Today at 6:15, the state of Mississippi will execute Paul E. Woodward. He was sentenced to death in 1987 and again in 1993 for the rape and shooting death of a 24 year old lady. Tomorrow, same time, same place, the state will execute Gerald James Holland. He was sentenced to death in 1987 for raping, beating, stabbing and suffocating a 15 year old girl. Of course, both are appealing to the end. They want to die of old age, I guess. It costs $11,000 per execution and requires a staff of 80. Wow....Lock the place down, take a few guards, offer him a valium tablet with his last meal and shower. Give him his hour with his lawyer and priest, then get it over with. The state has made sure the AG's office and Gov.'s office has a direct phone line to the prison. At 1:00pm, passes to the execution chamber will be issued. The "execution team" will report to Unit 17 to prepare the lethal injection system and for a dry run of the execution. At 3:00pm, the phones will be checked again. At this time, Woodward (today) will have one hour for a visit with the chaplain and attorneys. At 4:00pm, he will be served his last meal and allowed to shower, if he so choses. At 4:30pm, Corrections Commissioner, Epps, Superintendent Sparkman, and witnesses from the gov's and AG's office are to meet for dinner at the Guesthouse. (I really don't think I would have much appitite) At 5:00pm, staff will once again check the equipment to make sure it is working and the prisoner will be offered a sedative. Witnesses are issued passes and briefed on procedures and regulations. At 5:30pm, a hearse will be parked in the rear adjacent to the execution chamber. A staff member will monitor the telephone in the chamber until a stay is granted of the offender has been executed. At 6:00pm, Woodward will be taken from the holding cell to the gurney where catheters will be placed in his arms and a saline solution started. At 6:10pm, witnesses enter the observation room. Prisoner is offered five minutes to make a final statement if he so desires. If he trys to go over the five minutes, the mic is cut off. At 6:15pm, the superintendent will direct the executioner to proceed. Man, I would have needed that sedative started several days ago. I have seen where some of these guys order "huge" last meals....I don't think I would be able to eat at all. I imagine all of the staff involved here are very professional. You don't reckon there's at least one guard who every now and then says, "Hey Bubba....four hours and seven minutes...." Make that "six." I'm teasing some but this would be awful. But like the father of one of the young ladies said...."He was not "given" the death penalty....He EARNED it." PS...this info from Clarion-Ledger.... clarionledger.com will probably show their pictures. Woodward looks like he weighs 400 lbs. How can he be that fat after about 25 yrs in prison? Both men are old, fat, white dudes.
It's 3:45 now. I would be about to chit a brick....two and a half hours to go. The heck with the food....I would be so nervous, that I would be blowing what groceries I had eaten. Knowing that to resist would just get you a knot on the head to go with the shot.... I bet the guy scheduled for tomorrow is just about as nervous, waiting to see if a delay comes today. If so, will it come tomorrow?
I talked to an investigator with MDOC, and she told me this morning that Atty Gen. Jim Hood wants to execute something like 7 more before the year's up. I didn't know they locked down the prison 24 hours before and after an execution. And the victim's family and the offender's family show up in an armored van and have to change clothes and stuff. I thought it was interesting.
