Alabama Respects Devout Muslim Inmate's Wishes, Will Not Perform Autopsy After Execution

Alabama will not perform an autopsy on a death row inmate following his upcoming lethal injection execution. The inmate, a devout Muslim, had sued the state to prevent the post-execution autopsy due to his religious beliefs.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced, "No autopsy will be performed on Keith Edmund Gavin. His remains will be picked up by the attending funeral home."

Gavin, 64, has stated that he does not plan to pursue further appeals before his scheduled July 18 execution at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. However, in June, he filed a lawsuit requesting the state to waive the standard post-execution autopsy, citing his religious convictions. The lawsuit was initiated after his attorneys failed to reach an agreement with the state.

"His religion teaches that the human body is a sacred temple, which must be kept whole," the lawsuit explained. "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."

Gavin's request garnered national attention.

On Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, issued a statement urging Alabama officials to honor Gavin’s request.

Gavin was sentenced to death for the March 1998 murder of William Clayton Jr. in Cherokee County. At the time, he was on parole for a murder committed in Illinois. Gavin was arrested after fatally shooting Clayton, a courier service driver who had stopped at an ATM in downtown Centre. Clayton was collecting money to take his wife to dinner after completing his deliveries for the day.

According to records, Gavin shot Clayton during an attempted robbery, pushed him into the passenger seat, and drove off in the courier van. A district attorney's investigator pursued the van, prompting Gavin to stop, shoot at the investigator, and flee.

Gavin was soon apprehended, and Clayton was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Two eyewitnesses, including Gavin's cousin—an employee of the Illinois Department of Corrections—positively identified him as the shooter. The cousin testified about trips he and Gavin had made to Centre and witnessed Gavin shooting at the van's driver. Gavin also fired shots at the investigator as he fled, according to testimony.