes later, Donovan was dead.
His own father found him bleeding in the middle of the street. He was 25.
Marion Wilson was scheduled to die by lethal injection for the murder, after another man was already been executed for the crime.
It would be the 1500th execution since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States.
Journalist Jeremy Campbell was asked to serve as a media witness for the execution.
Follow his journey as he and a team of investigators learn all they can about the crime, the man being executed, the victim and the controversy surrounding the death penalty in America.
Number 1500: About to be free
EPISODE 1: The Victim & The Crime
In four days, Marion Wilson Jr. is scheduled to become the 1500th person to die by execution in America. His attorneys are fighting it. The victim's family is ready for justice. Before watching him die, a journalist serving as media witness goes back to the night of the crime.
EPISODE 2: The Murderer
Things like this just don't happen in this small town where Wal-Mart is one of the biggest attractions. Donovan Wilson was shopping for cat food. While two others were shopping for someone to kill. With three days left before Marion Wilson’s execution, we learn someone else may have pulled the trigger.
EPISODE 3: The Debate
In one day, Marion Wilson Jr. is scheduled to be the 1500th person executed in the United States. While the parole board considers putting it on hold, the controversy over the death penalty stirs emotion from those on both sides of the debate. Could Wilson be spared after all?
EPISODE 4: The Execution Day
On the day of the execution, emotions are strong outside Georgia's Death Row. Members of a rare club share vastly different experiences with the death penalty and violent crime.
EPISODE 5: About to be Free
With a prison on lockdown, the U.S. Supreme Court considers a motion to stop the execution. Journalist Jeremy Campbell offers a firsthand account from inside the execution chamber. As the victim's family sits in the front row, waiting for justice, Marion Wilson Jr.'s daughter has something to say outside the prison.
