The State of Connecticut gave serial killer Michael Ross his wish at 2:25 AM Friday morning, putting him to death via lethal injection. Ross became the first person to be executed in New England in 45 years.

Ross was convicted of murdering four women in Connecticut in the 1980s and admitted to killing another four women. He often raped his victims before killing them.

Ross, 45, fought to die despite attempts by death penalty foes and public defenders to spare his life.

Ross had to prove to a judge that he was sane in seeking his own death. At the time, he said, 'I owe these people. I killed their daughters. If I could stop the pain, I have to do that. This is my right. I don't think there's anything crazy or incompetent about that.'

A judge eventually ruled Ross competent to drop his appeals.

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell told reporters, 'Today is a day no one truly looked forward to, but then no one looked forward to the brutal, heinous deaths of those eight young girls. I hope that there is at least some measure of relief and closure for their families.'

Approximately 300 people gathered outside the prison where Ross was executed. Many of them were there to protest against the death penalty.

The last execution in New England before Ross took place in 1960 when Connecticut executed Joseph 'Mad Dog' Taborsky.