Death row inmate has 'excruciating' execution after last meal 'mistake'

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

Death row executions are rarely pretty but one inmate suffered perhaps the worst fate of all back in 2020.

While some inmates luck out and see their executions go so badly wrong that they end up staying alive, others suffer through capital punishment as retribution for their often shocking crimes.

The final meal of inmates is something that is much discussed, since they can order pretty much anything they like, but Wesley Ira Purkey was already having a bad time on his execution day after asking to save his slice of pecan pie for 'later'.

He was suffering from dementia at the time of his death in July 2020, more than 16 years after he was first sentenced to death for the kidnap, rape and murder of tragic teenager Jennifer Long in January, 1998.

Purkey, who died at the age of 68, had raped her before brutally stabbing her repeatedly in the chest, face and neck as she tried to escape. He went on to dismantle her body using an electric chainsaw, before burning her remains in a fireplace and scattering them in a septic pond in Clearwater, Kansas.

His lethal injection went badly wrong (Getty Stock)

Jennifer's remains were never discovered, so you could certainly argue that Purkey had his fate coming when his lethal injection went badly wrong.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the 68-year-old's autopsy revealed that he had suffered 'severe bilateral acute pulmonary oedema' and 'frothy pulmonary oedema in trachea and main stem bronchi'.

Like me, you probably have no idea what that means but Dr Gail Van Norman described it as a similar experience to drowning, labelling it as 'among the most excruciating feelings known to man'.

Shee added: "It is a virtual medical certainty, that most, if not all, prisoners will experience excruciating suffering, including sensations of drowning and suffocation from [the lethal injection drug] pentobarbital."

In his final moments, Purkey appeared to show remorse for his crimes and apologised to Jennifer's family.

His pecan pie was never eaten (getty stock)

Reports claim his last word were: "I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer's family.

"I am deeply sorry. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. This sanitised murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever."

However, that was little solace for Jennifer's father William, who suggested that he will never get closure as he will never get his daughter back, because of Purkey's horrific crimes.

Jennifer's father, William Long, said of Purkey's execution: "He needed to take his last breath – he took my daughter’s last breath. And there’s some resolve. There is no closure, and there never will be, because I won’t get my daughter back."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.