A Texas man convicted of beating and suffocating a Dallas area pastor in his church during a robbery was put to death Wednesday evening, the second execution in the U.S. this year and the first of four scheduled in Texas over the next three months.

The State of Texas executed a Black man convicted of killing a pastor during a robbery in 2011, despite his claims that while he was present during the crime he was not responsible for the murder.

Texas executed Steven Nelson for the 2011 murder of the Rev. Clint Dobson Wednesday night. It is the second execution of the year in the nation.