Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
original documantery 2015.
this story contains dramatization of executions that mya be disrburing to some readers.
viewer discretion is advised.
Countdown
the final 24 hours. to execution.
just don’t simplyget a man and walk from the cell and executed.
the policy book prescribes their schedules.
hour by hour and even minute to minute.
but ecxecutions don’t always go according to the plan.
he’s hair caught on fire, his leg caught on fire…
the needle was dangling, it came out .it was messy.
from the long walk
to the last meal .
there are not a lot of people who have the opportunity to actually see someone die.
inside accounts from the men who worked there reveal the last 24 hours
on deathrow throught team.
Deathrow.
on average condemned inmates spend 15 years here, the time is spent appealing against their sentence
if the appeals fail the joruney to the execution chambers begins here in the judges office .
whtt fors occurs is the order that sets the day and then witihn 10 days you sign so called the warrant of execution.
Dallas judge robert francis has persided over five death penalty convictions.
the warrant execution authorizes that the pereson to be executed supposed to be executed in a certain room ,certain manner,at certain day to acertain time.
each state has a different protocol for execution because it’s up to that stat’s legislature
there are five methods of execution in use today. and 15 states allow the prisoner to choose how he will be put to death.
HANING
today inmates in washington state can choose hanging.
since 1776 more people have been executed by hanging than by any other method.
THE FIRINGS SQUAD
most rescntly used in Utah in 2010. it’s available to prisoners convicted there before 2004
ELECTROCUTION
most exexutions in the 20th century used the the electric chair.it¨s an option for inmates in Alabama,Florida , South Carolina and wirginia .
LETHAL GAS
last used in Arizona in 1999. the gas chamber is still a choice for inmates in Missori and California.
AND FINALY , LETHAL INJECTION
lethal incejtion first used in 1982 most executions in the past two decades have been by lethal injection
its now the primary method of execution in all 33 death penalty states.
once the death warrant is signed the countdown to execution begins.
you move the inmate from death row to the death chamber 24
hoursbefore he’s exexution.
allen ault conducted five executions as commissioner of corrections in Georgia.
the policy book prescribes they scheduled hour by hour and even down to miunte by minute.
each death penalty state concuts executions according to its own protocol and timeline.
from 1967 through 1976 there were no executions in america .
while legal challenges to the death penalty were considered.
in 1977. executions resumed when convicted murderer Gary Gilmore faced a firing squad in Utah.
since then Texas hasconducted more executions than any other state.
their protocol had become a model for many others.
since Texas do so many executions someone of being experts at it
jim willet was warden of huntsville prison .
where all texas death sentences are carried out .
he oversaw 89 executions in three years there.
pryor to leaving death row and getting on the van to come to death house the inmate would be searched. really well.
you search the inmate , make sure he doesn’t have a weapon so that he couldn’t do damage to himself or commit suicide.
bottom line an execution it’s a court order,so anything other than an execution by the state would not been acceptable per per the court order.
terry green was a member of the Texas execution team at huntsville prison.
he participated in 102 lethal injections
the execution team f viewed as somewhat an elite unit primarily because of the uniquenwaa of the duty. the care and the commitment thatbe brought to that duty.
also known as the tie -down team it’s comosed of prison staff no one compelled to take part , everyone is involved as a volunteer, it just wasn’t something that everyone was able to do . or was comfortable doing.
first assignment was to go to death row and bring the inmate back to the death house.
in texas it’s a 45 milr journey from death row at the polansky unit to the place of execution in Huntsville known as the death house.
the drive is the most vulnerable part of the transfer .
transfer transport process was porperly the inmates last chance of escape and probably the best chance you’ve ever had to escape asuming he had outside help
the three vehicle convoj varies the route taken to avoid ambusch
the precautions work, in texas no one has ever escaped during transport to the death house.
once then inmate is escort into death house from the transport van
that¨ll be the last ime you´ll see the light of the day.
brian price was an inmate in Texas huntsville prison .
went to prison in 1898 on a 15 year sentence and when you arrived in prison they assigned you a job . he was a musician and photographer and they told him ,well not longer , now you’re in the kitchen.
while working in huntsvile unit kitchens ,bryhan prepared 189 last meals.
during the last weeks on death row the inmate would be given a last minute reuquest.
each state has its own rules about what a prisoner is alowed to request in florida inmates can order ford with a maximum cost of 40 dollars .
in Oklahoma the limit is 15 dollars.
the deathrow inmates a do not have a choice whatever meal tey’re gonna have every day, here they have a choice.
something they haven’t had probably in two decades.
once the inmates rolled into the death house cell.
cell door secured it’s not nsecured again until such time as it¨s time for execution take place.
the prisoner has been transferred from death row to a holding cell in the death house
there are 21 hours to exection.
