HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A 35-year-old death row inmate is set to be executed this week for the brutal murder of a toddler in December 2008. Blaine Keith Milam is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Thursday, following a lengthy legal battle that included previous stays of execution.
Milam was convicted for the death of 13-month-old Amora Bain Carson, a case that has been described in shocking terms by the child’s mother, who called the incident an “exorcism.” Jesseca Bain Carson, Milam’s then-girlfriend, is currently serving a life sentence for her involvement in the crime.
On the morning of Dec. 2, 2008, Milam made a 911 call from his residence in Rusk County, claiming he had found the child dead. During the investigation, he and Carson initially asserted that they had left Amora unattended and suggested that an intruder may have harmed her. However, forensic evidence painted a far different picture.
Investigators discovered that Amora had suffered extensive injuries, including multiple bite marks, severe head trauma, and internal injuries. These details emerged during Carson’s trial, where it was revealed that she had witnessed Milam “perform an exorcism” on the child. In a chilling account, she later told authorities that after the toddler was killed, they attempted to sell personal items in Henderson to finance another supposed exorcism.
Milam and Carson were both 18 at the time of the tragic events. The prosecution’s case heavily relied on testimony linking Milam to the bite marks found on the child. In a 2019 appeal, Milam’s legal team contested the validity of that evidence and raised concerns about his intellectual capacity, claiming he should be ineligible for execution under prevailing legal standards.
Milam has been incarcerated on death row for 15 years and, as of now, no judicial actions are in place to stay his execution. Meanwhile, another inmate in East Texas, Robert Roberson, faces a looming execution for the death of his 2-year-old daughter in 2002. Roberson has consistently maintained his innocence, with ongoing legal efforts aimed at obtaining a new trial.
The upcoming executions of Milam and Roberson represent the only two set in Texas for the remainder of the year, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. As discussions about criminal justice reform continue, cases like these raise serious questions about the legal processes surrounding capital punishment and the treatment of vulnerable individuals within the justice system.