Beatrice Lang
While no one has survived the electric chair three times, there have been several instances of people surviving one encounter with the electric chair. One of the most notable cases is that of Willie Francis, a 16-year-old juvenile offender who was sentenced to death in Louisiana in 1945. In May 1946, the electric chair was improperly set up by two drunk executioners, and Francis survived. He was eventually executed in 1947 in a second attempt. Another case is that of Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate who has survived three execution dates due to legal interventions and issues with the wrong drug being used.
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What You'll Learn
- Willie Francis, a 16-year-old juvenile offender, survived the electric chair in 1946
- The incorrect setup of the electric chair by drunken executioners failed to kill Francis
- Francis appealed to the US Supreme Court to overturn his death penalty but was rejected
- Alpha Otis Stephens, who was executed by electrocution, survived the first two-minute power surge
- Pedro Medina's electric chair execution was botched, with flames shooting from the headpiece
Willie Francis, a 16-year-old juvenile offender, survived the electric chair in 1946
Willie Francis, born on January 12, 1929, was a 16-year-old juvenile offender who was sentenced to death by the state of Louisiana in 1945. He was convicted of the murder of Andrew Thomas, a Cajun pharmacy owner in St. Martinville who had once employed Francis. Thomas was shot and killed in 1944, and his murder went unsolved for nine months. In August 1945, Willie Francis was arrested in Texas on suspicion of an unrelated crime, and police claimed that he was carrying Thomas' wallet, although no evidence of this was presented at the trial. Francis confessed to the murder in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Despite his pleas, he was found guilty and sentenced to death by electrocution.
On May 3, 1946, Francis was scheduled to be executed in the electric chair, also known as "Gruesome Gertie". However, he miraculously survived the attempt as the chair malfunctioned due to improper setup by intoxicated prison staff. Witnesses reported hearing the teenager scream in agony during the process. Following this failed execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc took on Francis's case, arguing that it was cruel and unusual punishment to subject him to the execution process a second time.
Francis's case was appealed to the US Supreme Court, but it was ultimately rejected. He was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947, and pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. at the age of 18. The unique circumstances surrounding Francis's execution have earned him the moniker "the teenager who was executed twice". His story has been depicted in various forms of media, including the novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines, which is partly inspired by his case.
While some sources indicate that Francis confessed to the murder, the validity of his confessions has been questioned. Proponents of Francis have speculated that he may have been coerced into making false confessions, and the guilt of this juvenile offender has been disputed in modern times.
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The incorrect setup of the electric chair by drunken executioners failed to kill Francis
In 1945, 16-year-old Willie Francis was sentenced to death by the state of Louisiana for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner who had once employed Francis. Thomas was shot dead in August 1944, and his murder went unsolved for nine months. Upon his arrest, police claimed that Francis was carrying Thomas' wallet, though no evidence of this was presented at the trial.
Francis was initially scheduled to be executed by the electric chair in May 1946. However, the execution did not go as planned due to the drunken state of the executioners, who had been drinking the night before. The incorrect setup of the electric chair failed to kill Francis, who experienced a painful shock. He survived and later described his experience, providing a unique insight into what it felt like to be seconds away from death.
Francis appealed his case to the US Supreme Court, but it was rejected. He was eventually executed in the electric chair in 1947 at the age of 18. His case sparked debates around the humanity of executing juveniles and the potential for painful and botched executions.
While Francis's case gained notoriety for surviving the electric chair once, there have been other instances where individuals have faced multiple execution dates or survived botched executions. For example, Richard Glossip has survived three execution dates and received bipartisan support for his retrial, with claims of innocence and allegations of evidence destruction by prosecutors.
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Francis appealed to the US Supreme Court to overturn his death penalty but was rejected
Willie Francis, born on January 12, 1929, was a juvenile offender sentenced to death at age 16 by the state of Louisiana in 1945. He was found guilty of the murder of Andrew Thomas, a Cajun pharmacy owner in St. Martinville who had once employed Francis. At the time of the murder, Francis was 15 years old.
