Inmates living on death row in the US wait an average of 22 years for their fate. But what happens in the harrowing final few hours? The Mirror takes a look at what happened to inmates recently executed
Over in the US, 2,500 people sit in jail knowing they are destined to die at any one time.
More than 300 of those are incarcerated in the sunshine state of Florida in 6ft by 9ft x 9.5ft high solitary cells. The average age death row inmates are sentenced to die is 27.
As of August 2024, a total of 1,413 people had been executed by lethal injection in the United States since 1976, making lethal injections the most prevalent method of execution in the US. Florida’s execution process. It involves a three-drug cocktail, starting with the sedative Etomidate.
This is followed by Rocuronium bromide, a paralytic agent. The final drug administered is Potassium acetate, used to stop the heart. US reporter Michelle Lyons has witnessed nearly 300 executions at Huntsville’s Walls Unit in Texas.
She wrote about her experiences called Death Row: The Final Minutes: My life as an execution witness in America’s most infamous prison. She said: “On the day of an execution, the inmate is given four hours to meet with their family and friends in the morning. Then, once those visits conclude they are loaded into a van and taken from the Polunsky unit in Livingston, which is where all of Texas death row for men [are housed].”
The ‘death chamber’ is housed at the Walls Unit. Here they are strip-searched, given new clothes, and their fingerprints taken. She added: “The inmate is then given tea, coffee, and a big plate of cookies, while they’re also allowed to call anyone in the continental United States before their death. They usually meet with a chaplain, who speaks to them about their spiritual beliefs.”
In most states, inmates on death row get to pick whatever they want—within reason—for their last meal, but in Texas, there is no special last meal because one inmate in 1998 overordered – and never ate any of his mammoth feasts – prompting local politicians to argue it was a waste of government money.
The inmate’s last moments involve being walked down the corridor to the execution chamber, where a “tie-down team” does what its name implies—ties the prisoner to the gurney. A few feet above the inmate, there’s a single microphone so that the inmate can make a final statement, should they wish. The Mirror takes a look the most recent prisoners to be killed on death row…
Gary Ray Bowles
Gary Ray Bowles, 57, was a serial killer who pretended to be a prostitute. He strangled his six male clients for their cash and credit cards. His last meal was three cheeseburgers, french fries, and bacon.
In his last words he apologised for all the pain and suffering he had caused. And he told his parents: “Having to deal with your son being called a monster is terrible. I’m so very sorry. I never wanted this to be my life. You don’t wake up one day and decide to become a serial killer.” He was excecuted August 22 2019.
Loran Cole
Loran brutally murdered a male college student and raped the young man’s sister in Ocala National Forest over three decades ago. Cole, alongside accomplice William Paul, had befriended John Edwards and Pam Edwards, then lured the siblings away from their campsite with the promise of showing them a pond.
The 18-year-old brother was savagely beaten, his throat slit, while his 21-year-old sister was dragged back to the campsite, where Cole restrained and sexually assaulted her. For his last meal, he ate pizza, ice cream, M&Ms and soda.
Cole offered no final words, simply responding, “No, sir” when asked. He received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at Florida State Prison
Three minutes into the procedure, which began at 6pm, he began taking deep breaths, his cheeks puffing out. For a brief moment, his entire body was seen trembling. Five minutes into the procedure, the warden shook him and shouted his name. Cole then appeared to stop breathing and then was declared dead. He was executed August 29, 2024
Michael Zack
During a crime spree in 1996, Michael Zack robbed, sexually assaulted and murdered Ravonne Smith. When asked if he had any last words, Zack replied, “Yes sir,” lifting his head toward the observation window. “I love you all.”
Zack died by lethal injection, a cocktail administered by the execution team that includes a sedative, paralytic, and a drug to stop his heart. The drugs were administered at 6:02 p.m. and he was pronounced dead by 6:14 p.m..
Zack had written a statement that was shared by the organisation Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. In it he described his time in jail waiting to die; ” “When I got to death row, I substituted drugs and alcohol for happiness and positive relationships. I am so grateful to the guys on the row who took the time to teach me how to read and write. They changed mylife forever because their love and support allowed me to have pen pals and friends all over the world.
The ability to read and write also led me to my beloved wife and soulmate, Ann-Kristin. I will love her for eternity. “I make no excuses. I lay no blame. But how I wish that I could have a second chance, to live out my daysin prison and continue to do all I can to make a difference in this world. To all my brothers on death row,please continue to help each other.
Zack woke at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, meeting first with his wife, Ann-Kristin, and later in the day with his spiritual advisor. His wife was not allowed to witness the execution, but family did remain outside the prison as it happened. He declined a last meal. Zack was executed 3 October 2023.
