Wiktor Wise
The electric chair has been used extensively in the Philippines and for capital punishment in the United States. While its use has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, some states still retain electrocution as a legal execution method. On May 3, 1946, Willie Francis, a 16-year-old African American, became the first person known to have survived the electric chair. His execution was botched due to the intoxicated state of the executioners, who improperly set up the electric chair. Francis survived and provided a unique insight into what it felt like to be seconds away from death. Unfortunately, his appeals to the death penalty failed, and he was executed again in 1947.
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What You'll Learn
- Willie Francis survived the electric chair in 1946 but was executed in 1947
- In 1997, Pedro Medina's electric chair execution resulted in flames shooting from the headpiece
- In 1999, Allen Lee Davis's execution caused blood to pour from his mouth
- In 1991, Derick Lynn Peterson survived two cycles of electricity before being checked for a heartbeat
- In 2018, Doyle Lee Hamm's execution was called off after 2.5 hours of unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous line
Willie Francis survived the electric chair in 1946 but was executed in 1947
In 1944, 15-year-old Willie Francis, a young Black teenager, lived in the racially segregated town of St. Martinville, Louisiana. He worked odd jobs, one of which was for Andrew Thomas, the local drugstore owner. Thomas was found dead in his home, having been shot multiple times, and his murder remained a mystery for nine months. Upon his arrest, the police claimed that Francis was carrying Thomas' wallet, though no evidence of this was brought forward to the trial. Francis confessed to the murder in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Just two days into the trial, Francis was convicted of murdering Thomas and sentenced to death in 1945 despite being underage at the time of the crime.
On May 3, 1946, Francis was scheduled for execution by electric chair. However, he miraculously survived as the portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was improperly set up by intoxicated prison staff. Witnesses reported hearing the teenager scream for help from behind the leather hood as the electricity was being applied. After the botched execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc decided to take Francis's case, arguing that it was unjust and cruel and unusual punishment to subject him to the execution process again. The case went to the US Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected. DeBlanc then attempted to have Francis's murder conviction overturned, citing new evidence and deep flaws in the trial. However, Francis did not want a second trial and persuaded DeBlanc to desist shortly before his next scheduled execution.
Willie Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947, and was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. (Central Time). His case shocked the nation and highlighted the controversial and unjust nature of his execution, especially given his young age and the racial dynamics of the time. Francis's story has been depicted in various forms of media, including the book "The Execution of Willie Francis" by Gilbert King and the novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines, which was partly inspired by Francis's case.
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In 1997, Pedro Medina's electric chair execution resulted in flames shooting from the headpiece
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The person being executed is strapped to a wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. The electric chair was conceived in 1881 and first used in 1890. As of 2025, electrocution remains an option for executions in some US states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida.
In 1997, Pedro Medina's execution by electric chair resulted in flames shooting from the headpiece. Medina, a Cuban refugee, was executed in Florida. The execution was botched due to the improper application of an electricity-conducting sponge, which caused a "crown of foot-high flames" to shoot from Medina's head. The incident caused a media sensation and led to further debate around the use of the electric chair, with some arguing that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Medina's case was taken to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which received a petition against the United States government alleging that Medina had been tortured during his execution. The petition described how Medina had received three electric charges, resulting in flames and smoke rising from his head.
The electric chair has been the subject of controversy and debate throughout its history. Some argue that it is a cruel and unusual punishment, while others defend its use as a more humane alternative to other methods of execution. In the case of Pedro Medina, the improper application of the electricity-conducting sponge caused a malfunction that resulted in flames shooting from the headpiece. This incident highlighted the potential for botched executions and accelerated the trend towards lethal injection as a preferred method of execution.
It is worth noting that surviving an electric chair execution is extremely rare. In 1946, Willie Francis survived an initial attempt at execution by electric chair due to improper setup by intoxicated prison staff. However, he was later returned to the electric chair and executed in 1947.
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In 1999, Allen Lee Davis's execution caused blood to pour from his mouth
Allen Lee Davis was a 300-pound (approximately 350 pounds, according to another source) triple murderer known by the moniker "Tiny". He was the last person to be executed by the electric chair in Florida. His execution took place on July 8, 1999, at the Florida State Prison in Starke.
