Convicted killer Gayland Bradford was executed Wednesday for the $7 robbery-slaying of a Dallas grocery store security guard almost 23 years ago.

In a final statement, Bradford, 42, thanked friends for being with him "through thick and thin."

"I am at peace," he said. "We have no worries, just as I have no more worries. To the victim's family, may you be at peace also."

As the lethal drugs took effect, he gasped a couple of times, then began snoring, each breath progressively fainter. Nine minutes later, at 6:25 p.m., he was pronounced dead.

Bradford already was on parole for a robbery conviction when he was arrested for gunning down 29-year-old Brian Williams four days after Christmas in 1988. The shooting came on Williams' second day on the job at the market a few miles south of downtown Dallas.

Williams' mother and brother were among the people in the death chamber, watching through a window just a few feet from Bradford.

"We have no anger towards Mr. Bradford and forgive him of his crime against our family," Williams' brother, Gregory, said in a statement released following the punishment. "We now turn our thoughts and prayers to Mr. Bradford's family and friends and pray that God will give them the strength, comfort and understanding as they now grieve the loss of their loved one."

The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to reconsider an appeal they rejected earlier, clearing the way for Bradford to become the fourth Texas prisoner executed this year. Three more lethal injections are set for this month in the nation's busiest capital punishment state.

The Supreme Court has ruled that former Attorney General John Ashcroft cannot be sued over his role in the post-9/11 arrest of an American Muslim who was never charged with a crime.

By a 5-3 vote Tuesday, the court said Ashcroft did not violate the constitutional rights of Abdullah al-Kidd, who was arrested in 2003 under a federal law intended to make sure witnesses testify in criminal proceedings.

But even the justices who disagreed about the constitutional issue agreed that Ashcroft could not be personally sued for his role in al-Kidd's arrest. The court reversed a federal appeals court ruling that denied Ashcroft immunity from liability in this case.

The West Virginia Supreme Court has declined to issue an order barring Massey Energy shareholders from voting on a proposed $7.1 billion sale to rival coal producer Alpha Natural Resources.

The court says in a ruling issued Tuesday it lacks jurisdiction in the case.

Three institutional investors had sought to prevent Wednesday's shareholder vote. The deal is expected to close pending approval by shareholders of the Virginia-based companies.

The investors argue that the April 5, 2010, explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 miners and other actions damaged Massey's value.

Shareholders also sought a similar delay in a Delaware court last week. A ruling on that case is pending.