Francis was initially scheduled to be executed in May 1946 by electric chair. However, due to a drunken executioner's error, the first attempt at execution failed, and Francis survived. After this failed execution, Francis described what it felt like to be in the electric chair, awaiting death. He recalled feeling his arms jumping at his sides and thinking he would knock the chair over.
Following this, Francis appealed his case to the US Supreme Court to overturn his death penalty sentence. The Supreme Court is responsible for ensuring that the state's use of the death penalty adheres to fundamental rights. The Court's rulings can involve methods of execution, the competency of defence counsel, jury selection, and the behaviour of the prosecution, among other matters protected by the right to due process.
However, in Willie Francis' case, the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal. Subsequently, on May 9, 1947, Francis was returned to the electric chair and pronounced dead at 12:10 pm.
Willie Francis' case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States. While some argue that it serves the social purposes of retribution and deterrence, others point to issues of arbitrariness, racial bias, and the lengthy time inmates spend on death row.
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Alpha Otis Stephens, who was executed by electrocution, survived the first two-minute power surge
On December 12, 1984, Alpha Otis Stephens, a 39-year-old career criminal with 19 felony convictions, was executed by electrocution in Georgia. He was a double murderer who killed country store owner Louise Mercer in 1973 and Roy Asbell in 1974. Stephens spent most of his life in prison and was also sentenced to five life terms for other crimes, including armed robbery.
Stephens was sentenced to death for the 1974 execution-style slaying of Roy Asbell, whom he killed with two point-blank shots through the ear. This murder took place just two days after Stephens escaped from the Houston County Jail with a hacksaw he bought from a trusty for $20.
On the day of his execution, Stephens attempted to commit suicide by cutting his wrist. Despite this, he was executed in Georgia's wooden electric chair with two 2,080-volt surges 10 minutes apart. The first surge of electricity failed to kill Stephens, and he struggled to breathe for eight minutes before a second charge carried out his death sentence. During the six-minute interval between the two surges, Stephens took 23 deep breaths, indicating that he was still alive.
This botched execution reflects a breakdown in the established protocol for carrying out electrocutions. Such problems can cause unnecessary agony for the prisoner and reflect gross incompetence on the part of the executioner.
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Pedro Medina's electric chair execution was botched, with flames shooting from the headpiece
On March 25, 1997, Pedro Medina was executed in Florida State Prison. Medina, a Cuban refugee, was convicted of murdering his neighbour, Dorothy James, in Orlando, Florida, on April 4, 1982. He was sentenced to death for the crime. Medina's execution was carried out by electrocution, using the infamous electric chair, Old Sparky. However, the execution was botched, with flames shooting from the headpiece.
Medina's botched execution gained widespread attention due to the gruesome nature of the incident. As the electric current was applied, smoke began to emanate from under the right side of the headpiece. Despite this alarming sign, the current was not shut off immediately. Foot-high flames then erupted from Medina's head, shooting out from behind the mask and filling the execution chamber with thick smoke and the nauseating odour of burning flesh. The witnesses, who included members of the media, were horrified and gagged as the smoke engulfed the room.
The execution was immediately halted, and an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the malfunction. Prison officials initially blamed the fire on a corroded copper screen in the headpiece of the electric chair. However, this explanation was refuted by two experts hired by the governor, who concluded that the fire was caused by the improper application of a sponge designed to conduct electricity to Medina's head. The sponge in question was a plastic one, which had been substituted for the natural sponge that had been used previously.
The botched execution of Pedro Medina brought renewed scrutiny and criticism of the death penalty, particularly the use of the electric chair as a method of execution. It also sparked discussions about the reliability and humanity of execution methods, with some calling for a transition to lethal injection as a more "reliable and cost-effective method". The incident highlighted the potential for technical failures and human error in the execution process, underscoring the need for careful review and reform of capital punishment protocols.
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