Death Row The Final 24 Hours Documentary & Discovery HD Channel Official

Summary

Highlights

• The documentary provides an inside look at the final preparations for executions on death row. 🎥
• Discover the five methods of execution still permitted by law and the protocols involved. 📜
• Insight into the personal experiences of those who witness or participate in executions, including the emotional toll it takes. 😢
• The history and evolution of execution methods, from hanging to lethal injection, and their current application in US states. 🏛️
• A chilling glimpse into the actual process of execution and the roles of those who facilitate it. 🏢

Key Takeaways

• Executions follow a strict schedule, minute-by-minute, but unforeseen complications can arise. 🕒
• There are five methods of execution still in use today, with lethal injection being the most common. 💉
• Witnesses are crucial to the execution process, ensuring transparency and legality. 👁️
• Final meals serve as a small comfort to inmates before their execution, although some states have discontinued this tradition. 🍔
• Execution professionals, including chaplains and executioners, have varied emotional responses and face ethical challenges. 🧘‍♂️

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 10:00: Countdown to Execution This chapter delves into the intricacies and scheduled rhythms leading up to an execution, emphasizing the meticulous, minute-by-minute plan dictated by policy books. However, it highlights the reality that despite such rigorous planning, executions can deviate from their intended course. It sets the scene for the last 24 hours, portraying a structured yet unpredictable chain of events as the final countdown progresses.
• 10:00 - 20:00: Death Row Protocols The chapter provides a vivid description of the harrowing and chaotic experiences associated with the execution process on death row. It mentions incidents such as a person's leg catching on fire and issues with the needle during execution. The narrative also covers the perspectives of the individuals working on death row, revealing the routine nature of witnessing death firsthand. Additionally, it touches upon the autopsy process and the finality of the last moments before execution.
• 20:00 - 30:00: Execution Methods The chapter discusses the average time condemned inmates spend on death row, which is about 15 years. During this period, they engage in appealing their sentences. If these appeals are not successful, the process leading to the execution begins in the judge's office.
• 30:00 - 40:00: Execution Day The chapter titled 'Execution Day' primarily discusses the procedural aspects of carrying out a death penalty sentence. Judge Robert Francis, who has overseen five death penalty cases, explains the steps involved in executing a death sentence. After a decision is made to set a Date And Time (DAT) for an execution, a 'warrant of execution' must be signed within 10 days. This document specifies the exact details such as the location, manner, date, and time of the execution. The chapter highlights that protocols for execution vary from state to state, as each state determines its own procedures.
• 40:00 - 50:00: Execution Process and Issues The chapter discusses the various methods of execution currently in use across different states, focusing on the choice available to inmates. It highlights that 14 states allow prisoners to choose their method of execution, with hanging being an option in Washington state. The chapter also notes the historical prevalence of hanging as an execution method, dating back to 1776, and mentions the firing squad as another method of execution.
• 50:00 - 60:00: Post-Execution Reflection The chapter discusses various methods of execution applied over different time periods and jurisdictions in the United States. For example, Utah used firing squads up until 2010 for prisoners convicted before 2004. The use of the electric chair was prevalent in the 20th century, remaining an option for inmates in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia. Lethal gas, last applied in Arizona in 1999, is mentioned in the context of its historical usage in gas chambers. The chapter reflects on these historical practices, offering a post-execution analysis.

