Alabama man put to death for the murder of a 5-year-old girl in last of three US executions in a day - AP News

Three US states carried out lethal injections within hours of each other, marking the first time since 2010 that three men were executed across the nation on one day. Tennessee and Oklahoma put inmates to death within 30 minutes of each other. Alabama followed suit hours later.

The Tennessee execution involved a man who killed a motel maid in 1985. The Oklahoma execution was for a man who murdered his girlfriend in 2003. The Alabama man put to death had murdered a 5-year-old girl after offering her mother payment to abuse her.

These coordinated actions by lethal injection highlight the different states' continued application of capital punishment. Each of the three men faced the justice system's ultimate penalty for long-ago crimes. This series of events shows the legal system's final steps in some of the nation's most severe criminal cases.

This triple execution marked the first time in over a decade, since 2010, that three US states administered capital punishment on the same day.