Wiktor Wise
The electric chair, a device used for capital punishment through electrocution, was initially believed to cause death by cerebral damage. However, it was later discovered in 1899 that death primarily occurs due to ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. While death is assumed to be instantaneous, there have been instances of prisoners surviving the electric chair, such as Willie Francis in 1946, who reported shrieking, Stop it! Let me breathe! Lawyers for survivors argue that they have endured execution as defined by the law. In such cases, the prisoners are typically returned to the electric chair for a second attempt at execution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of first electric chair execution | 1890 |
| Person first executed | William Kemmler |
| Person who survived electric chair | Willie Francis |
| Age of Willie Francis | 14 |
| Year of execution of Willie Francis | 1946 |
| Year Willie Francis was executed again | 1947 |
| Reason for survival | Malfunctioning electric chair |
| Effects of electric chair on the body | Burning of skin, ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, cerebral damage |
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What You'll Learn
- In 1946, Willie Francis survived the electric chair
- In 1947, the US Supreme Court ruled against Francis, who was executed later that year
- In 1997, Pedro Medina's electric chair malfunctioned, causing a crown of foot-high flames to shoot from the headpiece
- In 1999, Allen Lee Davis's blood poured from his mouth and oozed through the buckle holes of the electric chair
- In 1899, it was scientifically established that death by electric chair results from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest
In 1946, Willie Francis survived the electric chair
In 1946, Willie Francis, a 17-year-old African-American boy, survived the electric chair. Willie was convicted of murdering Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner in St. Martinville, Louisiana, who had once employed him. Thomas was shot and killed in December 1944, and Francis was detained in Texas in August 1945 on suspicion of drug trafficking. He confessed to the murder under interrogation, but later pleaded not guilty.
On May 3, 1946, Francis was strapped to the electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Witnesses reported hearing him scream for breath behind his leather hood as the electricity was applied. The chair had been improperly set up by a non-electrician prison guard and inmate, and the electricity failed to kill Francis. The sheriff, E.L. Resweber, later commented, "This boy really got a shock when they turned that machine on."
After the failed execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc took on Francis's case, arguing that it would be unjust, and a violation of the Constitution's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishments", to subject Francis to a second execution attempt. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal. DeBlanc then attempted to have Francis's murder conviction overturned, citing new evidence and flaws in the trial, but Francis did not want a second trial. Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947, and pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m.
The electric chair was developed in the 1880s as a more humane alternative to hanging and was first used for execution in 1890. It was originally believed to cause death through cerebral damage, but it was later established that death is caused by ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. While its use has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, electrocution remains an option in several U.S. states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida.
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In 1947, the US Supreme Court ruled against Francis, who was executed later that year
On May 3, 1946, Willie Francis, a teenager from Louisiana, became the first person known to have survived execution by electric chair. Francis had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution. However, when he was placed in the electric chair and the switch was thrown, he did not die, presumably due to some mechanical difficulty.
Francis was subsequently removed from the chair and returned to prison. However, his lawyers argued that although he did not die, he had, in fact, been executed, and that a second attempt would violate the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment. This argument was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber.
The Supreme Court ruled against Francis, holding that the proposed re-execution would not violate the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment, the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment, or the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court also found no evidence that Francis's constitutional rights had been infringed upon during his original trial.
As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, Francis was returned to the electric chair and executed on May 9, 1947, at the age of 18. His case highlighted the controversial nature of capital punishment and the potential for cruel and unusual punishment associated with the use of the electric chair.
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In 1997, Pedro Medina's electric chair malfunctioned, causing a crown of foot-high flames to shoot from the headpiece
On March 25, 1997, Pedro Medina, a 39-year-old Cuban refugee, was executed in Florida's electric chair. Medina was convicted of the 1982 stabbing death of Orlando teacher Dorothy James. Before his execution, Medina proclaimed his innocence.
