I am a prison officer, responsible for the post-execution procedures and the body disposal. It is my daily work to supervise the clean-up team, transfer the body to the prison morgue for forensic autopsy and to ensure cremation of the remains. Certainly, waiting for the bodies, frequently I see executions. I am accustomed to the procedures, they do not impress me as the condemned inmates are criminals and deserve their penalty.
The subject executed today was no exception. He was a young man, 28, who committed a crime 10 years ago. The evidence was uncontested and he pleaded guilty. His stay in death row was rather long. He has submitted a lot of appeals, adhered to all prison regulations, obtained a work and was considered as an exemplary inmate. However it was not surprising that the the court upheld the sentence and the his request for clemency was denied. It is clear that one must pay for his crimes. This guy was nice: well built, tall muscular man with beautiful face and white teeth. These ten years in death row exerted even some beneficial effects on his physique and behaviour. I met him many times in the prison kitchen where he used to work. He was always polite and subordinated. I felt pity for him in the morning when he was being dragged into the execution chamber. He was screaming loudly and resisting the guards. It was touching to see him barely naked except of disposable underwear, with bare feet in heavy chains and wrists cuffed in the back. When inside, he was immobilized and given a cigarette, which calmed down him a bit. He was looking at the instrument of death with evident horror. I realized he was one of the most beautiful males I have ever seen. He was lean but well toned with sharply shaped shoulders, perfect pecs, six pack, honed hips and small round butts. Hands and feet were perfectly groomed and contrasted with heavy irons. His skin was light dark, smooth and healthy, acorn circumcised semi-erect penis and nuts poked out from disposable g-string. He stopped to scream and resist apparently fascinated by the gruesome chair. It was visible that smoking the cigarette he was trying to steal few more minutes.
The guards moved him to the chair and began to strap expertly his waist and chest. The same procedure were repeated with his bare ankles and thighs. The next were straps across his elbows and forearms. Now he was able to move only his toes and fingers. It was visible, that the bonds hurt him much. His eyes were large and watery, and the whole body covered with smelly sweat. The warden was asking him some routine questions. Surprisingly, the boy with tears on his face, pleaded his crime and accepted his ordeal. He was behaving like a man, indeed!!! Then the executioner wrapped the black leather pad around his left calf and attached an electrode. Black metal helmet was pressed on his shaved head and strapped under his chin. His nostrils were jammed with something and the beautiful face was covered with a wide leather strap buckled to the headrest. Humming noise was a sign of an armed generator. These two minutes of silence had to be an eternity for the condemned. He was extremely tensed, sweating, with hands clenched and penis erect. Sharply at 8 am the executioner pulled the lever.
The poor boy jumped against the straps with a characteristic sound of broken bones and dislocated joints. The next few minutes seemed to be an absolute horror. Before losing consciousness he suffered inhumane pain and could smell his burning flesh. I turned around not to see this torment. Then was a silence. After a couple of minutes paramedic on duty declared the boy dead. The witness and officials left and the body was cooling down. Only the smell of burnt tissues was unbearable.
We approached the chair. The body was laid out on the floor where the g-string removed. It was sad to see him lifted from the chair – arms flopping, no life at all, then to watch as the guards hosed his body down. The corpse was then put on a gurney and transported to the prison morgue where it is my duty to be present as the pathologist conducts an autopsy. This is a gruesome activity. First, they took pictures from all different angles of the body and search for visible clues as to his death. In his case, there were annular burn of the scalp due to the placement of the headpiece 4 x 5 inches, rectangular burn of the calf, where the leg piece known as anklet was placed with electrode, left groin burn due to the metal buckle of the strap as well as abraded and blanched strap imprints on the face and left arm, minor abrasions and lacerations on hands, face, neck and hips. They then did a Y cut from the shoulders down to the pubic bone, used a saw to cut away the rib cage and removed the organs for testing. The scalp was folded down over the face and the back of the head while they saw through the scalp and remove the brain. The scrotal sac was cut to make the testicles visible. One of them, intact and shiny, was removed along with the penis for microscopic evaluations. They then stitch the head and chest/abdomen back up, and place the body on a tray to send for cremation.
