British woman who married death row inmate reveals his heartbreaking final words before his execution
A woman who married a prisoner has revealed his tragic last words and a declaration of love before he was put to death.
Tiana Krasniqi met James Broadnax on an online prison pen pal platform while she was studying for her Master's degree in international human rights law. James and his cousin Demarius Cummings were accused of fatally shooting two men during a 2008 robbery in Texas.
The following year, James was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Demarius was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Demarius signed a sworn declaration in March 2026 claiming that he, not James, was the person who shot the victims. He claimed that he had persuaded James to take the blame.
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But despite his appeal, James, 37, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on 30 April 2026.
Speaking on LADbible's Minutes With, Tiana, who is originally from southeast London, has shared details of her husband’s final hours and the moment she was ‘forced’ to watch him die.
The British law graduate said: “I got him his favourite Powerade and beef jerky because he couldn't eat. So I said, ‘Just eat something.’ And he was just crying and I'll never forget, he leaned back and he said, ‘I never knew how loved I could be. I never knew that I was worthy of my life being fought for.’”
She continued: “And I said, ‘You need to know you are loved. People are fighting for you.’ And he kept saying to me, ‘But I never knew people could fight for me. I never knew I was worthy.’”
In the lead-up to his execution, James had conversations with his lawyers, spiritual advisor and phone calls with Tiana in between.
When she was finally allowed to see her husband before his death, Tiana recalled being shocked by what she saw.
She explained: “It's a prison anyways, so you go in, you turn into these offices and it's like hospital corridors. And I kept thinking, ‘Why is this taking so long?’ And I said to them, ‘When am I going to see him?’ She said, ‘As soon as you turn left.’
“Turned left and it was a small green room, no chairs. And I just see him. Lay down, strapped, belt, belt, belt. A bed sheet on him because he had belts all over his body and he was crossed-armed. He was in a crucifix style.
“And again, as soon as I turn left, he turns and we both look at each other in the eyes and I drop and I scream. And it's like they grab me up and they bring me closer to the window.
“And they had told me, ‘You're not allowed to bang the window because you will get arrested’. But what's the point of banging the window? What's that going to do? It's not going to stop it.”
Tiana soon realised that James could hear her while in the execution room.
She continued: “And I'm like, ‘Babe, babe, are you okay?’ And I'm like, ‘No, that's stupid to ask. Are you scared?’ And I'm like, ‘No, that's stupid to ask.’ I’m like, ‘What do you say?’
“And I just kept saying to him, I love you. I'm sorry I failed you. And he kept saying to me, ‘No, baby, don't blame yourself. Stop blaming yourself.’”
According to Tiana, James was in tears after looking at the victim’s families. Tiana was warned that she would not be able to leave the room during the procedure until James was pronounced dead, which proved to be difficult.
“Usually they say, ‘I’m done, Warden. I'm ready, Warden.’ He didn't say it because he wanted to distract me,” she added.
Tiana also revealed the final words he said to her.
“So he nodded. He was like, ‘I love you queen. Don't give up. I love you queen. Don't give up.’ And as he said, ‘Don’t,’ his head jumped back and he went, ‘Ugh.’ And then his eyes rolled up and he dropped.
“And I screamed. Before we went into that death chamber, they said to me, ‘Once we lock that door, you can't come out of there unless there's an emergency or until he's pronounced dead.’
“I said, ‘He's dead now. Let him go. It's done.’ And they're like, ‘No, ma'am, you need to wait 20 minutes.’ So I said, ‘So you're going to force me to sit here and watch him die?’
“And they said, ‘This is the procedure.’ And I'm screaming because I'm watching James die and he's going blue. His lips are going blue. His face is going blue. There are veins appearing in his forehead and I'm just watching him suffer and I can't do nothing.”
James died 21 minutes later.
Watch Tiana Krasniqi's full Minutes With episode below:
Tiana has been open about her relationship and has spoken publicly about James’ case, which has been met with some criticism. However, she says that one thing she learnt from him was experiencing 'pure love'.
She said: “We were finally able to experience what love should really look like, even in the midst of double-glazed, bulletproof windows and bars and shackles and handcuffs and metal detectors and lethal injections.
“He's the reason that I finally find out how true and pure love looks like. And he told me the same.”
Greg Harris