Photographs of his execution were posted on the internet by the Florida Supreme Court. They show in graphic detail what happened as the switch was thrown. His body reared back against the chair's restraints, giving witnesses a grotesque glimpse under a black hood designed to hide the faces of the condemned.
Before he was pronounced dead, blood from his mouth had poured onto the collar of his white shirt. The blood on his chest had spread to about the size of a dinner plate, even oozing through the buckle holes of the leather chest strap holding him to the chair.
Davis's execution was the first in Florida's new electric chair, built especially to accommodate a man of his size.
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In 1991, Derick Lynn Peterson survived two cycles of electricity before being checked for a heartbeat
Derick Lynn Peterson was put to death in Virginia's electric chair for the 1982 murder of a supermarket manager. He was pronounced dead after two jolts of electricity at 11:13 pm. Witnesses reported that the electrocution procedure had to be carried out twice on Peterson before he was pronounced dead. The standard procedure involves a 1,725-volt surge for 10 seconds, followed by a 240-volt surge for about 90 seconds. When a prison physician determined that Peterson was still alive after the first cycle, the entire process was repeated.
Peterson was 30 years old when he was sentenced to death for the February 1982 robbery and murder of Howard Kauffman, a Hampton grocery store manager. He was one of six condemned killers who took part in the largest death row breakout in US history in 1984. He was recaptured the next day.
Peterson's final statement was a message to Black people, in which he said the wooden chair he was strapped into was "made out of the same tree we were hanged on." He also blamed racism for his death penalty. His mother, Eloise Peterson, took partial blame for her son's life of crime at a news conference, saying she was only 16 when he was born and that she was "going astray" herself.
Peterson is not the only person to have survived the electric chair. In 1946, Willie Francis survived an attempt at execution by electric chair. The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate. Francis was eventually executed in 1947.
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In 2018, Doyle Lee Hamm's execution was called off after 2.5 hours of unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous line
In 1946, 16-year-old Willie Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Francis was eventually executed in 1947.
In more recent times, in 2018, Doyle Lee Hamm's execution was called off after 2.5 hours of unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous line. Doyle, a death row inmate in Alabama, was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1987 murder of Patrick Cunningham. While on death row, Doyle developed lymphatic cancer, which made it difficult to access his veins for the lethal injection.
Doyle's attorney and human rights observers had warned for months that it would be challenging to achieve venous access due to his cancer treatment, hepatitis C, and history of intravenous drug use. Despite this, the Alabama Department of Corrections attempted to execute him on February 22, 2018. The execution team struggled for nearly three hours, puncturing him at least 11 times in his legs, ankles, and groin, and likely injuring several organs. The attempt was called off at 11:27 pm because the death warrant expired at midnight.
Following the botched execution attempt, a medical examination found that the state had likely punctured Doyle's bladder and artery during the attempt to set an IV line. The incident sparked a court battle over Alabama's execution secrecy policy, with media outlets suing for access to the state's execution protocol and judicial records. In March 2018, Doyle and the state of Alabama reached a confidential settlement, which precluded a second execution attempt, effectively giving him a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Doyle died in prison in November 2021 due to complications of cancer.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there have been several cases of people surviving the electric chair. Willie Francis, a 16-year-old African American, survived the electric chair in 1946 due to a misstep by a drunken executioner. However, he was executed again in 1947. Other survivors include Pedro Medina (1997), Allen Lee Davis (1999), and Doyle Lee Hamm, whose botched execution attempt in 2018 was called off after 2.5 hours of unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous line.
Willie Francis survived the electric chair but was not as fortunate the second time. After his failed execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc took on his case, arguing that it was unjust and cruel to subject him to the execution process again. However, the US Supreme Court rejected the appeal, and Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947.
Willie Francis survived the electric chair due to a mistake made by the intoxicated prison guard and an inmate who improperly set up the portable electric chair, also known as "Gruesome Gertie."