During the execution, a crown of foot-high flames shot from the headpiece, filling the execution chamber with thick smoke and gagging the two dozen official witnesses. An official manually cut off the power, ending the two-minute cycle of 2,000 volts. Medina's chest continued to heave until the flames stopped and he died.
Prison officials initially blamed the fire on a corroded copper screen in the headpiece. However, two experts hired by the governor later concluded that the fire was caused by the improper application of a sponge (designed to conduct electricity) to Medina's head. The incident drew international attention and led to calls for replacing electrocution with lethal injection.
Following Medina's execution, there were complaints that the use of the electric chair constituted torture and cruel treatment. Petitioners claimed that Medina showed signs of agony during the execution, and a preliminary autopsy indicated that he suffered burns and pulmonary congestion. Additionally, they argued that Medina did not receive a fair trial, as several key elements were not considered, including his mental state and the lack of physical evidence at the crime scene.
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In 1999, Allen Lee Davis's blood poured from his mouth and oozed through the buckle holes of the electric chair
In 1999, Allen Lee Davis, a 300-pound triple murderer, was executed in Florida's new electric chair. Davis was the first person to be executed in the chair, which was built to accommodate his size. As the 2,300 volts of electricity surged through his body, Davis's body jerked back against the chair, and he let out two muffled screams. Blood began to pour from his nose, mouth, and chest, staining his white shirt. The blood continued to seep, leaking through the buckle holes in the thick leather restraints.
Witnesses to the execution were horrified, and the event sparked debate about the use of the electric chair as a form of capital punishment. Florida officials defended their use of the new electric chair, claiming that the blood was the result of a nosebleed caused by blood-thinning medication that Davis had been taking. However, critics argued that the electric chair was a cruel and unusual punishment.
Davis's execution was not an isolated incident. Several other botched executions have been documented, including those of Pedro Medina and Willie Francis. In 1944, 14-year-old George Stinney became the youngest person ever executed in the electric chair, and his conviction was later overturned. These cases have raised questions about the humanity of the electric chair and the death penalty itself.
While the electric chair was once a common method of execution in the United States, its use has declined in recent years. Lethal injection is now often seen as a more humane alternative, and many states have moved away from the electric chair as a primary method of execution. However, some states still retain electrocution as a legal execution method, and it remains an option for inmates in certain cases.
The electric chair was originally conceived as a more humane alternative to hanging and other conventional methods of execution. However, as seen in the case of Allen Lee Davis, the reality of electrocution can be gruesome and disturbing. The use of the electric chair continues to be a controversial and divisive issue in the United States.
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In 1899, it was scientifically established that death by electric chair results from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest
The electric chair was initially believed to cause death through cerebral damage. However, in 1899, it was scientifically established that death by electric chair primarily results from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.
Ventricular fibrillation is the most common cause of death following both high- and low-voltage electrical injuries. It occurs when all of the heart muscle fibres move independently instead of in the coordinated action needed for a successful cardiac cycle to pump blood and maintain circulation. Cardiac arrest then occurs as a result of the ventricular fibrillation.
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist from Buffalo, New York, as a more humane alternative to conventional executions, particularly hanging. It was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States.
While some states have moved away from electrocution as a method of execution, it remains an option in several states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida, where inmates may choose lethal injection instead. The electric chair is also the primary method of execution in South Carolina and can be used in Tennessee without prisoner input if lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
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Frequently asked questions
In 1946, an electric chair malfunctioned and failed to execute a prisoner who reportedly shrieked, "Stop it! Let me breathe!". The prisoner's lawyers argued that, although he did not die, he had been executed as defined by the law. The US Supreme Court ruled against the prisoner, and he was returned to the electric chair and successfully executed in 1947.
Willie Francis, an African-American teenager, was the first person known to have survived the electric chair in 1946. His appeals to the death penalty failed, and he was executed again in 1947.
Some skin is burned off the prisoner and must be scraped off the seat and straps of the electric chair before it can be used again.
