Trigger Warning: The article contains disturbing details about sexual abuse and homicde
Do convicted inmates deserve one last good meal before their doomsday (execution)? Yes, certainly, but what if you never get to eat it? That is what happened with Wesley Ira Purkey, the Kansas man who was convicted of kidnapping, abusing, and murdering 16-year-old Jennifer Long in 1998 and dumping her body in a septic pond later. He was also charged with killing an 80-year-old widow named Mary Ruth Bale, who had polio, just a few months later.
Both murders were done with extreme violence and with barely any remorse. Nonetheless, after receiving the death penalty in 2003, Purkey spent 16 years on death row before his execution in 2020. However, the inmate reportedly had a mental condition called advanced Alzheimer’s, because of which he could not enjoy his final meal.
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As per Tyla, the death row inmate requested to relish a pecan pie as his last meal. Sadly, due to his critical mental disorder, he mistakenly asked the authorities to save the dessert for later, quite unaware that he would not be alive to enjoy it later.
Furthermore, despite Purkey’s lawyers’ contention that he had Alzheimer’s and was too unwell to be executed, the authorities executed him with lethal injections at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In his final moments, as a part of his execution, The Guardian reported that Wesley Ira Purkey was first strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber. Then a correctional officer removed his mask and asked him to make a final statement.
Wesley Ira Purkey was deeply sorry and apologized to both the victims’ families after the horrifying double murders, which truly deserve no mercy. He was declared at 8.19 am Eastern Standard Time. After his death, the US Department of Justice posted about it on X (formerly Twitter).
Statement by Department of Justice Spokesperson Kerri Kupec on the Execution of Wesley Ira Purkey https://t.co/ZEWSxSmuHd
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) July 16, 2020
The 68-year-old also expressed remorse for his own adult daughter’s suffering, which his actions caused. “I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, whom I love so very much,” he said. His last words were, “This sanitized murder really does not serve any purpose whatsoever. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, lethal injection is a common method of execution used for inmates in America. Yet, in Purkey’s case, owing to his severe mental instability, medical professionals questioned the application of capital punishment and whether the convict understood the meaning of execution and death at all.
Statement by Department of Justice Spokesperson Kerri Kupec on the Execution of Wesley Ira Purkey https://t.co/ZEWSxSmuHd
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) July 16, 2020
The Eighth Amendment forbids executing individuals who lack the mental capacity to comprehend why they are being punished. Hence, the judgment in Purkey’s case seemed unfair. As per several media reports, Alzheimer’s disease and brain damage, which first began as a teen, had impacted his ability to have any rational understanding of his punishment.
Yet, the court denied all the evidence provided by the older man’s legal team. Despite his warrant expiring on July 15, 2020, less than nine hours later, the government executed him while an appeal was still pending. This step raised questions on the fairness of the law and the nature of capital punishment for mentally ill convicts.
It highlighted the government’s relentless push to carry out executions at any cost. And, as attorney Rebecca Woodman stated, “The public interest has never been and could never be served by rushing to judgment at the expense of a condemned inmate’s constitutional rights.”
Wesley Ira Purkey’s case is the perfect example of rushed justice and misuse of the law in America. Anyway, what do you think? Did Purkey deserve to be executed, owing to his severe mental issues?
