JACKSON - Convicted killer Tracy Lee Housel was put to death Tuesday night for raping and murdering a suburban Atlanta woman 17 years ago. <br>
<br>
Before he was given a lethal injection, Housel apologized and told his friends and family, ``Take care of yourselves. May God be with you all.'' <br>
<br>
Housel, who was born in the British territory of Bermuda, admitted picking up 46-year-old Jean Drew at a truck stop in 1985, then raping her and bashing her head. <br>
<br>
During his sentencing hearing, Housel also admitted beating a Texas truck driver to death with a hammer and stabbing an Iowa man. <br>
<br>
The execution drew intense media interest in Great Britain, which abandoned capital punishment 40 years ago. <br>
<br>
Prime Minister Tony Blair had asked Georgia's parole board to commute the 43-year-old Housel's sentence to life in prison. <br>
<br>
The Law Society, representing lawyers in England and Wales, also wrote to the parole board, and members of the British Parliament signed a motion calling for Housel's sentence to be commuted. <br>
<br>
The board turned down Housel's plea for mercy yesterday. <br>
<br>
Housel's lawyers argued his initial trial was unfair and his court-appointed attorney inexperienced. Under his lawyer's advice, Housel pleaded guilty and his defense at the sentencing trial lasted less than 30 minutes.
