Posted on 01/19/2005 6:50:00 PM PST by SmithL
Donald Beardslee's execution at San Quentin Prison Wednesday morning was a struggle for dignity.
The five guards who labored 16 minutes to insert the lethal injection needles into his arms struggled for composure, their lips tightening as they undoubtedly realized this was taking twice as long as usual.
The 30 witnesses gathered in the observation room to watch through the thick glass of the apple-green death chamber struggled to keep their cool as the minutes dragged on, shifting uncomfortably on their feet, crossing and uncrossing their arms. Nervous coughs were the only sounds breaking the tension.
And there, being put to death before all of us, the 61-year-old Beardslee seemed to struggle -- ever so slightly.
Once, as the triple-murderer was being led into the death chamber at 11:58 p.m. Tuesday by five prison guards, a look of concern or possibly worry flickered across his face. It was quickly replaced by a flatness of expression -- and when he was strapped by his ankles, chest and arms to the hospital-style gurney, he closed his eyes and lay so still he seemed asleep.
He never moved while the prison guards hunted for the right openings in his flesh from midnight to 12:16 a.m. Wednesday. But after the intravenous lines were finally taped to each arm and he was left alone to await the poisons that would end his life, he let his emotions leak one more time.
Beardslee's chest heaved two quick sighs at 12:18 a.m. -- the same minute unseen hands from behind the death chamber walls began to send chemicals through the plastic tubes toward his body -- as if to say, "OK, let's get on with it."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
My mind read that as "a .22 or . 20 gauge." Either might work, though.
In Texas, the needles are inserted in the perp's arm before the curtain is pulled. It's done in about 2 minutes.
Nobody's nervous, since it's business as usual.
19 1/2 years longer to live than his victims had....
kfagan@sfchronicle.com
I let fagan know how I feel about his sympathy for the devil.
because you know, if we got rid of the DP, then they would start in on the life sentences...
too bad the Howood rich don't live in regular neighborhoods like most of the rest of us.... too bad their kids and grand kids don't get to confront the realities of the criminal population on a daily base....
their pretty tune would change in a heartbeat....
I miss Old Sparky.
"The 30 witnesses gathered in the observation room to watch through the thick glass of the apple-green death chamber struggled to keep their cool as the minutes dragged on, shifting uncomfortably on their feet, crossing and uncrossing their arms. "
I suspect the writer is being more than a little melodramatic.
"Struggled to keep their cool?" Puh-lease.
16 minutes is not a very long time.
A firing squad is quicker, more efficient and cheaper!
See my post #8. That is as certain and cheap as it gets, with no possibility of failure. (Misfires, etc.)
I'd bet we could come up with thousands of ways to execute the vermin in our society that would be acceptable to us, yet never acceptable to the left. In my world, being incarcerated is inhuman punishment, with death being preferable. Living the rest of your life in prison is beyond cruel - so of course the left is against the death penalty - but they couch their argument as being 'humane'.
That or a stamping press, I'll go along with that.
Who cares? The guy was a waste of good breath.
Maybe I should send a letter to the author and describe how my older brother was murdered in California, and what our family has gone through for years. We never got to see his murderer
executed, but I wouldn't hesitate to inject him myself. Good riddance to this scum.
Thank You! Always a forgotten(er, intentionally omitted) point.
How about a .45 lead injection behind the ear.
I didn't see much sympathy for the murderer in this article.
"Eat again after breakfast"? This execution was over at 12:30.
I still like the good old electric chair.
Now the electric chair - - that's pay-per-view stuff right there.
They already have. I can recall circa 1995-1996, the aforementioned Mike farrell leading a thankfully unsuccessful bid to have Leslie Van Houten paroled...
the infowarrior
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