Death Row The Final 24 Hours Documentary & Discovery HD Channel Official Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Countdown the final 24 hours to [Music] execution just don't simply get a man and walk him from his cell and execute him the policy book prescribes a schedule hour by hour and even down to minute by minute but executions don't always go according to the plan the head
• 00:30 - 01:00 caught on fire and his leg caught on fire the needle was dangling there it came out that kind of was a messy deal from the long walk to the last meal it won't take it long before all it is his uh stomach contents on autopsy recording 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 death row it's routine for us
• 01:00 - 01:30 death row on average condemned inmates spend 15 years here the time is spent appealing against their sentence if the appeals fail the journey to the execution chamber begins here in the judge's office what first occurs is
• 01:30 - 02:00 the order that sets the DAT and then within 10 days you sign What's called the warrant of execution Dallas judge Robert Francis has presided over five death penalty convictions the warrant of execution authorizes that the person to be executed supposed to be executed in a certain room in a certain manner at a certain date at a certain time each state has a different protocol for execution because it's up to that
• 02:00 - 02:30 State's legislature there are five methods of execution in use today and 14 states allow the prisoner to choose how he will be put to death hanging today inmates in Washington state can choose hanging since 1776 more people have been executed by hanging than by any other method the firing squad most recently
• 02:30 - 03:00 used in Utah in 2010 it's available to prisoners convicted there before 2004 electrocution most executions in the 20th century used the electric chair it's an option for inmates in Alabama Florida South Carolina and Virginia lethal gas last used in Arizona in 1999 the gas chamber is still a
• 03:00 - 03:30 choice for inmates in Missouri and California and finally lethal injection first used in 1982 most executions in the past two decades have been by lethal injection it is now the primary method of execution in all 33 death penalty States execution as a state sanctioned or state approved homicide I remember signing the very
• 03:30 - 04:00 first one the first time I did it that was the end of work that day it is a a strange feeling knowing that signature is required that signature is yours once the death warrant is signed the countdown to execution begins you move the inmate from death roll to the death chamber 24 hours before he's EX
• 04:00 - 04:30 [Music] Alan Al conducted five executions as commissioner of Corrections in Georgia come to the door B Street the policy book prescribes a schedule hour by hour and even down to minute by minute go ahead and turn around and put your back towards the door everything you did with the inmate everything you did in the execution chamber the way you handled Witnesses the way you hand handled the victim's
• 04:30 - 05:00 family back out the routine that you went through was exactly the same each death penalty state conducts 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 execution resumed
• 05:00 - 05:30 when convicted murderer Gary Gilmore faced a firing squad in Utah since then Texas has conducted more executions than any other state their protocol has become a model for many others since we do so many executions in Texas there's somewhat of being experts at it I guess Jim Willet was Warden of Huntsville prison where all Texas death sentences are carried out
• 05:30 - 06:00 he oversaw 89 executions in 3 years there well I don't know if you'd call it an execution or school but you've got these states out there that may not have done an execution in 10 years and so they'll come here to see how we do it can you go ahead while you're close prior to leaving death row and getting on the van to come to the Death House the inmate would be searched really well took your arms B your fingers
• 06:00 - 06:30 a little closer wiggle your Tong a little bit you'd want to search the inmate and make sure he doesn't have a weapon so that he uh couldn't do damage to himself or commit suicide the bottom line on execution is it's a court order so anything other than an execution by the state would have not been acceptable per the court [Music] order Terry green was a member of the
• 06:30 - 07:00 Texas execution team at Huntsville prison he participated in 102 Lethal Injections the execution team was viewed as somewhat an elite unit primarily because of the uniqueness of the duty the care and the commitment that had to be brought to that Duty also known as the tie down team it's composed of prison staff no one is compelled to take part everyone that's involved in a
• 07:00 - 07:30 volunteer it just wasn't something that everyone was able to do was comfortable doing my first assignment was to go to death row bring the inmate back to the death house in Texas it's a 45m journey from Death Row at the palansky unit to the place of execution in Huntsville known as the Death House You Ready Step your the Drive is the most vulnerable
• 07:30 - 08:00 part of the transfer transport process was probably the inmate's last chance of escape and probably the best chance he'd ever had to escape assuming he had outside help we didn't take it lightly the three vehicle Convoy varies the route taken to avoid Ambush the atmosphere within the van was solemn we all knew where we were going and why it all contributed to the acted nobody said a whole
• 08:00 - 08:30 lot the precautions work in Texas no one has ever escaped during transport to the death house once then made it escorted into the death house from the transport van that'll be the last time he'll see the light of [Music] day in the prison kitchens the inmates request for last meal has been
