Georgia Department of Correction
Convicted murderer J.W. “Boy” Ledford spent the last few days of his life making a splash on the internet. Ledford, 45, was sentenced to death for stabbing an elderly neighbor to death when he was 20 years old. The victim was the physician that brought him into the world at birth.
His legal team recently motioned the court to deliver their client death via firing squad, rather than lethal injection. The crux of their argument was that their client had been taking a drug for nerve pain, and subjecting him to lethal injection could alter the brain chemistry and cause “unconstitutional pain.”
The motion was denied and Ledford was pronounced dead at 1:17 after an injection of compounded barbiturate pentobarbital. Asked if he wished to make a final statement, Ledford quoted the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke.
Via BBC:
“What we have here is a failure to communicate,” he said, a phrase uttered by the warden in the classic prison drama. “Some men you just can’t reach.”
Ledford added: “I am not the failure. You are the failure to communicate.”
Still smiling, the prisoner said: “You can kiss my white trash ass.”
Witnesses said he shut his eyes, took several deep breaths and went still three minutes after the warden left the room.
Not a very nice thing to say after being served a 5,000 calorie last meal.
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[h/t BBC]