Posted on 07/20/2006 1:32:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
RICHMOND, Va. - A convicted killer who chose the electric chair because he was apparently unnerved by the prospect of lethal injection awaited execution Thursday.
Brandon Hedrick, 27, was set to become the first person executed in the electric chair in the United States in more than two years.
He was condemned to die for the 1997 murder of 23-year-old Lisa Crider, who was abducted, robbed, raped and killed with a shotgun blast to the face.
Virginia's death row inmates are given the option of dying by injection or electrocution. Three other Virginia inmates have opted for the electric chair over injection since the state began giving inmates the choice in 1995.
Last week, several guards showed up at Hedrick's cell late at night to present him with a form on which he was told to choose his execution method, Hedrick's attorney Robert Lee said.
The guards "begin talking about lethal injection — talking about being strapped down to the table, being made to wait long periods of time, the difficulty sometimes in finding a vein," Lee said. "That information coupled with general frustration produced this result."
Lethal injection was adopted by many states in recent decades after it was portrayed as more humane than other methods of execution. But defense attorneys in recent months have argued around the country that the combination of drugs can in some cases cause excruciating pain. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that death row inmates can challenge lethal injection as a civil rights issue.
Hedrick did not say the officers discussed reports of pain caused by the chemicals, Lee said. However, Hedrick "had some awareness of the concerns that have been raised in other litigation — the idea that you're anesthetized, but maybe you don't remain unconscious," Lee said.
The defense attorney said he did not believe Hedrick was manipulated into choosing the electric chair, but added: "Clearly, that stuff spooked him."
Virginia Corrections Department spokesman Larry Traylor said he is confident the officers handled their task properly.
Virginia has had a few problems with electrocutions in the nearly 25 years since the state resumed use of the chair, which was built out of oak in 1909. In 1990, blood was seen streaming from a condemned man's mask. The following year, an inmate needed extra jolts to kill him after he survived the first round.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, nine states allow some or all condemned inmates to choose between injection and another method. Ten states have the electric chair; only one of them — Nebraska — uses it exclusively.
Hedrick's attorneys asked the U.S. Supreme Court and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to stop the execution, arguing among other things that he might be mentally retarded.
In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute the retarded. In Virginia, those who score 70 or below on an IQ test before they turn 18 generally are considered retarded.
Hedrick's IQ was measured at 76 during his trial, but his attorneys argued that the margin of error and the passage of time may mean his IQ is actually below 70.
Hey, they cut my pic out of "Percy"..Damn freggin` hyperlinks!! That was a fantastic movie. I saw that for the first time only a few weeks ago if you can believe it, and it`s been out how long now, 7 years? That guy was unreal in that part, the ultimate sc*mbag..Stepping on the mouse and the sponge deal. Sad to say I`ve lost count how many jobs I`ve had where my boss was exactly like that. lol! It`s true though.
I have heard with nitrogen asphyxiation, your first clue that something is wrong is when you break your nose falling to the floor.
Reminds me of a funny story... I was working after hours in a materials lab, once. I was doing Industrial Hygiene for an asbestos abatement contractor. The lab had a cylinder of Nitrous Oxide strapped to the wall for use as a carrier gas for one of the pieces of equipment.
Around about two in the morning, one of the boys was on break and he wandered into the lab. He caught sight of that big bottle of nitrous and immediately unscrewed his breathing tube from his powered respirator, put on the mask, and held the open end of the tube over the outlet of the Nitrous tank.
He opened it up a crack, took about two breaths, and then cranked it open a full turn. Two seconds later, he fell down like a tree, unconscious before he hit the floor.
It all happened so fast, I didn't know what the heck happened. I ran over, turned off the gas, and started slapping this idiot around until he woke up. He wound up with a broken nose, broken cheek bone, a concussion and some really beautiful bruises. We told his boss he fell off the roof.
So, nitrous oxide would probably work as well...
LOL!!!!! EEEEEEEEEE! Mickey Mouse is dying! Like that `50`s movie, The Fly..."Help me! Help me!"
Man, you have a filthy mind.
And I am hung.
The guillotine is actually the most humane method of execution ever devised, the nerves are severed before the brain can register pain. the main problem is that it is very messy.
Somethings burning.
get the smores ready!
He gonna be " Fried , Died and laid to the Side."
Informal studies were conducted to see if the mind still functioned for a short period after the head was decapitated, as expressions of disbelief and shock were often noted on the faces of those executed. Prisoners willing were asked to blink their eyes several times if they were still concious and aware immediately after decapitation ... many were able to blink their eyes for close to a minute.
Shouldn't THIS be more appropriate than the Electric Chair for this moron??
This is because, the sample pool of people to experience this and then to go on to relate it to scientists is...well...not that large.
Too bad the ugly inbred POS didn't kill himself instead of that beautiful girl.
Hopefully, most of them would take that option before the appeals process dragged on for too many years. We could call it "assisted suicide" for people with no hope for the future.
The cells could be lent out on a space available basis for really depressed liberals.
I bet the courts stops the execution...Won't happen.
The problem with that though is it`s so fast, a number of times the head can still remain concious. During the French revolution when they would pop heads off like popcorn, they would lift the head up and the eyes and/or mouth would still be moving. I believe it. If the blood pressure is there, which is conceivable since the body is already prone and the heart is racing and slamming blood into the head, and there was no shock to the brain, that`s all you need. Probably why we should bring it back. Turn the bastards head around and let him realize it`s no longer connected to his body.
It's my understanding these experiments with prisoners sentenced to death by the guillotine were conducted in France. France used the guillotine in their penal system up until about a century ago.
I don`t know, of all the execution methods I`m reading on this thread, to me the best way and the best punishment would be to weld a pair of headphones onto the killers head, and play for about .00005 seconds a speech by Hillary. Liberals will not understand, but everyone else will know it`s the worst way to go next to being skinned alive. Like hearing a billion metal fingernails across a blackboard, just absolute brain frying sonic torture, then death.
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