Stop the Execution of Jeffery Lee in Alabama

Governor Kay Ivey

Jeffery Lee is scheduled for execution in Alabama on June 11, 2026 for the 1998 murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson.

While the vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Alabama has continued to go against trend by carrying on with scheduled execution dates.  Additionally, the State of Alabama has repeatedly shown blatant incompetence in carrying out executions - they need to pause ALL executions to allow for meaningful review of their protocols.

The following case information is from www.mercyforjefferylee.com:

For over 20 years, Jeffery Lee has been on Alabama’s death row, despite a jury of his peers voting 7-5 for a sentence of Life Without Parole. Under the law at the time, that 7–5 vote was only a recommendation. The final decision belonged to the trial judge, who chose to impose death despite the jury's vote for life - a practice Alabama abolished in 2017.

Jeffery’s story is one of profound transformation; today, he serves as a prison Chaplain and a leader in the Kairos ministry, dedicating his life to faith and the service of others. However, the system that sentenced him ignored the jury’s plea for mercy and never heard the full truth of Jeffery’s Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and severe childhood trauma, physical and psychological scars that fundamentally impacted his life.

We are calling on Governor Kay Ivey to respect the original jury’s verdict and recognize the man Jeffery has become. Please add your voice to our call for clemency and help us ensure that justice is tempered with mercy.

Join The Virtual Sit In

Call Gov. Ivey at 334-242-7100 with the following message:

"Hi. My name is [your name]. First I would like to commend Gov. Ivey for seeing it fit to commute Sonny Burton's sentence earlier this year. The upcoming execution of Jeffrey Lee is marred by similar concerns about fairness. Jeffrey's jury voted in favor of a life sentence at trial. The trial judge overrode their decision and imposed a death penalty despite a majority of the jury voting for life. The inherent unfairness of this practice let Alabama to outlaw it 9 years ago - as have almost all other states. We politely urge you to conduct a meaningful review of Jeffrey's case and consider sparing his life as well. Thank you for your time."

Should the execution proceed, we invite you to hold space with us beginning at 5pm CT on June 11.

Additional Information and Action Opportunities Regarding Alabama Executions

  • Click here for information about Gas Suffocation Executions
  • Click here for The Pull Back The Curtains Campaign to Demand Full Transparency in Alabama Executions


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Death Penalty Action

To: Governor Kay Ivey
From: [Your Name]

We are writing asking you to intervene to stop the June 11, 2026 execution of Jeffery Lee, who was convicted in the 1998 deaths of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson.​

For over 20 years, Jeffery Lee has been on Alabama’s death row, despite a jury of his peers voting 7-5 for a sentence of Life Without Parole. Under the law at the time, that 7–5 vote was only a recommendation. The final decision belonged to the trial judge, who chose to impose death despite the jury's vote for life - a practice Alabama abolished in 2017.

Jeffery’s story is one of profound transformation; today, he serves as a prison Chaplain and a leader in the Kairos ministry, dedicating his life to faith and the service of others. However, the system that sentenced him ignored the jury’s plea for mercy and never heard the full truth of Jeffery’s Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and severe childhood trauma, physical and psychological scars that fundamentally impacted his life.

Alabama ought to delay all executions to allow for a thorough study of its capital punishment process and consider the serious objections raised as to how it administers the death penalty. Alabama has repeatedly shown that it is not capable of carrying out executions, as it is botching its lethal injection process - amounting to cruel punishment and the torture of prisoners.

The vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Alabama has continued to go against trend by carrying on with scheduled execution dates.

We, the undersigned, ask that you do everything within your power to stop all executions in Alabama.

Thank you for your time and attention to this serious matter.