Lee Hedgepeth is a digital investigative reporter at CBS 42, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lee grew up in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town in south Mobile County. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Alabama, as well as master’s degrees in journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University, respectively.
An experienced political journalist, Lee has worked for outlets including Alabama Political Reporter, Lagniappe Weekly, and the Anniston Star, covering events ranging from impeachments to executions. His work has been cited by outlets like the New York Times and US News and World Report.
In 2017, Lee started to cover executions from the witnessing room of Alabama's death house and since that time, he has witnessed the executions of 5 people in Alabama. In addition, he was present at the botched execution attempts that have occurred in Alabama in just in the last few months: Alan Miller on September 22 and Kenneth Smith on November 17 of this year. In both cases, Lee was there to report on the horrific torture of both men being poked and prodded until it was determined that they could not gain vein access, thereby sparing the lives of these men after hours of torture. The above video link provides an interview by the BBC with Lee about the recent botched executions in Alabama, which was followed by Governor Kay Ivey's decision on November 18 to issue a moratorium in order to review the flawed protocol of lethal injection. Listen to this BBC interview with Lee in the above link to learn more about Alabama's botched executions and the current moratorium that has resulted from these botched executions. At each of the executions that Lee has witnessed, he looks for the human elements that unfold, as he aims to humanize those impacted by the trauma of executions. Lee's recent reporting includes a focus on the men left behind on death row, who are often neglected in the stories that are told about those impacted by executions. Go the links below to check out a sampling of Lee Hedgepeth's phenomenal work.
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2019/10/witness-to-death-on-murder-and-execution-in-alabama