Death row killer Keith Gavin uttered four simple words in haunting last statement before execution

Keith Edmund Gavin was pronounced dead Thursday after being executed in Alabama.

The death row inmate was convicted of shooting a delivery driver, who was getting money out of an ATM, during a robbery attempt. He was killed via chemical injection. Despite multiple appeals over the year, the courts have consistently denied him. The execution went forward after a final "no" from the U.S. Supreme Court. His request for a stay of execution was filed through a handwritten document.

His final statement was given just ahead of his death. "I love my family," he said, but the rest of his words were not audible. Thereafter, he made a final gesture which was a show of his Islamic faith. He appeared to pray in the presence of a spiritual advisor and lifted a finger on each hand to represent the Islamic gesture meaning Allah is the only god.

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement: "After receiving a death sentence, Mr. Gavin appealed time after time for years to avoid justice, but failed at every attempt. Today, that justice was finally delivered for Mr. Clayton’s loved ones. I offer my prayers for Mr. Clayton’s family and friends who still mourn his loss all these years later.”

Prosecutors argued that Gavin kidnapped William Clayton Jr by throwing him into his van and driving off. A police officer followed, but Gavin shot Clayton before making an escape attempt into the woods. He was convicted by a jury and, in a 10-2 , vote sentenced to death. Alabama's law is not the norm and most states require a unanimous decision on the punishment.

Gavin had a previous conviction for murder in Illinois, serving 17 years of a 34-year sentence , according to the AP . Clayton's son, Matthew Clayton, was concerned about how a convicted murderer was allowed to walk free in Alabama.

He said of his father: “He was a good man. He left behind children and a wife who miss him, an extended family that mourns his loss. It’s quite unfortunate that his final years were taken from him in such a brutal way," insisting his father “did not deserve to die this way.”