"Though he has long accepted responsibility for his crime, he no longer has a rational understanding of why the government plans to execute him.". Death Row Inmate Made Last Meal 'Mistake' Then Suffered 'Excruciating' Execution. A fenced protest area is empty after no one showed up for expected protests at the Federal Correctional Complex on July 13, 2020 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He took my daughter’s last breath,” he said. UPDATE: According to the BOP Wesley Ira Purkey was pronounced dead at 8:19 AM. “We took care of today what we needed to take care of. News » Local News » Purkey’s Last Words Mean Little to Victim’s Parents. “All these appeals, some of them he put through several times. https://www.the-sun.com/news/1148261/wesley-ira-purkey-executed-supreme-court “I am deeply sorry. Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/84.0.4147.89 Safari/537.36, Purkey’s Last Words Mean Little to Victim’s Parents, Saturday is Power Recycling Day at the Indianapolis Zoo, $1,400 Stimulus Payments Could Go Out Next Week, Myanmar Military Occupies Hospitals And Universities Ahead Of Mass Strike, Braun Calls For National Guard To Leave D.C.; Hamilton Calls For Commission To Investigate Capitol Riots, FREE Bosma Leadership Series Webinar – Butler University’s Barry Collier. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. Charlotte Puckering. I am deeply sorry. Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death on Thursday at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, in the second federal execution this week and in nearly two decades. Dustin Honken is to be put to death at the Terre Haute prison on Friday, while Keith Nelson's execution is scheduled for August 28. He was pronounced dead at 8:19 am local time inside the execution chamber at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever. "I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer's family. Purkey, Wesley. He was sentenced to be executed for … "This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.” Wesley Ira Purkey is escorted by police officers in Kansas City, Kan., after his arrest in 1998. “He’s not very genuine. His lawyers contended he had dementia and … Purkey's last words before he received a lethal injection were: "This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever. Then 17 years he sat on death row.”. But it was carried out after the Supreme Court voted 5-4 for it to proceed, with the four liberal justices dissenting. "I have desired to go, Where springs not fail, To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail, And a few lilies blow. Any doubts remaining about the Trump administration’s disregard for the rule of law, for the rights of its citizens, and for basic human decency were laid to rest this week. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.”, “It didn’t mean much,” said Olivia Long, who traveled from Missouri to be at the execution. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Purkey's final words: "This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever." Wesley Purkey was pronounced dead at 8:19am. "Wes Purkey is a 68-year-old, severely brain-damaged and mentally ill man who suffers from advanced Alzheimer's disease and dementia," Rebecca Woodman, one of Purkey's attorneys, previously said in a statement to Newsweek. They filed a motion to halt his execution, arguing that the Constitution prohibits executing someone who lacks a "rational understanding of the basis for his execution.". Will Clark and Paul Miles of WHAS Radio in Louisville contributed to this story. And then we sat in a van for four hours this morning while he did a bunch more appeals, some of them he’d already done. How Can Racism Be Fixed by Race-Neutral Measures? AD “This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever,” he said, according to the pool report. Wesley Ira Purkey and Dustin Lee Honken are the men who will be executed in the days following Lee's death. I am deeply sorry," he said, according to The Associated Press. He was pronounced dead at 8:19 a.m. EDT. Purkey was sentenced to death – but mental health groups rallied against this ruling before he uttered his last words on July 16. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committees Have Way Too Much Power. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. Wesley Ira Purkey was pronounced dead at 8:19 a.m. Thursday. TERRE HAUTE, Ind.–Wesley Purkey’s final words didn’t mean much to the parents of Jennifer Long, whom he raped and murdered in 1998, before dismembering her body with a chainsaw, burning her remains and throwing them in a sewage pond. Purkey was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a 16-year-old girl. Keith Dwayne Nelson will be put to death next month. A grim autopsy has revealed the reason behind the "excruciating" execution of long-time death-row inmate, Wesley Purkey. I’m deeply deeply sorry.” He said he also deeply regrets the pain he caused his daughter and her family. He needed to take his last breath; he took my daughter's last breath.". He was sentenced to be executed for kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl, Jennifer Long, before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. Although details of his last meal were not revealed, Honken, in his last words, recited a poem by an English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ called Heaven-Heaven. ... Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Kansas … His lawyers had made last-ditch efforts to halt his execution, contending that he suffered from Alzheimer's disease and dementia and did not understand the reason for this execution. ... His last words … He’s a very manipulative individual. “She was missing for five years before we found out what was happening. Although his final words expressed contrition for Long's murder, Purkey's lawyers said his mental health had deteriorated to the point that he didn't understand the reason for his execution. Wesley was 68 years of age. Purkey's lawyers also said in their filing that he had endured "atrocious trauma, including repeated sexual abuse and molestation by those charged with caring for him as a child.". Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I'm not a murderer. Purkey was convicted in 2003 for raping and killing 16-year-old Jennifer Long before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that although the government and victim's family members have "a legitimate interest in punishing the guilty," proceeding with Purkey's execution "despite the grave questions and factual findings regarding his mental competency, casts a shroud of constitutional doubt over the most irrevocable of injuries.". Purkey believed he is being put to death as retaliation for his complaints about prison conditions, Woodman said. Some of his last words: “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I’ve caused … "It has been a long time coming. All three men are child killers. "After many years of litigation following the death of his victims, in which he lived and was afforded every due process of law under our Constitution, Purkey has finally faced justice," Kupec said. In a statement, Attorney General William P. Barr said Wesley Ira Purkey, 67, was among five inmates scheduled to be executed. With his last words, Purkey apologized to both Long’s loved ones and his own daughter. Purkey’s lawyers had argued against his execution, saying Alzheimer’s prevented him from understanding why he had been put to death. Second federal execution this week is carried out after last-minute Supreme Court ruling. "The death penalty has been upheld by the federal courts, supported on a bipartisan basis by Congress, and approved by Attorneys General under both Democratic and Republican administrations as the appropriate sentence for the most egregious federal crimes. "Our recent experience with the Federal Government's resumption of executions adds to the mounting body of evidence that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with those values. Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. US executes 2nd man in a week; lawyers said he had dementia Rebecca E. Woodman Attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, and former lead counsel for Wesley Purkey. Her husband William, remembering his daughter, who was 16 when she was murdered, said he believes the execution needed to happen. Wesley Purkey was executed by lethal injection on Thursday, the second federal execution this week after a 17-year hiatus. Wesley Purkey’s Execution Should Shock America’s Conscience. Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Thursday morning, hours after the Supreme Court ruled it could proceed in the middle of the night, as it had in the case of Daniel Lewis Lee earlier this week. Purkey said in his last words, referring to his victim. Thursday, July 16, 2020. He needed to take his last breath. And, there was obviously nothing wrong with him mentally because he remembered Jennifer’s name to apologize to us.”. “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family,” Purkey said, when given a chance to say final words. Wesley Purkey was the second person to be put to death this week. Today that just punishment has been carried out.". “I am deeply sorry. Long said he would always have the events surrounding his daughter’s death and the near 20-year ordeal that followed with him, saying no parent should have to live through that. Purkey was executed at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Thursday morning. Prosecutors said that after killing the girl, he dismembered, burned, and dumped her body in […] "This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.” William Long, Jennifer's … Wesley Ira Purkey was executed by the federal government on Thursday, July 16, 2020. But in his last statement, Purkey apologized to his victim's family. And then Lee said those last words, looking right at me. The Supreme Court also lifted a hold placed on other upcoming federal executions. To continue reading login or create an account. “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family,” Purkey said, when given a chance to say final words. The U.S. carried out its second federal execution this week by killing Wesley Ira Purkey on Thursday morning. The same scenario played out early Thursday in the case of Wesley Purkey, 68. The federal government carried out its second execution this week, putting to death a man whose attorneys argued he was not mentally competent. “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family,” he said. "I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much," he said. He slurs his words and struggles to remember the names of the most important people in his life, including … He also expressed remorse for the pain his actions caused his own daughter. His lawyers contended he had dementia and didn't know why he was being executed. But in a statement following his execution, Department of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said a "just punishment" had been carried out. Purkey was executed at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Thursday morning. I remain convinced of the importance of reconsidering the constitutionality of the death penalty itself.". The execution started at 7:56am. In this 1998 photo, Wesley Ira Purkey, center, is escorted by police officers in Kansas City, Kan., after he was arrested in connection with the death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales. “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I’ve caused Jennifer’s family..." Purkey said in his last words. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed two injunctions early Wednesday, barring the Bureau of Prisons from going forward with Purkey's execution. The United States on Thursday carried out its second federal execution in three days following a hiatus of nearly two decades, killing by lethal injection a Kansas man whose lawyers contended he had dementia and was unfit to be executed. Barr said he directed the … Justice Stephen Breyer wrote: "A modern system of criminal justice must be reasonably accurate, fair, humane, and timely. "He believes his execution is part of a large-scale conspiracy against him by the federal government in retaliation for his frequent challenges to prison conditions, and he believes his own lawyers are working against him within this conspiracy," she said. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. The high court's 5-4 decision allowed the execution to proceed. ", "We took care of today what we needed to take care of," he said. Both parents said the process from his trial to his death, took too long. https://www.newsweek.com/u-s-executed-wesley-purkey-1518387 His last words were "I didn't do it. We just shouldn’t have had to wait this long,” said Olivia Long. 2020. Long's father, William Long, who witnessed the execution along with her stepmother, told the AP that he hoped Purkey "rots in hell. Purkey’s reported last words: I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family. Thank you." barring the Bureau of Prisons from going forward with Purkey's execution. Purkey's lawyers said his mental health had deteriorated to the point that he didn't understand. According to News 10's Heather Good, his last words were “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I’ve caused Jennifer’s family. “I am deeply sorry. You're killing an innocent man," according to a pool … Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Kansas neighborhood, raping and killing her in the late 1990s and also killing an … His final words addressed his imminent execution.