Convicted killer Gary Haugen walks out of a courthouse in Salem after waiving appeals to his execution for murder.
Oregon’s first inmate scheduled for execution in more than a decade told a judge he hopes his death brings relief to the family of his victim and said waiving all of his appeals and killing him would save taxpayers money.
Gary Haugen, 49, was ordered to be executed on Aug. 16 after he attended a court hearing in Salem.
If carried through, the execution will be the state’s first in 14 years.
The May 18 hearing was set to determine his competence. Haugen had written to court officials since 2008 asking to drop his appeals, complaining about a “costly broken system” and a criminal justice process he called arbitrary and vindictive.
Haugen was put on death row for murdering a fellow inmate. He has been in prison since he was 19-years-old.
