A man, who had been on death row since 2004, endured what was described as an ‘excruciating’ execution due to a significant ‘mistake’ involving his last meal.
Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of the rape and murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Long in 1998.
Jennifer was last seen at East High School in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 22 that year. Her absence from class raised alarm among those who knew her.
Purkey had enticed the teenager into his vehicle and taken her to his residence, where he reportedly stabbed her and dismembered her body with a chainsaw.
He allegedly disposed of her remains by burning them in a fireplace and then placing them into a septic pond in Clearwater, Kansas.
However, Jennifer Long’s remains have never been found to this day.
Purkey was also responsible for the death of 80-year-old Mary Bales, whom he killed with a claw hammer. He faced justice when neighbors witnessed him attempting to incinerate her body.
After being apprehended, he was found guilty of the double homicide and sentenced to death row in January 2004.
By the time of his execution in 2020, Purkey was 68 and suffering from dementia.
His mental condition raises questions about his understanding of the execution process, as he made a peculiar request regarding his final meal.
Purkey had asked for pecan pie as his last meal but then requested it be saved for later, seemingly not comprehending there would be no later for him.
At the time of his execution, Dr Gail Van Norman, a medical expert, indicated that Purkey likely endured an ‘excruciating’ death instead of the intended painless one.
The autopsy revealed that Purkey experienced ‘severe bilateral acute pulmonary oedema’ and ‘frothy pulmonary oedema in trachea and main stem bronchi,’ according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Van Norman explained that this could induce sensations similar to drowning, which is considered ‘among the most excruciating feelings known to man,’ and the filling of Purkey’s lungs must have occurred while he was still alive.
He stated: “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.”
Before his execution in July 2020, Purkey expressed remorse for his actions.
His final words reportedly 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 sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.”