British woman Tiana Broadnax has shared her account of the devastating final hours she spent with her husband, James, before witnessing his execution on death row in Texas.
She also spoke about the moment she kissed him for the first time after his death.
James Broadnax, 37, was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville state penitentiary on April 30 after the US Supreme Court declined to step into the case. He was pronounced dead at 6.47pm, continuing to insist he was innocent until the end.
The pair had married only days earlier, under strict death-row rules. Their ceremony took place entirely through a glass partition, with no physical contact permitted.
“We couldn’t physically touch,” Tiana explained to This Morning.
“Texas likes to uphold the reputation of we’re a maximum security prison and death row inmates are meant to be dangerous.”
Even so, she said the wedding moment itself felt surprisingly meaningful. Another couple had reportedly cancelled their scheduled ceremony at short notice, leaving Tiana and James with 45 minutes together rather than the 20 they had expected.
“It was very emotional, very bittersweet,” she said, “because we still knew what was looming before us.”
She recalled that James had written his vows ahead of time, focusing on the idea of being together beyond life. The emotion, she said, was shared by everyone present, with tears not just from the couple but from those around them as well.
The brief window of being newly married quickly gave way to urgent legal work, as the couple pushed for intervention before the execution date.
“We couldn’t even enjoy to say ‘oh we’re husband and wife’ because it just went straight to legal work, straight back to fighting for his life,” Tiana said.
On the day the execution was due to take place, Tiana waited in what staff call the hospitality house, located a short distance from the execution chamber, until she was summoned.
She described being led through corridors that reminded her of a hospital, with guards trying to make conversation while she struggled to process what was happening.
When she entered the viewing area, she saw James restrained on a gurney through a large window.
“I screamed. My brain couldn’t comprehend what my eyes were seeing,” she said.
“It was a horrendous thing to see. Not just because he’s my husband, but in general, nobody should ever have to see anything like that.”
Tiana said she had felt strongly that she needed to be present, but she didn’t realize until then that James would be able to hear her through the glass.
“We were consistently speaking back and forth throughout the whole thing,” she said.
“In a weird way it brought a bit of comfort knowing that we could have our final conversation face to face, but at the same time it just wasn’t enough.
After James was pronounced dead, she was taken to a nearby funeral home. She said it was the first time she had ever been in the same room as her husband without a barrier between them.
According to Tiana, she was advised not to touch him below the waist because of the possibility of lethal injection fluid leaking. She said she was given 20 minutes with him while his body was still warm — and that it was the first time they had ever kissed.
“He was very adamant that if we were going to kiss and touch for the first time, it would be as his wife,” she said.
In the weeks afterwards, Tiana said she experienced panic attacks, flashbacks, significant weight loss, and persistent insomnia. She described the strain of years spent living in a constant state of urgency as the case moved through the courts.
“I was so intense for two years on this case that once he passed away, the intensity still stayed,” she said.
“I was consistently waiting for a phone call, consistently waiting for news, and it just all had gone.”
James Broadnax had been convicted over the 2008 robbery and shooting of two men outside a recording studio in Garland, Texas.
His cousin, Demarius Cummings, was also convicted in relation to the killings, but received life without parole rather than a death sentence. Earlier this year, Cummings recorded a video confession saying he was the shooter — a claim supporters point to alongside reports that only Cummings’ DNA was found on the murder weapon, while Broadnax’s DNA was found on neither the weapon nor the victim.
Travis Scott, T.I and Killer Mike filed briefs at the Supreme Court in support of Broadnax’s appeal, but the courts ultimately denied every bid to stop the execution.
In his final statement, Broadnax said he wanted forgiveness from the victims’ families while maintaining his stance that the conviction was wrong.
“No matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I’m innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself, period.”
Tiana says she plans to keep pushing forward. She has said she intends to complete the bar, campaign against the death penalty, and continue efforts aimed at clearing her husband’s name.
“There is enough evidence to clear his name,” she said.
“The fight hasn’t ended yet.”