• 08:30 - 09:00 received my name is Brian price and I am the death row Chef Brian price was an inmate in Texas Huntsville prison I went to prison in 1989 on a 15-year sentence and when you arrive in prison they assign you a job I was a musician and a photographer and they told me well not any longer now you're in the kitchen while working in the Huntsville Unit kitchens Brian prepared 189 last meals during the last week's on death
• 09:00 - 09:30 row the inmate would be given last meal request which I have here imagining what's going through their minds this is my last meal on this Earth and I would start putting the ingredients together whatever I was going to need on the day of the execution my items prepared ahead of time if I could each state has its own rules about what a prisoner is allowed to request in Florida inmates can order food with a maximum cost of $40 in Oklahoma the limit is $15
• 09:30 - 10:00 the death row inmates they didn't have a choice of whatever meal they were going to have every day here they have a a choice something they haven't had probably in two decades once the inmates brought into the Death House sail door secured it's not unsecured again until such time as it's time for the execution to take place first thing I would see in the majority of them was fear appear of that
• 10:00 - 10:30 place that was Death House The Prisoner has been transferred from Death Row to a holding cell in the Death House there are 21 hours to execution first person they would meet in the death house was me Reverend Carol picket was chaplain at
• 10:30 - 11:00 Texas Huntsville Unit he was involved in 95 executions first thing I would see in the the majority of them was fear fear of that place that was Death House the role of the chaplain is to provide Comfort to the inmate his role is to make sure this guy is prepared to
• 11:00 - 11:30 die spiritually I was to do anything and everything to help him Bas that last day whatever it was writing letters making phone calls singing songs listening listening and listening as night falls the inmate can sleep if he wishes to while in the Death House guards will keep a constant watch ensuring he does not attempt suicide
• 11:30 - 12:00 on the morning of the day of execution the equipment to be used in the death chamber may need to be tested lethal injection is carried out on a specially designed bed or gurnie 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 was in communication with the governor's office the phone is
• 12:00 - 12:30 needed because even on the day of execution the inmate has a slim chance of avoiding death when you reach the point that You' got to the day of execution the defendants attorneys are filing more motions and so forth 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 fifth Circuit Court acts it's very rare that the Supreme Court takes any action
• 12:30 - 13:00 beyond that uh unless there's some new novel worthy issue unless an appeal succeeds in the Death House preparations continue for an electrocution both the chair and its electrical components must be tested Jerry given was Virginia's executioner from 1982 to 1999 he carried out 20 five
• 13:00 - 13:30 electrocutions I will be the the dummy acting out the inmates part and it will scrap me in and if I could kick my leg or move my leg I would make sure that they tighten that I didn't want no staff to get kicked in the face the technology of electrocution has changed little since the first electric chair was used in 1890 this was the Texas electric chair dubbed old Sparky by the inmates and and it was used first in
• 13:30 - 14:00 [Music] 1924 four and on the first night they used it they electrocuted five men electric chairs are made of wood so they will not conduct the electricity will flow through a head piece and a leg piece
• 14:00 - 14:30 this piece here was placed on the head and there's another piece down here that would be placed on the left ankle when connected to a power source these will form a deadly circuit through the body of the inmate I had a test board and had 24 100 watt bubs and if one of those bubs didn't light up then we know we didn't have a good connection coming in and that's how we used to test it to ensure good electrical contact the headpiece and leg piece are fit with natural sponges soaked in salt waterer
• 14:30 - 15:00 the reason you use a real sponge is because when you soak the sponge and salt water the sponge will expand and open up so when the sponge span and open up the flow of electricity can come through lethal gas requires very careful preparation the gas used hydrogen cyanide is poisonous and combustible the gas chamber was the most dangerous method of execution because
• 15:00 - 15:30 gas does not discriminate about who it kills before every execution the seals on the gas chamber must be checked for potential leaks Allan alt was responsible for the upkeep of gas Chambers in Mississippi and Colorado I bought seals for the gas chamber I remember that cost 25,000 in each place for the seals maintenance costs like these make lethal gas the most expensive form of
• 15:30 - 16:00 execution in California and Arizona the chambers were designed to allow two inmates to be executed at the same [Music] time to prepare for an execution by firing squad Marksman must be recruited in Utah in 2010 convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner chose this method claiming he had lived by the gun so he deserved to die by the gun
• 16:00 - 16:30 [Music] the Utah Squad was composed of five law enforcement Riflemen they used Winchester rifles four were loaded with 30 caliber ammunition one was loaded with a blank this way the squad would not know who fired the Fatal shots preparations for hanging have changed little in half a
