A final act of contrition punctuated the execution of James Osgood, who was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening for the 2010 torture and murder of Tracy Brown in Chilton County. The 55-year-old inmate, who spent over a decade on death row, was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, closing a brutal chapter that has haunted the community for fifteen years.
Osgood’s execution proceeded after the Alabama Supreme Court signed his final death warrant in March, exhausting all avenues of appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court declined a last-minute request for a stay earlier in the day, allowing the state’s first execution of the year to move forward as scheduled on April 24, 2025.
The crime that led to this moment was one of exceptional depravity, born from a shared fantasy between Osgood and his then-girlfriend, Tanya Van Dijk, who was also Tracy Brown’s cousin. The investigation began when Brown failed to show for work on October 13, 2010, prompting a welfare check that revealed a scene of horrific violence.
Lieutenant Shane Lockhart, the lead investigator, described finding Brown’s body in her mobile home, naked with deep stab wounds to her back and a fatal slash to her throat. The chaos of the scene immediately suggested multiple perpetrators, quickly turning the focus to Brown’s last known companions: Van Dijk and Osgood.
Initial questioning yielded a mundane story of errands, but the case shattered open when investigators, armed with a jailhouse informant’s statement, confronted Osgood. After hearing a fabricated account of Van Dijk’s alleged confession, Osgood famously told detectives, “You might want to get a pen and a piece of paper,” and proceeded to detail the hours-long assault.
In his confession, Osgood admitted the murder was premeditated, inspired by crime show violence. He and Van Dijk had discussed finding a victim, ultimately targeting Brown herself. After a day of normal activities, the attack began with a slap from Van Dijk, a signal for Osgood to grab Brown in a chokehold.
What followed was an extended period of sexual assault and torture at gunpoint inside Brown’s bedroom. Osgood confessed to forcing Brown to perform oral sex while Van Dijk watched, and later slashing her throat with a knife concealed in his sock. When she continued to fight, he stabbed her repeatedly.
“I apologized to her as she bled out,” Osgood told detectives, recounting that he told the victim, “It’s nothing against you, just stop fighting. Let go.” He then showered at the crime scene before leaving with Van Dijk. The physical evidence, including a cut on Osgood’s finger consistent with a slipping knife, corroborated his gruesome account.
Convicted on two counts of capital murder in 2014 for killing Brown during the commission of rape and sodomy, Osgood was unanimously sentenced to death by a Chilton County jury. His path to the execution chamber took a remarkable turn during a re-sentencing hearing mandated due to a jury instruction error.
In a stunning courtroom moment, Osgood waived further appeals and requested that the death penalty be reinstated. He cited a belief in “an eye for an eye,” telling the judge, “I deserve to die.” His request was granted in 2018, with the victim’s family supporting the outcome.
On his final day, Osgood was visited by more than twenty people, including his daughter, sister, and attorney. He declined a lunch offering but accepted his chosen last meal: pizza. In the execution chamber, the curtain to the witness room opened at 6:09 p.m. to reveal him already secured to the gurney.
At 6:11 p.m., he delivered his last statement, breaking a long silence. “I have not said her name since that day because I felt I didn’t have the right to,” Osgood said. “Tracy, I apologize.” He then turned to his witnesses, sitting upright to make hand signs indicating “143,” a code for “I love you.”
The lethal injection process began shortly after. Osgood took slow, deep breaths, lay his head down, and lost consciousness. A guard performed checks, calling his name and pinching his arm with no response. All signs of breathing ceased by 6:18 p.m., and he was officially pronounced dead seventeen minutes later.
Co-defendant Tanya Van Dijk, who testified against Osgood as part of a plea agreement, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. For Tracy Brown’s family and the investigators who worked the case, Osgood’s execution represents a grim but final measure of justice for a crime that defied comprehension.
Lieutenant Shane Lockhart, now retired, reflected on the case’s enduring impact. “The sheer brutality, the betrayal by her own family, it changed this community,” he stated. “Tonight isn’t about celebration. It’s about the end of a very long, painful road for a family that has borne unimaginable grief.”