Reverend carol pickett was chaplain at Texas huntsville unite ,he was involved in 95 executions
the role of the chaplain is to provide comfort to te inmate .
his role is to make sure this guys is prepared to die . spiritually.
as night falls the inmate an sleep if he wishes to.
while death house guards keep a constant watch ensuring he does not attempt suicide
the morning of the day of execution …
the equipment to be use in the death chamber may need to be tested.
lethal injection is carried out on a special designed bed.
or gurney.
lethal injection is carried out on a specially desinged bed or gurney
prior to the execution the staff would go in there to make sure that the straps were in good working order .
that the phone to the governor’s office was working , and it was in communication
the phone is needed because even on the day of execuion the inmate has a slim chance of ovoiding death.
when you avoiding death when you reach the point you got into the day of execution, the defendants attorneys are filing more motions and so.
the lawyers are feverishly trying to do something to get a stay .
they’re going to be out of the state system in the federal system they’ll file them directly with the fifth circuit court , once the 5th circuit court acts .
it’s very rare that the supreme court takes any action beyond on that , unless there’s some new novl worthy issue.
unless an appeal succeeds in the death house preparations contiunue
for an electrocution both the chair and it’s electrical components must be tested.
jerry givens former executioner, was virginias executioner from 1982 to 1999,
he carried out 25 electrocutions.
technology of the electrocution has changed little since the first electric chair was used in 1890
this was the texas electic chair ,dubbed old sparky by the inmates and it was used first in 1925.
electric chairs are made of wod so thet will not conduct
the electricity will flow through a headpiece and…
…electpiece.
this piece here was placed on the head and there’s another piece down…
...here that will be laced on the left ankle
when conacted to a power source these will form a deadly circuit
hrough the body of the inmate.
to ensure good electrical contact the headpiece and leg piece are fitted with natural sponges soaked in salt water.
the reason you use the real sponge is because when you soak the the sponge and salt water ,the sponge will expand and open up.
so whn the spines span and open up the floor electricity can come trough
lethal gas requires careful preparation. the ga used hydrogen cyianid is poisonous and combustible .
the gas chamber was the most dangerous method of execution ,because gas dose not discriminate about who it kills.
before every execution the seals on the gaschamber must be checked for potential leaks.
allen ault was responsible for the upkeep of gas chambers in mississippi and colorado.
it cost twenty five thousand each place for the seals, maintenance costs like these make lethal gas the most expensive form of execution.
in california and arizona the chambers were designed to allow two inmates to be executed at the same time.
to prepare for an execution by firing squad marksmen must be recruited
in Utha in 2010 convicted murderer rony lee gardner chose this method ,claiming he had lived by the gun so he deserved to die by a gun.
the utah squad was composed of five law- enforcement rifflemen
they used winchester rifles ,four reloded with 30 caliber ammunition one was loaded with a blank.
this way the squad would not know who hwo fired the fatal shots.
preparation for hanging have changed little in half a century. themost recent was in delarware in 1996 convicted murderer billly bailey chose haning over over lethal injection .
saying ” i.m not going to let them put me to sleep.
before the haning the rope was boiled and stretched.
bailey’s wight was checked against drop distance table developed by the US army in 1947.
the heavier you were of course the lessdrop there would be. it would me more of an art than a science even with the calculations and things of nature.
of course you would stil have misstakes. ad on the next would get streched out the head would just pop off.
in the death house cell , the prisoner is kept under constant surveillance as the clock counts down to execution.
inmates are allowed to shower. allowed to use the phone ,they would dial the number for him and it allowed to complete his call
the last telephone call you, you can’t call anybody after that .then the only pereson you’re going to talk to is the chaplain.
that was a very traumatic time.
in the death house there are jsut four hours until execution
if the inmate has selected electrocution his head may be shaved.
removing the hair removes a potential hazard .his head is shaved because a case in florida when they executed him his hair caught fire in
in 1990 six inch flames left from the head of convicted cop killer jesse tafero as he was electrocuded.
three jolts of power were required to kill him. -didn’t die right away. it was a very obscene scene.
florida’s governor demanded an investigation into what went wrong.
experienced virginia executioner jerry givens was flown to florida to test their electric chair.
he went to the prsion and xamined the equipment when he look at the headpiece and the leg piece that’s what the problem was.