• 16:30 - 17:00 century the most recent was in Delaware in 1996 convicted murderer Billy Bailey chose hanging over lethal injection saying I'm not going to let them put me to sleep before the hanging the Rope was boiled and stretched Bailey's weight was checked against a Drop Distance table developed by the US Army in 1947 the heavier you were of course the less drop there would
• 17:00 - 17:30 it would be more of an art than a science even with the calculations and things of that nature um of course you would still have mistakes and you know the necks would get stretched out or 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 the inmate is going to get more privileges on his afternoon at the death house than he got during his years of stay on death
• 17:30 - 18:00 row inmates will be allowed to shower is allowed to use the phone what number do you want me to dial we would dial the number for him uh and allow him to complete his call that last telephone call you can't call anybody after that from then on the only person you're going to talk to is a chaplain that was a very traumatic
• 18:00 - 18:30 time when they executed him his hair C on fire and he didn't die right away in the Death House there are just 4 hours until [Music] execution if the inmate has selected
• 18:30 - 19:00 electrocution his head may be shaved 4 hours prior to his execution I will shave his head because the head piece will fit right down on his head and I can get a good connection removing the hair removes a potential Hazard his head is shaved because in a case in Florida when they executed him his hair call fire in 1990 6-in Flames leapt from the head of convicted cop killer Jesse taroh as he was
• 19:00 - 19:30 electrocuted three jolts of power were required to kill him he 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 given was flown to Florida to test their electric chair I went to the prison and I examined the equipment when I look at the the head piece and the leg piece
• 19:30 - 20:00 that's what the problem was they had laced their head and leg piece with that synthetic Rubble sponge so when that electricity hit the guy his head caught on fire and his leg caught on fire the synthetic rubber sponge might have blocked the flow of electricity given replaced it with a natural sponge I did three or four tests then they had some somebody from the court to witness it test and then they reinstate
• 20:00 - 20:30 the electric sus for the State of Florida hair or cloth near the points of electrical contact adds to the risk of fire to minimize this the inmate's calf may also be shaved and a trouser leg cut off now Huntsville inmate bran price would begin to cook the last meal you had 2 hours to prepare that meal in and have it sent over to the death chamber in uh you didn't you couldn't
• 20:30 - 21:00 make any mistakes because it was a onetime shot like I said the one time when they burnt the chicken that was just the most requested last meal would be cheeseburgers and french fries Believe It or Not sort of comfort food I guess some mother Infamous last meals like Timothy McVey who was the bomber up 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 gasey
• 21:00 - 21:30 ordered a dozen deep fried shrimp a bucket of fried chicken and a pound of strawberries if I was in the MH sh I would order a cavity off in the Black Sea and hope that they would take a long time to bring it I did everything I could to send it over there the way they wanted it of course it won't take it long before all it is is uh stomach contents on an autopsy report once Brian was allowed to eat one of the last meals he had prepared a
• 21:30 - 22:00 condemned man had ordered four bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches the man had tried to take his own life the night before he'd been hoarding what we call tonging uh tranquilizer for several days where you put them under your tongue and you act like you you swallow but you don't they're under tongue he took him out and hit him and then he took him all at one time to try to cheat the Executioner well they LIF flighted that man down the galon into the prison hospital and pumped his stomach and brought him back to Consciousness and then flew him back to the death house for his execution so my helper my friend and I uh we ate those four bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches which is my
• 22:00 - 22:30 favorite sandwich by the way first one I had in 10 years in 2011 Texas ended the tradition of the last meal request now inmates get whatever is being served in the prison that day when the last meal is delivered to the inmate he is uh no more than two hours away from execution time Jo
• 22:30 - 23:00 while the prisoner eats his final meal the men and women who will witness the execution begin to arrive 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
• 23:00 - 23:30 present in Texas families of the victim have been allowed to attend since 1995 the inmate is also allowed to choose Witnesses the victim's Witnesses and the inmates Witnesses are kept separate they're never allowed to mingle other Witnesses include representatives from the media probably I have seen more executions than any other person in the country
• 23:30 - 24:00 Houston journalist Michael grachek has covered more than 300 executions for the Associated Press there are not a lot of people who have the opportunity to actually see someone die we see dead bodies but under these circumstances where you actually get to see someone breathe their last breath uh sure it makes it it can be difficult executions used to be conducted in public and any any one could attend they would prepare food and stuff
• 24:00 - 24:30 like that and once the execution was completed they would you know throw a little party the last public execution was held in Owensboro Kentucky in 1936 it was watched by 10,000 people and widely criticized for its Carnival Spirit after executions violence would happen and it's like working up a mob
