Tennessee executes convicted cop killer

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 9 (Reuters) A man convicted of killing a policeman was executed in Tennessee today, closing one of the state's most controversial cases.

Philip Workman was pronounced dead at 0638 GMT) following an injection of lethal chemicals, officials at Riverbend Maximum Security Penitentiary said.

Workman's series of appeals through the courts since a 1981 shooting during a robbery at a Memphis fast food restaurant raised questions over whether the bullet that killed Police Lt.

Ronald Oliver had come from Workman's gun or from one of the police officers involved.

His last words, relayed by media witnesses to the execution, were: ''I commend my spirit into your hands, Lord Jesus Christ.'' Workman, 53, had received three stays, the latest when Gov Phil Bredesen put a ban on executions until May 7 after reports of botched executions in other states.

It was Tennessee's third execution since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. The last execution in Tennessee was on June 28, 2006, and the first of the three in 2000.

Lethal injection, the most common method used for executions in the United States, has been under legal assault by those who claim it may be cruel and unusual punishment.

A commission that studied the matter issued a protocol for executions and the governor declined to extend the ban.

Six appeals to stop Workman's execution were overruled by various courts yesterday. A federal appeals court panel rejected his claim that state officials withheld evidence from the defense at trial.

Instead of a last meal, Workman requested that the state give a vegetable pizza to a homeless person. The Tennessee Department of Corrections said it was not able do that.

His was the 18th execution in the United States this year and the 1,075th since 1976.

Reuters AM DS1340