Toni Jo Henry From 1608-2002, Louisiana has only executed 658 (ProCon). There have been several different methods from hanging, the electric chair, and now lethal injection. On November 28, 1942, the first woman was executed by the electric chair in the state of Louisiana. Her name was Toni Jo Henry and she suffered in many ways throughout her life. From losing her mother and enduring an abusive father, to working in a brothel where men used her as they pleased, to having her husband locked up in jail with no way out. Does that excuse her killing an innocent man? and through the loss of her mother and enduring her abusive father, she ended up in a brothel where she met her husband. Through marrying him, she stuck by his side even through murder. That brought on committing murder herself and ended in her death. Toni Jo Henry was born Annie Beatrice McQuiston in Shreveport, Louisiana on January 3, 1916. Her parents were James Leslie Mcquiston and Ella Beatrice Mcquiston. She was the third of five children. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was six years old (Toni). She worked in a macaroni factory at the age of thirteen. After that she worked in a brothel, a house for prostitutes where men go to have sex (Clark). “I was awful ashamed of the things I did there,” she said. “But they wouldn’t let me quit. It’s that kind of a racket.” (Gribben). Toni Jo was a popular girl there because she was very pretty. She was small and petite with jet black hair (Gribben). In 1939 she met Claude ‘Cowboy’ Henry. He was a not-so-lucky prized fighter who would go to the brothel Toni Jo worked at. They fell in love and got married on November 25, 1939. They honeymooned in California and Claude helped Toni off of her ... ... middle of paper ... ...make something of your life”. According to a prison officer, Claude was crying and Toni Jo was cheerful and bright (Clark). On the day of the execution, she was very sad because she found out they had to shave her head. They allowed her to wear a scarf on her head and she wore a black dress with black pumps. She descended the stairs with Father Wayne and they let her hold a crucifix in her hand. They asked her if she had any last words and she replied, “No”. They flipped the switch and Toni Jo Henry died at 12:12 p.m. at age 26. Her last request was that they let keep the crucifix in her left hand at burial. Father Wayne officiated her funeral and she is buried in Lake Charles today. As for Burks, his execution happened on March 23, 1943 despite the fact that Toni Jo tried to take all of the blame for the murder. He is buried in an unmarked grave (Clark).
Both of these executions were carried out by a man called Albert Pierrepoint. These two case studies both carry an interesting story with them, which I am going to share with you using the sources I have gathered. Ruth Ellis Case Study: I have gathered some research from a book called A VERY ENGLISH HANGMAN. Firstly, I am going to provide some background information. The whole of Ruth's case moved very swiftly as she was executed thirteen weeks after she shot her lover four times.
This will be further addressed in section two of this paper. Following a formal investigation, she was arrested on charges with four murders, one count of manslaughter, two attempted murders, and was under suspicion of possibly 37 additional murders. The name of “Angel of Death” seems fitting. “The prosecution argued that secondary gain was the motive for Kristen’s behavior. It was alleged that she injected patients with drugs to induce a cardiac arrest to impress her colleagues with her skill in responding to the crisis and to attract the attention of another employee with whom she was having an affair” (Pyrek 2006, p.60). At the conclusion of the long trial, she was convicted of four murders and given two life sentences, but eluded the death penalty. Interestingly even though Massachusetts didn’t have a death penalty it didn’t stop the federal government from prosecuting her under their death penalty. “In the past century, only two women have been executed by the federal government. There is no state death penalty in Massachusetts, but Gilbert was eligible for it under federal laws because her crimes took place on federal property, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton” (Gorlick, A. 2001). The ironic part is if she would have been awarded the death penalty she would have died by lethal injection same way she killed her
Willie Wells was only married to Josephine for a short brief time. She realized she would never have to depend on a man for financial stability. A habit she might have learned growing up without her real father. She remarried in 1921 to Willie Baker, whose last name she decided to keep. She remarried again in 1937 to Frenchman Jean Lion, from which she obtained French citizenship. Then a last time in 1947 to a French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon, who helped to raise her 12 adopted children. She was never again officially...
In the minds of the American public and jurors in capital cases the perception of lethal injection is of a clean, clinical, and painless end. As stated in the article, Lethal Injection, seventy-one percent of those responding to a 2001 survey considered injection to be the least cruel form of execution (Lethal Injection). This perception is an advantage to the state because the public is much more willing to accept execution in this form and jurors are more willing to convict and pass the death sentence. At times it is understood why the death penalty would be considered in cases. Maybe the people are a threat to not only society but also to themselves, and need to be put to death so they can do no harm to anyone. Vickers gunned down a grocery store owner who was probably trying to make a living for himself and his family. Now this man is gone; his family is left in agony, and maybe Vickers deserves to die. Some people may say an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but do two wrongs make a right?
June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California Norma Jeane Mortenson was born. She never knew her father and her mother is Gladys Baker, Gladys has psychiatric problems and was placed into a mental institution. One of Monroe's earliest memories of her mother is Gladys trying to smother her with a pillow in her crib (“Marilyn Monroe.”). As she grew up, she spent most of her time in eleven foster homes and one orphanage. (“18 Things...Monroe.”). Until she was seven she was in foster homes until her mother got her back but soon after her mother was declared insane and had to go to a psychiatric hospital (Bradshaw, Lauren). While Monroe was in foster homes she was sexually
which included her ending her marriage and leaving the life she knew behind. In his Novel The
Her detrimental relationship with her mother turned into a psychosomatic disease, which later affected her life and the people in it.... ... middle of paper ... ... 12 Nov. 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=8255d75b-58ea-4383-be87-4f5601606c51%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=26&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=17088173>.
In any justice system that is flawed and allows bias in certain cases, the death penalty should not be used as a means of punishment because of its irrevocable nature. When I came across Sarah Hawkins’ article regarding the case of Karla Faye Tucker, I was surprised to see the manifestation
It is this selfishness that makes it hard for the reader to be empathetic towards her later in the play, as it is evident in this scene that her hardships were brought on by herself. If she hadn’t insisted on the murder, she would not be driven insane by guilt, which would eventually lead to her death.... ... middle of paper ... ... As we saw, it was plaguing her dreams, and taking a heavy toll on her mental health.
“Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, 138 innocent men and women have been released from the death row, including some who came within minutes of execution. In Missouri, Texas and Virginia investigations have been opened to determine if those states executed innocent men. To execute an innocent person is morally reprehensible; this risk we cannot
...t caused her to take her own life (V.V.17-19). She reached a point where even coming clean and admitting to what she had been a part of, wasn’t going to be enough to clear her conscience.
Beloved, she was exactly as her name. A spirit that came and left just like the wind. Although she caused a lot of broken hearts and pain. She never meant to hurt anyone, she just wanted rest and the only way to receive that rest was by revisiting the woman that caused her pain and murdered her.
...dition, so the doctor thought that this weakness was the reason she died.What really killed her was being put back into the role that was forced and expected of her. When her husband walked in, all of her feminine freedom vanished.
tragedies that befell her. She is an example of a melancholic character that is not able to let go of her loss and therefore lets it t...
We trace her struggles with personal grief, a restricted social life, socio-economic decline, and romantic misfortune, a long history of trauma and repression.”(445)