Nebraska carried out its first execution in 21 years on Tuesday morning, as Carey Dean Moore was killed at the Nebraska State Penitentiary by lethal injection.

Moore was sentenced to death nearly 40 years ago for the shooting deaths of Reuel Van Ness, Jr. and Maynaqrd Helgeland in Omaha.

The injection used a never-before-tried combination of drugs including fentanyl.

Moore had the chance for a final statement, according to media witnesses, and said “Just the statement that I hand-delivered to you about my brother Donny and the innocent men on Nebraska’s death row. That's all that I have to say.” He later mouthed several words to witnesses including "I love you." He also had a final handwritten statement, which you can see below.

The first of four substances was administered at 10:24 a.m. His official time of death was 10:47 a.m., Nebraska Department of Corrections officials said.

Moore’s body will be remanded to the custody of the Nebraska State Patrol. An autopsy will be conducted.

“As the director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS), I am required to carry out the order of the court," NDCS Director Scott Frakes said afterward. "This agency has done so with professionalism, respect for the process and with dignity for all involved. I recognize that today’s execution impacts many people on many levels, most certainly the families of Mr. Van Ness and Mr. Helgeland.

In accordance with Neb. Rev. Stat. 83-970, Moore designated three people and one member of the clergy as witnesses to the execution. One family member was present, representing one of the victims. The six witness slots designated by the director were filled by four members of the Nebraska news media and two NDCS staff members."

Gov. Pete Ricketts, a wealthy former businessman, helped finance a ballot drive to reinstate capital punishment after lawmakers overrode his veto in 2015. His administration then changed Nebraska's lethal injection protocol to overcome challenges in purchasing the necessary drugs and withheld records previously considered public that would identify the state's supplier.

"It wouldn't even have made it to the ballot without him," said Matt Maly, an anti-death penalty activist who has joined daily protests outside the governor's residence. "To get something on the ballot takes a lot of money and resources. Nobody else would have cared enough."

Ricketts argued last week that he was fulfilling the wishes of voters who opted to overturn the Legislature's decision in the 2016 general election. He said he views capital punishment as a matter of protecting public safety and an important tool for law enforcement, despite his Catholic faith and the recent statements by Pope Francis that the death penalty is unacceptable in all cases.

"The people of Nebraska spoke loud and clear that they wanted to retain capital punishment as part of our overall state laws to protect public safety," he said. "Our job is to carry that out."

The Nebraska Attorney General's Office issued a statement Tuesday morning saying, "Our sympathy is extended to the families of Reuel Van Ness and Maynard Helgeland for the loss of their loved ones nearly thirty-nine years ago. Today's somber event serves to provide a measure of closure for what has been a lengthy enactment of justice."

The 60-year-old Moore, who had execution dates set seven previous times, has stopped fighting the state's efforts to execute him, but two drug companies hfiled legal challenges to prevent the state from using what they say may be their drugs.

On Friday, a federal judge denied the request of German pharmaceutical company Fresenius Kabi to temporarily postpone the execution. Fresenius Kabi filed an immediate appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the judge's ruling Monday. The company later said it wouldn't pursue an additional review with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Drugmaker Sandoz Inc. also filed a motion to intervene on Saturday, but that didn’t prevent the execution from moving forward.

Nebraska last carried out an execution in 1997, using the electric chair.