Willie James Pye was born on January 6, 1965, in Georgia. He was one of at least nine siblings in his family. Their upbringing was difficult, marked by childhood abuse and neglect. Pye's family struggled with alcohol abuse. His mother was the only breadwinner and worked ten to twelve hours a day. This left her children, including Pye, unsupervised for long periods. They had to care for themselves from a young age.

Pye did not do well in school. He dropped out during junior high. Later, he was diagnosed with an IQ of 68. This diagnosis showed that he had significant learning challenges. As a young adult, Pye got into trouble with the law. At the age of 20, he was arrested for burglary in 1985. He was sentenced to five years in prison and was released in 1990.

On November 17, 1993, Willie James Pye was involved in a crime that ended tragically for his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. Pye, along with two accomplices, Anthony Freeman and Chester Adams, planned to rob Yarbrough's new boyfriend. When they arrived, they found Yarbrough alone with her baby. Instead of carrying out the robbery, they abducted Yarbrough.

After taking her to a motel, they raped her and stole her jewelry. Later, they drove her to a remote dirt road. Pye ordered Yarbrough out of the car and made her lie face down. He then shot her three times, leading to her death.

The police discovered Yarbrough's body the same day. Pye and Adams denied any involvement in the crime. However, Freeman confessed and named both men as accomplices. DNA evidence later confirmed that Pye's semen was found on the victim, leading to his arrest.

In June 1996, Pye was convicted of multiple charges, including murder and kidnapping. The jury recommended the death penalty for him. He was sentenced to death and received additional life sentences for other charges. Pye remained on death row for nearly 30 years.

In February 2024, a death warrant was issued for Pye, scheduling his execution for March 20, 2024. His lawyers sought clemency, pointing to his low IQ and troubled childhood as reasons to lessen his sentence. However, their requests were denied, and the state declined to commute his sentence.

Pye's execution was delayed due to last-minute appeals that were ultimately dismissed. On March 20, 2024, Pye was executed by lethal injection. He was 59 years old at the time of his death. Before the execution, he did not make a final statement, but he did receive a final prayer. Pye was the first person executed in Georgia following a four-year pause on executions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.