Brian David Steckel was executed in 2005, but the circumstances of his execution were unusual.
Steckel faced the death penalty for the heinous acts of raping and murdering Sandra Lee Long, a 29-year-old woman, in 1994. He gained entry to her residence under the pretense of needing to use the phone. Once inside, Steckel demanded sex from Long, who refused.
In response, he rendered her unconscious and sexually assaulted her. Following this, Steckel dragged Long into her room and set it ablaze. Tragically, Long succumbed to smoke inhalation and severe burns covering 60 percent of her body.
During his trial, Steckel openly requested the jury to hold him ‘accountable’ for his actions.
“I ask you to hold me accountable for what I did,” Steckel said. “I know what I did was wrong: it was selfish [and] despicable.”
Steckel was consequently sentenced to death and executed in November 2005 via lethal injection. However, the procedure took longer than expected.
According to Reprieve, when the lethal injection protocol was designed in 1977, it was anticipated that the process would require five minutes for administration and an additional two minutes for the inmate to pass away peacefully. Steckel’s case did not follow this timeline.
Reports indicated that it took Steckel 14 minutes to die. During this period, he remained somewhat conscious and engaged in conversation with those present.
At one point, Steckel questioned why the process was taking so long, according to the Maryland Daily Record at that time.
His final words were: “It’s time to get out of here. The journey away begins… I’m at peace.”
The unusual aspect of the execution was Steckel’s ability to speak during the procedure. Typically, inmates are first sedated with midazolam, as described by BBC News. This is followed by vecuronium bromide to paralyze their muscles, and finally, potassium chloride to stop the heart.
While officials asserted that Steckel’s execution proceeded as expected, some contended that he may not have received sufficient anesthesia.
In 2008, attorneys representing Delaware death row inmates initiated a class-action lawsuit, aiming to have the state’s use of lethal injection deemed unconstitutional.
Federal public defender Michael Wiseman, referencing Steckel’s case, told ABC6 Philadelphia: “Mr. Steckel was administered a paralytic drug and then an extremely painful heart-stopping drug without having received adequate anesthesia.”
Delaware Department of Correction spokeswoman Beth Welch refuted any claims of procedural errors.
Delaware abolished the death penalty entirely last year.