• 24:30 - 25:00 the largest number of witnesses since the Kentucky hanging was in 2001 for the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVey 30 Witnesses attended and 250 relatives of the victims watched the lethal injection on closed circuit television with 1 hour to go before the execution takes place the Executioner makes his way to the death chamber the
• 25:00 - 25:30 role of the Executioner is absolutely the key part of the whole process in Texas the identity of the Executioner is never officially disclosed whenever he'd walk across a recreation yard going to the officer dining room everyone that he would pass you could see them lean toward each other and go he's a lot you know in Florida the job is carried out by a civilian who is paid $150 the role of the Executioner is to
• 25:30 - 26:00 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 [Music] chamber the first thing that's going to catch his eye is that gurnie which is the place he's going to die
• 26:00 - 26:30 [Music] there are just 30 minutes to execution in Texas the warden comes to the death house with a fiveman tie down team I looked them right in the eye and I would call him by his last name and I'd say it's time to go with me to the next room if the prisoner is not compliant he will be carried to the death chamber remember the tie down team would suit up
• 26:30 - 27:00 and use of force gear which included helmet chest pad shin pads elbow pads the lead man would have a plastic Shield we were able to take control of the inmate heav him on the gurnie sometimes within a minute the vast majority of inmates present no resistance of the 89 inmates that I dealt with I only have one that I would say say was a problem and uh hard
• 27:00 - 27:30 to deal with I would tell the inmate to follow me I would turn my back to that inmate and walk him into the death chamber the long walk in the prison is maybe 10 ft it's not a long walk but that walk feel like The Long Walk even to
• 27:30 - 28:00 us when the inmate walks into the death chamber it's going to be the first time he's seen that death [Music] chamber the first thing that's going to catch his eye is that gurnie which is the place he's going to [Music] die once the death chamber is reached he's advis to sit up on the gurny then lie down on his back each member of the tie down team is responsible for securing a part of the prisoner's body
• 28:00 - 28:30 to the gurnie we would normally always have the same position for example I would be at the left arm and take care of the strap across the upper torso within 30 seconds those officers would have all those straps and there's a bunch of them in a small room adjoining the death chamber behind a one-way window the exec tioner readies the
• 28:30 - 29:00 drugs tubes lead from the Executioner room into the death chamber through a hole in the wall now 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 in Texas the tubes are inserted by a medical technician it seems that when people get
• 29:00 - 29:30 real nervous sometimes those veins just kind of hunker down in there and don't pop up like they usually do some of them had burnt veins from drugs which would make the injection process longer and much more painful when the tubes are connected a harmless sailing solution begins to flow the lethal drugs will not be administered until the inmate has said his last words at the that point we're probably 15 minutes away at most from
• 29:30 - 30:00 the execution even at this late stage the inmate might receive a stay of execution there's two phones in there one connected to the governor one connect to the attorney general if either those phones ring everything stops a stay might be given to allow a court more time to consider new submissions by the defense lawyers on numerous occasions the execution would be stayed sometimes for an
• 30:00 - 30:30 hour sometimes for a day and sometimes for a month convicted murderer James ay was one of the first inmates scheduled to die by lethal injection in Texas in 1983 he was lying on the gurny and 2 minutes before they were 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
• 30:30 - 31:00 execution but ay had been through more of the process than any prisoner alive he told everybody exactly what took place so there was no more secrets James ay was eventually executed in March 1984 more than 130 people have been wholly exonerated after being sentenced to death Ronald kyy is one of them he was facing the gas chamber for a murder he
• 31:00 - 31:30 was later acquitted of this was my cell right here we could talk in these vents up here and talk to the people upstairs that was our telephone system shortly before Connie was due to be taken to the gas chamber a prison off official asked for his last request I
• 31:30 - 32:00 told him all right here's my request I said when I'm in that chair and they Dro that peltin gas starts to come up I want you come in there and hold my hand then new evidence came to light and kyes lawyers succeeded in proving his innocence I'm asking Lord does this what this means does this mean we're done we're done and everything he says yeah you're done you're going home wow without the legal attention given to death row cases KY might not be free
• 32:00 - 32:30 today if I was sentenced to life in prison I would still be here nobody would have looked at the case when I lowered those glasses it was time for the Executioner to do what he had to do there are 15 minutes until execution The Prisoner is restrained on
• 32:30 - 33:00 the gurnie in Texas the Witnesses are now ushered into two viewing areas Associated Press journalist Michael grk has witnessed hundreds of executions there you hear people talk about a seat in the death chamber
