Death penalty in the United States: they denounce having applied “the longest execution in history”

A murderer on death row in Alabama survived “three hours of pain and suffering” in what one might consider “the longest execution in history”according to Reprieve, an NGO that fights for human rights and has funded an independent autopsy.

Joe Nathan James Jr., 50, died from a controversial lethal injection on July 28, despite desperate objections from the victim’s family, who fought for respect for his life.

The application of the injection was scheduled for 6:00 pm local time, although the time of his death was declared at 9:27 pm, which raised suspicions in the local press, among other signals.

The execution, for inexplicable reasons, had previously been postponed to 9:04 pm. “The execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. lasted longer than any other lethal injection in recorded U.S. historyand it could be the longest, using any method, “according to Reprieve.

“By subjecting someone up to three hours of pain and suffering is the cruelest and most unusual definition of punishment“, He added.

Alterations in the ever-controversial execution of a convict led the NGO to independently perform an autopsy on the body, despite Prison Commissioner John Hamm insisting that “nothing out of the ordinary” caused the delay and dismissed speculation from reporters according to which was the inmate sedated before execution.

According to The Atlantic, “a terrible thing was done to James while he was tied to a stretcher with the doors closed.” This was reported by the journalist of the magazine Elizabeth Bruening “The hands and wrists (of the condemned) were pierced with needles at every point that could be bent”.

Additionally, other experts consulted by that medium indicated that those charged with ending James Jr.’s life “were not qualified” for the job and acted with severe incompetence.

The autopsy indicated it “The execution began hours before the media could enter the room” where you are tied to a table and the procedure is done.

The reporters “were locked up in a prison van with no phones”.

Giacomo “essentially he underwent two executions: a terrifying closed-door procedure and then a theatrical performance for witnesses”Recover accused.

The NGO recalled that in 2018 Alabama canceled the execution of Doyle Lee Hamm after the team struggled to find the right vein for the injection, pricking his extremities and groin with the needle at least 11 times. as he tried in vain to find the right spot. .

Hamm finally died of cancer last year. “Instead of learning the lesson, James’ execution suggests that Alabama officials are using that rigged execution as a model,” Reprieve said.

Joe Nathan James Jr. killed Faith Hall

Protagonist of the confused and controversial execution in one of the few states where the death penalty is legally endorsed, killed Faith Hall in 1994mother of two who he previously dated in 1999.

At the end of the relationship, the killer harassed his next fatal victim “for a long time”.

Prosecutors said James did not accept the rejection, since he not only harassed her, but was also accused of showing up at his home, where he lived with his young daughters, who at the time had three and six years. Legal documents state that he also threatened to kill Hall and her ex-husband.

On August 15, 1994, he shot her to death in an apartment and, after a judicial trial, was found guilty two years later. On July 28, 2022, he was executed.

The victim’s family disagreed with the sentence and decided not to attend the execution. They asked for a life sentence.

DB