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When the execution
fails...

Alpha
Otis O'Daniel Stephens was convicted of the
1974 murder of Roy Asbell, who was taken to a remote field and shot twice
in the ear after he interrupted a burglary at his son's home. Stephens was
executed on December 12, 1984. He was 39 years old.
The RealAudio file below is a
recording of the execution of Alpha Otis O'Daniel Stephens. It has been
shortened considerably for broadcast. The actual electrocution lasted more
than 20 minutes.
Execution
of Alpha Otis O'Daniel Stephens
(RealAudio file, 3:49 min.)
Dick Pettys of the Associated
Press described the Stephens execution this way:
"Seconds after a mask was placed
over [Stephens's] head, the first jolt was applied, causing his body to
snap forward and his fists to clench. His body slumped when the current
stopped two minutes later, but shortly afterward, witnesses saw him
struggle to breathe. During the required six minutes in which the body was
allowed to cool before doctors could examine it, Stephens took about 23
breaths. At 12:26 a.m., two doctors examined Stephens and said he was
alive. At the second jolt, administered at 12:28 a.m., Stephens again
snapped upright. The charge was discontinued at 12:30 a.m., and at 12:36
a.m., he was pronounced dead."
Georgia's General Assembly changed the state's method of execution to
lethal injection in 2000. However, it did so only for those who committed
capital crimes after May 1, 2000. All inmates who were on deathrow at the
time are still subject to electrocution.
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