• 33:00 - 33:30 there are no chairs you are allowed to bring in a pad and and a writing Implement and that's it once the Witnesses are brought into the room I tell the inmate that he can make his last statement sorry for what I'm done to prevent 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
• 33:30 - 34:00 Kentucky imposes a 2-minute limit Pennsylvania allows only written statements when the inmate has said his last words he's probably looking at another couple of minutes [Music] alive I would put my hand below their knee or on the ankle or I can feel a pulse but they could feel it too the warden would take his glasses
• 34:00 - 34:30 off when I 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 states do not specify what procedure they use all the other States including Texas specify three drugs in sequence I will take the first drug screw it in and push it the first drug is a barbituate which
• 34:30 - 35:00 sedates the inmate occasionally the inmate will say I can feel it or uh you know it's [Music] working if the inmate has chosen electrocution he will be strapped to a wooden chair the headpiece and leg piece are attached some states also cover the face with a mask it's routine for us takes a matter of seconds in Virginia the warden
• 35:00 - 35:30 and chaplain remain in the death chamber a signal is given and the current switched on when I give the order to execute there a real physical violent jolt of the body it would automatic run for 45 seconds on a high cycle protocols vary but given would deliver two bursts of electricity at 2400 Vol and between 2 and 4 amps you
• 35:30 - 36:00 can actually hear the electricity high voltage electricity going through the line you can see the body swell and drop back then you going to smell the flesh burning it's it's an aw it's it's an awful greasy smell and then the body is slumps if I had a
• 36:00 - 36:30 choice between electrocution and Le the injection and if I was in that predicament I would pick electrocution because I know it's faster for execution by lethal gas The Prisoner is strapped into a wire mesh chair and the Chamber sealed when the signal is given C tablets are mixed with furic acid inside the chamber the gas produced is deadly
• 36:30 - 37:00 hydrogen cyanide there would be some moaning gargling type noises severe shaking foaming of the mouth you're actually feeling like you're strangling to death once they actually uh could no longer hold their
• 37:00 - 37:30 breath the process would take 4 to 7 minutes it's not a pleasant [Music] death all of a sudden I see this liquid begin squirting toward me and you're thinking what if this gets on me you know in the death chain chamber the inmate has made his final statement the
• 37:30 - 38:00 warden has given the signal to execute him now lethal drugs flow into the prisoner's 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 was no glass that separated us from the inmat and we're watching the inmate being put
• 38:00 - 38:30 to death and all of a sudden I see this liquid begin squirting toward me and you're thinking what if this gets on me you know the medical team reinserted the tubes and 14 minutes later the execution continued the next time we went into the chamber they had put up the glass and that was the inauguration of the glass that separated us from the inmate there was a second Texas blow out in 1998 during the execution of convicted
• 38:30 - 39:00 murderer Joseph Cannon it was Jim Willets first time in charge the inmate turns his head towards me and he said it came out sure enough the needle was dangling there and so uh that kind of was a messy [Music] deal if there are no problems in the death chamber the first drug sedates the inmate one once the drug is completed through the line I can see the flow
• 39:00 - 39:30 going down the line then I will flush it with a s in solution the saline flush is used because if the lethal drugs were to mix solid particles might form and block the [Music] tubes after the saline flush the second drug pancuronium bromide is delivered it will paralyze the inmate as the drugs have take effect their skin color begins turning almost Crimson or purplish as the person is
• 39:30 - 40:00 dying I think if a fly will fly around in there you can hear his wings flap that's how quiet it is in there the third drug pottassium chloride stops the heart I'm standing there and the pulse stops
• 40:00 - 40:30 the execution is not officially complete until a medical doctor has checked the body for vital signs he would do all those things that doctors do in order to be sure that someone's dead he will look up with a clock on the wall and give the time of death then we turn around file out if the inmate was executed using lethal
• 40:30 - 41:00 gas toxic residue is a real danger the gas chamber is vented and the team enters clad 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 the powder itself off of the person the electrical resistance of the human body causes it to heat up during electrocution afterwards the corpse is left 5 minutes to cool before being
• 41:00 - 41:30 removed if no one claims the body it will be buried the next day at the prison Cemetery when you see a grave any grave anywhere out there that has an x on it that means he was executed I remember the faces of the men I execute and they appear in my nightmares I guess for some people is easy but it's for me it was it wasn't
• 41:30 - 42:00 easy I wasn't getting paid for this I was doing it because this was the state of Virginia had to you know this is this is the law I've gotten in trouble among death penalty opponents when I say that it's done with great dignity but I think it is I have no regret from having participated in the execution process always viewed it as a mandate from the court and we were the tools by which that AR was carried out
• 42:00 - 42:30 [Music] [Music]