The Brutal Murder of Karen Lane

 

A Life for a Life: The Brutal Murder of Karen Lane

In the early morning hours of August 2, 1988, the quiet community of Cordova in Walker County, Alabama, was shattered by a crime of shocking brutality. Karen Lane, a 32-year-old woman, was found bludgeoned to death in her apartment. The investigation would swiftly point to a man she had been dating for a mere month, Gregory Hunt. Now, 37 years later, on this day, June 10, 2025, the long legal saga is scheduled to conclude with Hunt's execution by nitrogen hypoxia, a consequence of a crime that has left an indelible scar on the community and the families involved.

The relationship between Hunt and Lane was, by all accounts, brief and tumultuous. On the night of the murder, evidence presented at trial painted a grim picture of Hunt's obsessive pursuit of Lane. He was seen searching for her, and a neighbor testified to hearing glass break and witnessing Hunt enter Lane's apartment. The scene that awaited investigators was one of horrific violence. Lane had sustained over 60 injuries, a testament to a savage and prolonged attack.

The evidence against Hunt was overwhelming. A bloody palm print found at the scene was a direct match to his. His fingerprints were discovered on a window screen that had been tampered with. The prosecution built a case that portrayed Hunt as a jealous and violent man who, in a fit of rage, sexually assaulted and murdered Karen Lane.

The legal proceedings that followed were lengthy and contentious. In 1990, a Walker County jury convicted Gregory Hunt of capital murder. By a vote of 11 to 1, they recommended the death penalty, a sentence the judge subsequently imposed. For the next three and a half decades, Hunt's case would wind its way through the appellate court system. His defense attorneys raised numerous issues, including the non-unanimous jury verdict for a death sentence, a practice now outlawed in Alabama for cases after 2017.

A significant point of contention during the appeals process revolved around the testimony of the medical examiner. The prosecution had argued that a stick found at the crime scene had been used to sexually assault Lane, a key factor in the capital murder charge. Years later, it came to light that the medical examiner's testimony regarding the presence of cervical mucus on the stick was flawed, as Lane had previously undergone a hysterectomy and did not have a cervix. While the defense argued this undermined the sexual assault charge, the state maintained that other evidence supported the finding.

Despite the legal challenges and the controversy surrounding certain aspects of the evidence, Hunt's conviction and death sentence were repeatedly upheld. His confessions to both his sister and a cellmate, in which he admitted to the killing, were powerful pieces of evidence that were difficult to refute.

As the date of his execution neared, Gregory Hunt, now in his 60s, continued to express remorse for the murder of Karen Lane but maintained his innocence on the sexual assault charge. His case has drawn attention from death penalty opponents, who point to the non-unanimous jury recommendation and the questions surrounding the medical examiner's testimony as reasons for clemency.

The impending execution brings a sense of finality to a case that has spanned generations. For the family of Karen Lane, it represents a long-awaited form of justice. For the community of Walker County, it is a grim reminder of a violent tragedy that stole a life and set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in another death, decades later. 

Update: At 2:45 p.m., the Supreme Court refused to block Hunt's execution.