Protestor Ed Weir holds a sign during a vigil for William Earl Lynd who was to be executed for the 1988 murder of his girlfriend Virginia Moore, in Jackson, Georgia, May 6, 2008. REUTERS/Tami Chappell
ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia executed a convicted murderer on Tuesday, the first person to be put to death in the United States since the Supreme Court ended a de facto moratorium on capital punishment last month.
Witnesses said William Earl Lynd died by lethal injection at a prison in Jackson, central Georgia, at 7:51 p.m. He was convicted of shooting his girlfriend to death in December 1988.
Editing by Eric Beech