In summary, the execution was not botched and performed according to all procedures. The penalty was deserved and the condemned guy paid debt for his crime. He spent 10 years in the death raw, was submitted to humiliating preparation procedures, was dragged naked and barefoot to the execution chamber, feared upcoming death and suffered the terrible pain of electrocution. Justice has been done.
The subject executed today was no exception. He was a young man, 28, who committed a crime 10 years ago. The evidence was uncontested and he pleaded guilty. His stay in death row was rather long. He has submitted a lot of appeals, adhered to all prison regulations, obtained a work and was considered as an exemplary inmate. However it was not surprising that the the court upheld the sentence and the his request for clemency was denied. It is clear that one must pay for his crimes. This guy was nice: well built, tall muscular man with beautiful face and white teeth. These ten years in death row exerted even some beneficial effects on his physique and behaviour. I met him many times in the prison kitchen where he used to work. He was always polite and subordinated. I felt pity for him in the morning when he was being dragged into the execution chamber. He was screaming loudly and resisting the guards. It was touching to see him barely naked except of disposable underwear, with bare feet in heavy chains and wrists cuffed in the back. When inside, he was immobilized and given a cigarette, which calmed down him a bit. He was looking at the instrument of death with evident horror. I realized he was one of the most beautiful males I have ever seen. He was lean but well toned with sharply shaped shoulders, perfect pecs, six pack, honed hips and small round butts. Hands and feet were perfectly groomed and contrasted with heavy irons. His skin was light dark, smooth and healthy, acorn circumcised semi-erect penis and nuts poked out from disposable g-string. He stopped to scream and resist apparently fascinated by the gruesome chair. It was visible that smoking the cigarette he was trying to steal few more minutes.
The guards moved him to the chair and began to strap expertly his waist and chest. The same procedure were repeated with his bare ankles and thighs. The next were straps across his elbows and forearms. Now he was able to move only his toes and fingers. It was visible, that the bonds hurt him much. His eyes were large and watery, and the whole body covered with smelly sweat. The warden was asking him some routine questions. Surprisingly, the boy with tears on his face, pleaded his crime and accepted his ordeal. He was behaving like a man, indeed!!! Then the executioner wrapped the black leather pad around his left calf and attached an electrode. Black metal helmet was pressed on his shaved head and strapped under his chin. His nostrils were jammed with something and the beautiful face was covered with a wide leather strap buckled to the headrest. Humming noise was a sign of an armed generator. These two minutes of silence had to be an eternity for the condemned. He was extremely tensed, sweating, with hands clenched and penis erect. Sharply at 8 am the executioner pulled the lever.
The poor boy jumped against the straps with a characteristic sound of broken bones and dislocated joints. The next few minutes seemed to be an absolute horror. Before losing consciousness he suffered inhumane pain and could smell his burning flesh. I turned around not to see this torment. Then was a silence. After a couple of minutes paramedic on duty declared the boy dead. The witness and officials left and the body was cooling down. Only the smell of burnt tissues was unbearable.
We approached the chair. The body was laid out on the floor where the g-string removed. It was sad to see him lifted from the chair – arms flopping, no life at all, then to watch as the guards hosed his body down. The corpse was then put on a gurney and transported to the prison morgue where it is my duty to be present as the pathologist conducts an autopsy. This is a gruesome activity. First, they took pictures from all different angles of the body and search for visible clues as to his death. In his case, there were annular burn of the scalp due to the placement of the headpiece 4 x 5 inches, rectangular burn of the calf, where the leg piece known as anklet was placed with electrode, left groin burn due to the metal buckle of the strap as well as abraded and blanched strap imprints on the face and left arm, minor abrasions and lacerations on hands, face, neck and hips. They then did a Y cut from the shoulders down to the pubic bone, used a saw to cut away the rib cage and removed the organs for testing. The scalp was folded down over the face and the back of the head while they saw through the scalp and remove the brain. The scrotal sac was cut to make the testicles visible. One of them, intact and shiny, was removed along with the penis for microscopic evaluations. They then stitch the head and chest/abdomen back up, and place the body on a tray to send for cremation.
In summary, the execution was not botched and performed according to all procedures. The penalty was deserved and the condemned guy paid debt for his crime. He spent 10 years in the death raw, was submitted to humiliating preparation procedures, was dragged naked and barefoot to the execution chamber, feared upcoming death and suffered the terrible pain of electrocution. Justice has been done.
