In 2020, Wesley Ira Purkey suffered an agonizing death following a mistake related to his last meal. He was convicted for a horrific crime in 1998: kidnapping, raping, and murdering 16-year-old Jennifer Long.
The chilling story involves Purkey luring the girl into his truck outside a supermarket. After driving her home, he committed the assault and murder, then dismembered her, burned the remains, and scattered bone fragments to avoid detection.
Later that year, Purkey killed Mary Bales, age 80, by beating her with a claw hammer. Neighbors’ suspicions led to his arrest. Purkey pled guilty to the second murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Wanting to move to federal prison, he revealed the details of Long’s murder but was ultimately sentenced to death for that crime.
He was executed by lethal injection with pentobarbital, but his autopsy confirmed deadly pulmonary edema caused fluid to fill his lungs and throat, making his death excruciating.
Medical authorities explain that pentobarbital injections cause severe pain and feelings of drowning during executions.
Before his death, Purkey expressed regret for hurting Jennifer’s family and acknowledged the pain he caused his daughter. He called the execution a pointless “sanitized murder.”
Questions about Purkey’s mental fitness arose as he showed signs of Alzheimer’s. The night before his execution, he watched a Bill Clinton interview and stated he would vote for Clinton.
His last meal choice of pecan pie was complicated by his request to eat it “later,” a request that was impossible to fulfill.
