Topix Underground

Revenge is a dish best served well-done:


"A death row inmate endured a horrific botched execution after a strap on the electric chair broke, engulfing him in flames and filling the room with the smell of "burning flesh".

John Louis Evans III, 33, was sentenced to death in Alabama in 1983 for the murder of pawnbroker Edward Nassar during a robbery spree in 1977.

In the days leading up to his execution, he was seen laughing in a holding cell just 25 feet from the Holman Prison death chamber, telling a prison chaplain he was "ready for death" if the Supreme Court did not halt his execution.

He was eventually strapped into an electric chair, known as 'Yellow Mama' due to its paint job. When the first 30-second surge of 1,900 volts was administered, the strap on the electrode attached to his left leg broke, causing the electrode to detach and sparks and flames to burst forth.

Smoke and sparks were reportedly seen billowing from beneath the hood covering his head, and a "pungent odour of burning flesh and clothing" permeated the chamber.

Even after the initial shock, doctors who rushed in found a heartbeat - Evans was still alive. But the nightmare didn't stop there. A second 30-second jolt was administered, and this time, small flames flickered around his head, while more smoke poured from his leg and the electrode cap fastened to his skull.

His body convulsed violently, his fists clenched as though frozen in agony. Evans' lawyer, Russell Canan, pleaded with those present to halt the proceedings, branding it as "cruel and unusual punishment," and labelling the execution as "torture... in the name of vengeance disguised as justice". Despite doctors conducting further checks, Governor George Wallace declined to step in.

Remarkably still alive, Evans was strapped back into the chair for a third round. Following the third 30-second surge, he finally ceased breathing. Medics pronounced him dead at 8.44pm - a harrowing 14 minutes after his execution commenced....."





"Eddie Nassar, 73, the father of Evans' victim, spoke about his impending execution: "We gotta have laws. We have to follow the laws of God, and we have to follow our laws. If they let him live, he's going to come back and kill.

"What do you do if a rat comes into your house? You kill him. I hate to feel that way but I do."





The electric chair seems like a whole lot of theatrics for something the Soviets dealt-with quickly with a pistol.