they’re laced the head and leg pice with that synthetic rubber sponge so whenever electricity hit the guy ,his head caught on fire . his leg caught on fire.
the synthetic rubber sponge might have blocked the flow of electricity. givens replaced it with a natural sponge .somebody from the court witness the test and the real estate electrocutions for the state of florida.
hair or cloth any other points of electrical contact adds to to the risk of fire. to minimize this ,the inmates calf may also be shaved and the trouser leg cut off.
now huntsville inmate brian price would begin to cook the last meal.he had 2 hours to prepared the meal and have sent over to the death chamber
the most requested last meal would be cheesburgers and french fries. guessing.sort of comfort food .
some other infamous last meals like timothy mcVeigh who was that bomber in oklahoma
he requested ; two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
serial killer Ted bundy, requested steak , eggs, hash browns and coffee
john wayne gacy , he ordered a dozen deep-fried shrimp a bucket of fried chicken and a pound of strawberries.
in 2011 Texas ended the tradition of the last meal request.now inmates get whatever is being served in that prison that day.
when the last meal is delivered to te inmate he is no more than two hours away from execution time.
while the prisoner eats his final meal the men and women who witness
begin to arrived at the prison.
the role of the witnesses by law is to confirm that an individual was actually executed so they witness the actual execution.
people volunteer to do this.
in many states civilians with no connection to the crime must be present. in texas ,families of the have been allowed to atend since 1995 .
the inmate is also allowed to choose witnesses , a victim’s witnesses and the inmates witnesses are kept seperate , they’re never allowed to mingle.
other witnesses included representatives from the media.
journalist michael graczyk has covered more than 300 executions for the associated press
“there are not alot of people who have the oportunity to actually see someone die. they see dead bodies but under the sircumstances where you actually get to see someone breathe their last breath ,sure it makes it .. it makes it difficult.”
-michael graczyk.
execution used to be condutced in public anyone could attend.
they were prepeare food and stuff like that and once the execution was completed, they throw a little party.
the last public execution was held in Owensboro kentucky in 1936 it was watched by 10,000 people and widely critizied for its carnival spirit.
after executions violence would happen minute the sleight working up a mob.
the largest number of witnesss since the kentucky hanging was in 2001 for the execution of convicted Oklahoma city bomber,Timothy mcVeigh.
30 witness attended and 250 relatives of the victims watched the lethal injection on closed.-circuit television.
with one hour to go before the execution takes place .the executioner makes his way to the death chamber.
the role of the executioner is absolutely the key part of the whole process.
In Texas the identity of the executioner is never officially disclosed.
in florida the job is carried out by a civilian who is paid 150 dollars. the role of the executioner is to make sure that the job is done correctly and precise as possible.
it’s the executioner who will administer the lethal injection.
start the electrocution
or throw the switch which will mix the chemicals used in the
gas chamber.
there are just 30 minutes to execution.
in texas the warden comes to the death house with a five man tie- down team .
if the prisoner is not compliant, he woll be carried to the death chamber
the vast majority of inmates present no resistance .
the long walk and the prison is maybe ten feet.it’s not a long walk.
but dead walk feel like that long walk even to the staff’s
when the inmate walks into the death chamber
it’s gonna be the first time he’s seen that death chamber.
the first thing that’s gonna catch his eyes is that gurney which is the place he’s gonna die.
once the death chambers reached, he’s advised to sit upon the gurney
than lie down on his back .
each member of the tie -down is responsible for securing a part of the prisoners body to the gurney.
in a small room adjoining the death chamber behind one -way window the executionerreadies the drugs
Tubes lead from the exectioner’s room into the death chamber through a hall in the wall.
the medical team must insert them into the prisoners veins.
the american medical association advises doctors not to take part in executions because it is a violation of their code of ethics.
Texas the tubes are inserted by a medical technician it seems that when people get real nervous sometimes those things jsut knd of hunker down in there don’t pop up like they usually do
some of them have burnt pains from drugs which would make the injection process longer much more painful.
when the tubes are connected a harmless saline solution begins to flow. the lethal drugs will not be administered until the inmates has sad his last words
at that point it¨s 15 minutes away at most from the execution .even at this late stage the inmate might receive a stayof execution .
there’s two phones in there,one connected to the governor and one connect through the attorney general via those phones ring everything stops.
a stay mighy be given to allow a court more time to consider a new submissions by the defense lawyers .
on numerous occasions the execution would be stayed. sometimes for an hour , sometimes for a day and sometimes for a month.
