I must have missed my calling, I should have been a grade school English teacher because that kind of error really irritates me. As you indicate, electrocute is a word created from two other words and means to execute a death sentence by electricity, I knew that and everyone around me knew that when I was twelve years old. Millions will say we nitpick but I grow tired of having to translate something that is supposedly written in my native language. When I read that headline the first thing I visualized is someone lying dead, killed by a yard sign. Apparently we have a country filled with “educated” people who don’t even really understand the English language. That may have something to do with the fact that we are being led so easily down a path to a slaughter pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2f-MZ2HRHQ
The first time I heard electrocute misused was on a radio newscast. “Two men were electrocuted, one critically.” Totally cracked me up.