Jason Getsy had the dubious honor of being the the first case heard by the newly seated justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor and it did not turn out well for Getsy.

Jason Getsy was pronounced dead at 10:29 am on this morning after being executed by lethal injection for his crimes, in a Southern Ohio Prison in Lucasville.

Sotomayor voted along with three other liberal justices to approve the last minute appeal for a stay of execution in the Jason Getsy case but the full court turned down the appeal in a 5-4 vote late Monday evening.

Getsy, 33 was a convicted hit man who in a 1995 paid hit, shot Charles Serafino seven times. The victim actually survived the attack but his mother, Ann Serafino, also involved in the shooting, was killed.

Getsy was clearly guilty of the shooting and the killing of the old woman but what kind of hit man shoots a guy seven times and doesn’t kill him? Clearly, Getsy needed a bit of time on the shooting range and perhaps some anatomy lessons to locate some of the more vital organs in a human body.

Getsy’s lawyers did not try to claim that their client was innocent but only that there were other participants to the crime. After all, a hit man is a killer for hire so why shouldn’t the man who hired him not be on trial as well? John Santine, accused of contracting the hit, will not receive the death penalty as a result but Getsy will.

The Ohio Parole board recommended sparing Getsy’s life on the grounds he was not alone in the planning of the murder but Ohio Governor Ted Strickland disagreed with their assessment. He felt that although the other conspirators in the case were given more lenient sentences, that did not mean that Getsy, who actually did the shooting, should be spared.

Getsy spent his last evening writing letters, making phone calls and reading the Bible. His last meal included a rib-eye steak, bbq buffalo wings and onion rings. His visitors included his grandmother, some aunts and uncles and a spiritual advisor

Getsy, who was a high school drop out, was raised by his mother and step father. In 1992, he committed his first crime when he was convicted of negligent homicide for participating in a game of russian roulette that resulted in the death of his 14-year old companion.

The Supreme Court issued a two line order on Monday evening rejecting the request for stay on Getsy’s behalf although the 4-5 vote clearly indicates there was some dissention among the ranks.

Justice Sotomayor replaced Justice David H. Souter, another liberal justice who often voted to limit the use of the death penalty in capital cases or to delay an execution.