Alabama death row inmate Keith Gavin asks for no autopsy after execution due to religious beliefs

Keith Edmund Gavin, a 64-year-old Alabama death row inmate, has chosen not to appeal his upcoming execution but is requesting that the state refrain from performing an autopsy on his body due to his Muslim faith, as per a lawsuit.

Gavin, who is set to be executed by lethal injection on July 18, was convicted for the 1998 shooting death of a delivery driver at an ATM. Last month, he filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the state from conducting an autopsy post-execution, a standard practice in Alabama.

"Mr. Gavin is a devout Muslim. His religion teaches that the human body is a sacred temple, which must be kept whole. As a result, Mr. Gavin sincerely believes that an autopsy would desecrate his body and violate the sanctity of keeping his human body intact. Based on his faith, Mr. Gavin is fiercely opposed to an autopsy being performed on his body after his execution," his attorneys stated in the lawsuit filed in Montgomery's state court.

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His legal team revealed they had been unable to engage in "meaningful discussions" with state officials regarding his request to avoid an autopsy. They clarified that the lawsuit is not an attempt to delay the execution and that "Gavin does not anticipate any further appeals or requests for stays of his execution."

In a recent update, William Califf, representing the Alabama Attorney General's office, confirmed on Tuesday, "we are working on a resolution." Gavin was convicted of the 1998 fatal shooting of delivery driver William Clinton Clayton Jr. in Cherokee County, northeast Alabama. He was previously convicted of murder and attempted murder for shooting at a law enforcement officer, CBC News reports.

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Prosecutors recounted that on the day of his murder, Clayton was withdrawing cash from an ATM to take his wife out for dinner. But he never returned to her.

Witnesses said Gavin approached Clayton's vehicle before shooting him and stealing his van. Clayton was left with three gunshot wounds from two bullets, according to an autopsy.

After being found guilty of capital murder, Gavin faced a jury that voted 10-2 in favor of the death penalty. The trial court concurred with the jury's recommendation and sentenced Gavin to death.