The execution of Wesley Ira Purkey in 2020 brought a close to a decades-long legal saga, but it was an ending mired in controversy and reports of a painful death. Purkey, who was 68 at the time, had been on federal death row for the horrific 1998 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Long. His crimes were particularly brutal, involving not only the teenager’s death but also the dismemberment of her body in an attempt to evade justice. Later that same year, he also confessed to the murder of 80-year-old Mary Bales, a crime for which he was initially sentenced to life in prison.
Purkey’s path to federal death row was unexpected. While serving his life sentence for the murder of Mary Bales, he voluntarily provided information about the murder of Jennifer Long, apparently hoping to be transferred to a federal prison. This strategy backfired dramatically, as federal prosecutors pursued and secured the death penalty for the teenage girl’s murder. This turn of events meant that Purkey, who had attempted to use information as a bargaining chip, ultimately faced the most severe punishment available.
The execution itself became a focal point of debate. Purkey was put to death by lethal injection using the drug pentobarbital. However, his subsequent autopsy revealed a condition known as ‘severe bilateral acute pulmonary edema.’ Medical experts explain that this means fluid rapidly filled his lungs and airways. According to Dr. Gail Van Norman, this condition would have caused sensations of drowning and suffocation, leading to an excruciatingly painful death despite the prisoner’s outward appearance of calm.
Adding a layer of tragic irony to his final day, Purkey made a simple mistake with his last meal. He requested pecan pie but asked to have it “later,” seemingly unaware that his execution was imminent and that there would be no “later” for him. This detail highlighted the complex and often contradictory nature of a condemned person’s final hours, where mundane requests collide with the ultimate punishment.
Purkey’s final words expressed regret for the pain he caused to Jennifer Long’s family and his own daughter. He also labeled his execution a “sanitized murder.” His case continues to raise difficult questions about the methods of capital punishment, the nature of justice, and the final moments of those who are put to death by the state, leaving a complicated and somber legacy in its wake.