convicted murderer james autry was one of the first inmates scheduled to die by lethal injection in Texas in 1983.
they would start the process of killing him. he got a stay so he was taken back to death row.
no one on death row knew what to expect from the new method of execution.
but autry had been through more of the process than any prisoner alive. he told everybody exactly what took place.so there’s no more secrets.
james autry was eventually executed in march 1984
more than 130 people have been wholly exonerated after being sentenced to death.
ronald carney is one of them . he was facing the gas chamber for a murder he was later acquitted of.
then a new evidence ccame to light and ronald’s lawyers succeeded in proving his innocence
without the legal attention given to death row cases ronald might not be free today.
there are 15 minutes until execution
the prisoner is resrtrained on the gurney
in texas the witnesses are no ushered into to viewing areas. associated presss journalist michael has witnessed hundreds of executions there.
your hear people talk about a seat in the death chamber , there are no chairs , you are allowed to bring in a pad and writtting implement and that’s it.
once the witnesses are brought in to the room . the inmate can make his last statement.to provent delay , in Texas the inmate is allowed a few minutes to make his final statement
california’s protocol states that a brief final statement can be made.
kentucky imposes a 2 -minute limit.
pensylvania allows only written statements
when the inmate has said his last words he’s probably looking at another couple of minutes alive.
the warden would take his glasses off.when he lowered those glasses it was time for the executioner to do what he had to do.
three states allow the use of one drug for lethal injection.
three state do not specify what procedure they use .
al the other states including Texas specify three drugs in sequence
the first drug is barbiturate which sedates the inmates usually.
if the inmate has chosen electrocution he will be strapped to a wooden chair.the headpice and leg piece are attached, some states also cover the face with a mask.
the chaplain remain in the death chamber , a signal is given and the current switched on.
when the executive order is given , there’s a real physical violent jolt of the body.
an automatic run for 45 seconds on a high cycle
protocols vary but givens would deliver two bursts of electricity at 2400 volts and between 2 and 4 amps.
you can actually hear the lectricity of high -voltage electricity going through the line .you can see the body swell and and drop back. then you go smelled a flesh burning.it’s an awful greasy smell.
for execution by lethal gas the prisoner is strapped into a wire mesh chair and the chamber sealed.
when the signal is given , cyanide tablets are mixed with sulfuric acid inside the chamber , the gas produced is deadly hydrogen cyanide.
there would be some moaning, gargling , type noises,severe shaking foaming of the mouth.
you’re actually feeling like you¨re stragnling to death.
once they actually could no longer hold their breath the process would take four to seven minutes. it’s not a pleasant death.
in the death chamber the inmate has made his final statement ,the warden has given the signal to execute him.
now lethal drugs flow into prisoners veins , in minutes he should be dead. but sometimes there is what’s known as a blowout.
during the execution of convicted murderer raymond landry in Texas in 1988 , the tubes came out of his arm. there were no glass that seperated the staff from the inmate and the staff watching the inmates being put to death and all of sudden journalist michael see this liquid begins squirting toward him and he thought , ” what if this gets on me”
the medical team re-inserted the tubes and 14 minutes later the execution continued
when they came back into the chamber ,they had put up the glass and there was the inauguration of the glass that separated them from the inmate.
there was a second Texas blowout in 1998 during exexution of convicted murderer joseph cannon .
it was jim willits first time in charge.
the inmate turns his head and said “it came out” . sure enough the needle was dangling there and so that kind of was a messy
if there are no problems in the death chamber ,the first drug sedates the inmate.once the drug is completed trough the line .then flush it with a solution.
the salin flush is usedbecause if the lethal drugs were to mix , solid particles might form and block the tubes
after the saline flush the second drug pancuronium bromide is delivered . it will paralyze the innate
as the drugs have take effect, their skin color begins turning almost purplishas the person is dying .
the third drug ,potassium chloride stops the heart.
the execution is not officialy complete until a medical doctor has checked the body for vital signs .
complete until a medical doctor has checked the body for vital signs .
if the inmate was executed using lethal gas toxic residue is a real danger.the gas chamber is vented and the team enter in protective suits.
they would try to decontaminate the body by running their fingers through the hair , shaking off the clothing as much as possible to get as much of the powder itself off of the person.
the electrical resistance of the human body causes it to heat up during electrocution ,afterwards the corps has left five minutes to cool, before being removed.
if no one claimes the body ,it will be buried the next day at the prison cemetery.
when you see a grave , any grav anywhere out there that has an X on it that means that he was executed .