“Eat every meal as if it's your last; when the last one comes, you probably won't be very hungry.”

— Nora Ephron, writer

On November 6, 2018, the Alabama prison system scheduled Domineque Ray’s execution date for February 7, 2019 at the Holman Correctional Facility, in Atmore, Alabama in Escambia County, a few miles from Interstate 65. Holman lies fifteen miles north of Mobile. This prison had the reputation of being the most violent in the country, due to overcrowding and understaffing. Prisoners refer to the facility as a “slaughterhouse,” as stabbings are a  routine occurrence.

Holman regularly allowed a Christian chaplain to be present in the execution chamber. But Ray was devout Muslim. The prison refus...

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