Jeffery Lee: September 17, 2026
On September 17, 2026 the State of Alabama is scheduled to execute Jeffery Lee for the murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson. Helen King was shot during the same attack and survived.
This episode follows Jimmy’s life and unusual music career as the singer known as Orion, Elaine and Helen, the shootings at Jimmy’s Pawn Shop, the case against Lee, and the 7–5 jury recommendation for life without parole that was later overridden by the trial judge. It also follows the legal challenges that stopped Lee’s first scheduled execution in June and led to the new execution date now on the calendar.
SOURCES
Lee v. State, 898 So. 2d 790 (Ala. Crim. App.), Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals — direct appeal and case record.
Lee v. State, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, CR-07-0054 — Rule 32 post-conviction proceedings.
Lee v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, No. 12-14421 (11th Cir. 2013) — federal habeas proceedings, trial evidence, penalty-phase evidence, mitigation, judicial override, and post-conviction claims.
Lee v. Thomas, No. 1:10-cv-00587-WS-M (S.D. Ala. 2012) — federal habeas district-court proceedings.
Lee v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, U.S. Supreme Court — petition for certiorari and denial of review in 2014.
Lee v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, No. 17-12271 (11th Cir. 2018) — lethal-injection and method-of-execution litigation.
Lee v. Lovelace, No. 2:25-cv-00680-ECM (M.D. Ala.) — 2025–2026 nitrogen-hypoxia litigation, federal bench trial, permanent injunction, and subsequent lethal-injection proceedings.
Lee v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, No. 26-11864 (11th Cir. June 8, 2026) — Eleventh Circuit decision concerning Alabama’s nitrogen-hypoxia protocol.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama — June 9, 2026 permanent-injunction order concerning Alabama’s nitrogen-hypoxia protocol.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama — July 22, 2026 order concerning Lee’s request to extend the injunction to other execution methods.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit — Nos. 26-12027 and 26-12710, 2026 execution-method litigation and proceedings concerning lethal injection.
U.S. Supreme Court — June 2026 proceedings concerning Alabama’s attempt to proceed with Lee’s scheduled nitrogen-hypoxia execution.
Alabama Supreme Court — 2026 proceedings authorizing Lee’s execution warrant.
Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey — 2026 execution-date announcements concerning Jeffery Lee.
Alabama Attorney General’s Office — court filings and public statements concerning Lee’s execution and method-of-execution litigation.
Alabama Unified Judicial System / Alacourt — Jeffery Lee case information and trial-court record access.
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (2015), directed by Jeanie Finlay — documentary interviews, archival recordings, Jimmy Ellis biographical material, and Helen King’s account.
The Independent — “Obituary: Orion,” December 22, 1998 — Jimmy Ellis/Orion biographical and career information.
Library of Congress / National Recording Preservation Plan — essay and historical material concerning Jimmy Ellis and the Orion recordings.
Country Radio Seminar — 1999 program/memorial material concerning Jimmy Ellis and his career.
CNN — 2026 reporting on Jeffery Lee, the jury’s 7–5 life recommendation, judicial override, Lee’s life on death row, and interviews with Lee and a former juror.
Alabama Reflector — 2026 reporting on Lee’s state-court challenge to Alabama’s plan to execute him by lethal injection.
Death Penalty Information Center — 2026 reporting and case information concerning Lee’s June execution attempt and September execution date.
Life for Jeffery Lee — clemency materials, juror statements, and defense/advocacy materials. Advocacy claims were treated as attributed claims and checked against court records where possible.